Silent Witness star teases ‘stressful’ Jack and Nikki wedding scenes – and two new characters as hit drama returns
THE stars of Silent Witness have teased ‘stressful’ Jack and Nikki wedding scenes – as well as the arrival of two new characters.
Series 28 of the popular BBC crime drama is set to launch on January 6.
Fans were delighted when Jack (David Caves) proposed to Nikki (Emilia Fox) at the end of series 27.
But things might not be straightforward before heading down the aisle.
David teased: “[Jack] tends to be the more neurotic one when it comes to planning.
“He’s a little bit more stressed about it than Nikki is, and you wouldn’t necessarily expect that.
“He really wants to have this perfect wedding, whereas Nikki slightly takes a back seat with it.
“She’s more preoccupied, as she always has been, with work.
” Also, for her, there’s more questioning going on.
“She’s thinking, “What does marriage mean for us at this point? Is this really what I want to do? Is this going to change things?”
“These are just the normal things that people would think at that stage in their life. These characters are not in their 20s.
“They’re at a different stage, and just what does it mean for them, individually, as well as together?
” And so, we see fun little insights into that. We try to juggle all that whilst dealing with these cases.”
Elsewhere, fans can also expect the arrival of two new team members.
Former EastEnders star Maggie Steed plays Harriet Maven, new Head of The Lyell Centre.
Francesca Mills also joins the cast, portraying crime analyst Kit Brooks.
Addressing the pair’s debut, Emilia said: “We’ve been so lucky with all the different evolutions.
“But having Maggie and Fran coming on has been brilliant.
“They have both got such sparky energy and provide a real sense of fun.
Silent Witness cast past and present
Silent Witness has been on our screens for 28 years and now with the next two series guaranteed, we look back on the characters past and present.
By Donna Richardson
PAST
Amanda Burton
Amanda who was in Brookside and Peak Practice before becoming Sam Ryan in Silent Witness, was in the very first episode until series eight episode two. She went on to become Clare Blake in ITV’s The Commander
Tom Ward
Tom was Dr Harry Cunningham from 2002 to 2012, joining in the sixth season of the crime drama. Prior to this he played the role of George Osborne in Vanity Fair and had a role in Anna Karenina.
William Gaminara
William played Leo Dalton in the 11th series of the show. He exited the show in 2013 to pursue other roles.
Liz Carr
Liz played the role of Clarissa Mullery from 2013 to 2020. She went on to star in the OA as Dr Marlow Rhodes and in 2021 joined the cast of the Witcher and then Good Omens in the same year. She was also Judge Gamble in Loki.
PRESENT
Emilia Fox
Emilia has played the role of Nikki Alexander for 19 years. Before that she was in Pride and Prejudice and Rebecca and other drama adaptations. She has also been in starring film roles in The Pianist amongst others.
David Caves
David Caves is Jack Hodgson and has been in the show since 2012, appearing in the first episode of series 16 called Change.
Rhiannon May
Rhiannon first appeared in Silent Witness Series 24. She is Jack’s neice Cara Connelly for three seasons
Aki Omoshaybi
Aki is Professor Gabriel Folukoya in the show, a neurologist and pathologist. He arrived in the first episode of Silent Witness series 26. Elsewhere he appeared in Star Wars Episode VIII.
“It’s great having those three different generations of women surrounding our fabulous leading man, Jack.”
The new series comprises five brand new stories, to be told over ten episodes from Monday, January 6.
Each week’s new story will air in full on BBC iPlayer from 6am each Monday – ahead the BBC One airing on Monday and Tuesdays at 9pm across five weeks.
Past episodes of Silent Witness are available to watch on iPlayer.