The team at The Lyell Centre are back for new cases, beginning with the mystery of an elderly woman found dead in a cave. 

Silent Witness returns tonight for series 28, with five new two-part stories.

Joining Emilia Fox and David Caves as Dr. Nikki Alexander and Jack Hodgson, the new run also introduces two new team members. Maggie Steed (Rivals) plays Harriet Maven, the new Head of The Lyell Centre, while Francesca Mills (The Witcher: Blood Origin) is Kit Brooks, a Crime Analyst.

Talking to the BBC, Emilia Fox tells us what to expect from the first story of Silent Witness series 28:

The first story is about the vulnerability of older people being taken advantage of. It’s also about older people who have owned homes for a long time, and then, from the other end of the spectrum, younger people who are finding it hard to get to own a house, and the friction that creates between those generations. It’s that division which creates the vulnerability and the potential for people to be taken advantage of. Something that I love about this show is that it shines lights on all elements of society. The writer of this story, Tim Prager, is brilliant as always finding those stories which are very, very topical and give the drama a meaning outside of the show, because they resonate through life.

She also addresses Jack and Nikki’s relationship:

The reaction of fans to the proposal at the end of the last series was amazing. It’s the best, most wonderful feeling when the audience really like something and feel that they’ve got what they wanted. The relationship between Jack and Nikki has been running over such a long period of time, and the expectation has been so great about what would or wouldn’t happen, that we wanted that to be rewarded in the way that the proposal took place. There was a surprise element to it, but it reflected into what they do as well. The proposal had all of that. David played it so beautifully. And so, it really felt like there was the thrill of that surprise and that Jack had really thought about it and cared about it. There’s a real responsibility to get it right. Definitely.

Jack and Nikki have been friends, and they’ve loved each other and supported each other, for so long. They’ve admitted their love for each other and the fact that they want to be together. They’ve had to go through a process of wondering, “Can we work together and be in a relationship together?” and now they’re in this moment where they’re going to make a commitment to each other. They don’t have many other people in their family life. Jack’s just lost his dad, he still has his niece and his wayward brother, but Nikki has got no one. . So they are everything to each other. There’s this ever-present thought: “If we make this change, will we still have what we had before? Will it change it, making it formal?” These are two people at a certain time in their lives. They’re not getting married when they’re in their 20s. What do marriage and that kind of commitment mean? These are the things which I really felt passionate about portraying. So a lot of thought went into it

David Caves, who pays Jack Hodgson, also talks about the first story:

An elderly woman is found dead in a cave with her fingertips burnt off. It’s a very mysterious death, which puzzles us. We can’t quite get to the bottom of that one for a while. But the story then develops into this obsession based around the character of Benjamin, who’s an elderly man living on his own. He’s looking for his dear friend, but he can’t find her. He can’t get in touch with her and doesn’t know what’s happened to her. So, he goes around to her house. But there appears to be a young couple living there now, which baffles him. This was his friend’s house, and he’s wondering why these people are in there. Of course, the young couple think he’s some strange stalker and pest. Then he goes to an antique shop and finds out that a lot of his friend’s belongings are being sold there. And so, he’s very distressed and confused by all of this. It’s an intriguing thriller.

He also talks about his character’s reaction to the new boss, Harriet Maven:

Historically, he has not reacted very well to new people coming into the Lyell. This seems to be a pattern. He’s not very good with change, he likes things as they are. He also just doesn’t like authority very much. It was the same when Thomas ran the Lyell, it doesn’t really matter who it is. So, he’s convinced himself he’s not going to like Harriet. She is a challenge for him and he’s also heard not so positive things about her, so he’s immediately concerned.

Then, of course, Harriet comes in like a whirlwind, she’s not to be fooled with. She’s a tough one, but eccentric and brilliant and funny. Initially, she and Jack lock horns, they are testing each other big time.

Maggie Steed plays Harriet Maven, and talks about her character:

She’s a very bright woman. She doesn’t suffer fools gladly and has a highly developed sense of humour. She values loyalty and skill and honesty, and she’s got a light touch. She can mess up, so she’s not holier than thou. She’s also done lots of other things in her life. She’s had the corners knocked off her over the years. There are big rich knots there to untangle, which is marvellous. What Harriet does in the series reflects her character. She is not a cipher. I also very much like the fact that she would protect Nikki and Jack come hell or high water and has enormous respect for their work. They’re very bold, and they sometimes push the envelope, but she would always protect their right to do so.

She also considers the show’s ongoing success:

Obviously, it’s extremely popular here and abroad. The success of the show is absolutely to do with the fact that it is very socially acute. It’s very keyed into what’s going on in the world and the zeitgeist. It always has a very interesting take on that. It doesn’t chuck it in your face. It’s always very well placed in a story, and it treats the audience with respect. I really love that. I don’t think there’s much around that does that so consistently.

The show’s other new recruit, Francesca Mills, introduces her character crime analyst Kit Brooks:

I love Kit. She’s bright-eyed, very eager, and very clever. She has got a brain that I think works faster than her. Things are coming out of her mouth, live, as they are processing. What I’ve learned about crime analysts is they must have eyes on everything. If there are the four main sections of an investigation, Kit’s job is to loop the whole thing together. Not only loop the whole thing together but find a piece of paper from years ago that is connected to that person’s dog walker’s dead mum, and discover where the factory that made that piece of paper is. Then she has to work out that couldn’t possibly be true because that particular paper wasn’t made at that specific time. That’s what I found so addictive about playing her. There are no flies on Kit.

She also talks about working with the Silent Witness series 28 cast and crew:

It’s so lovely to be part of a production that has been running for so long. It’s so iconic. They have a formula that really works, and that applies behind the camera as well. I cannot stress enough how it is like a family. I laughed every day. It’s so lovely to get that opportunity to get to know people for such a large amount of the year. People aren’t blasé about it, each day when we see the story lines and the props and the science lab, there’s still that childish excitement about it. That is contagious and translates through the screen, which is why it’s so addictive to watch Silent Witness.

I was like a kid in a candy shop. I was like, “I want to learn everything from these incredible actors and soak it all up.” It’s such an honour to get this opportunity to watch the best of the best and learn their work ethic and see how they approach each storyline. I was so excited. I’ll never forget it. I truly loved every second of it.

Silent Witness series 28 begins on Monday 6th January 2025 at 9 pm on BBC One, with episode two following on Tuesday 7th at the same time.

Each week’s two-parter also lands on the iPlayer at 6 am on the Monday morning too.