Emilia Fox returns to BBC One as Forensic Pathologist Dr. Nikki Alexander for a new season of long-running crime drama Silent Witness.
Nikki is joined by Forensic Scientist Jack Hodgson (David Caves), Forensic Lab Scientist Clarissa Mullery (Liz Carr) and Forensic Pathologist Dr. Thomas Chamberlain (Richard Lintern).
> Buy Season 18 on DVD on Amazon.
Episode 1: ‘After the Fall (Part One)’
Monday 4 January 2016, 9pm
The apparent suicide of a DJ leads Nikki to question her judgement on a strikingly similar case from her past. But when she brings the potential mistake to the attention of her colleagues, the news threatens to have repercussions for the family of the deceased, the police and the Lyell team.
Scott, an old friend from medical school, catches up with Nikki, and his sudden reappearance in her life seems suspicious in light of recent events.
The similarities between the two cases result in confirmation that a copycat killer is out there, and further lines are drawn between the murders and Nikki’s past.
Nikki soon suspects the killings are personal and her paranoia is further exacerbated when she finds evidence that an intruder has been entering her home.
Episode 2: ‘After the Fall (Part Two)’
Tuesday 5 January 2016, 9pm
Nikki becomes the prime suspect after a former colleague is murdered, and whilst fighting to clear her name, she soon suspects someone is attempting to frame her.
Nikki is unable to stop herself suspecting her old flame Scott due to his untimely return, and questions are raised over Nikki’s personal and professional life.
Has her career affected her chances of having a normal relationship?
Episode 3: ‘Flight (Part One)’
Monday 11 January 2016, 9pm
Mysterious Sarah Begovic secretly returns to the UK. Although she is initially suspected of smuggling drugs, when a well-known anti-fundamentalist, Muslim Amir Aziz, is murdered something much more sinister is feared.
His death leads the Lyell team and fellow colleague DI Nina Ryman to question who would murder this peaceful but outspoken man.
Ryman knew Aziz and believed him to be a good man, but her faith in him is called into question when she discovers his correspondence with Sarah, the suspected drug smuggler. The team work to determine the connection between Sarah and the murdered Aziz. But is the truth more sinister than they originally thought?
Episode 4: ‘Flight (Part Two)’
Tuesday 12 January 2016, 9pm
Thomas puts his personal feelings for DI Ryman aside and the team work to track down Sarah.
When it becomes clear that Sarah is not working alone, it raises fears that there is an immediate threat to those around her.
The team race to apprehend the suspects before they leave a trail of destruction in their wake.
Episode 5: ‘Life Licence (Part One)’
Monday 18 January 2016, 9pm
When an ex-convict is found brutally murdered in his home, suspicion immediately lands on a recently released killer.
The Lyell team is introduced to Sasha Blackburn, a forensic psychologist who works closely with those released from prison on Life Licence. Since both the victim and one of the suspects – Paul – are clients of Sasha’s, several other members of the Life Licence community are drawn into the investigation.
The Lyell team soon learn that it is not just the minds of these young men that are so fragile, but their freedom is too.
Episode 6: ‘Life Licence (Part Two)’
Tuesday 19 January 2016, 9pm
When the team discover that Paul was involved in an infamous murder case 15 years ago, Nikki, Thomas and Jack reopen the file.
They pay Paul’s psychopathic accomplice a visit in the hope that he can shed light on the current investigation, re-opening wounds for the victim’s family.
When further victims are killed, a distinctive, sadistic modus operandi is revealed. The team turn to Sasha for advice on the killer, but her proximity to the suspects calls her perspective into doubt.
As the team move closer to discovering the identity of the killer, they question whether a murderer can ever truly be rehabilitated – and what that rehabilitation really means.
Episode 7: ‘Plain Sight (Part One)’
Monday 25 January 2016, 9pm
The accidental fatal shooting of a Polish teenager in an armed police operation triggers a series of murders, which link Turkish gangsters, a grieving family and a fractured firearms unit.
As the inquest delivers a lawful killings verdict, IPCC investigator Vicky Sharpe calls on the Lyell team to discover the connection between the events, and review the armed police shooting evidence.
But Sharpe’s relationship with the family of the teenager and her suspicion of the Firearms Division lead Nikki and Thomas to distrust her motives. And as Jack grows closer to the family of the Polish teenager and attempts to uncover the truth, his objectivity is also called into question.
Nikki warns him to follow the evidence, not his gut feeling. But can Jack ignore his instinct?
Episode 8: ‘Plain Sight (Part Two)’
Tuesday 26 January 2016, 9pm
Jack leads the hunt for suspected killer Bruno, the brother of the polish teenager shot by the armed police unit.
Unknowingly, he enters the world of London’s small but devastating gun trade. As further victims fall prey to the killer, the pathology and forensics begin to point to a highly trained individual.
The team rally around Jack as he searches for the truth, but in order to discover who is responsible for the murders – and what really happened in the armed police operation – he puts himself in jeopardy.
Episode 9: ‘River’s Edge (Part One)’
Monday 1 February 2016, 9pm
The Lyell team investigate the murder of a family, who were shot while picnicking by a river. When the investigation turns to the victim’s estranged husband, it is revealed that the couple were in the midst of a bitter divorce.
Local detective Malcolm Guillam is brought in to work alongside the team and is haunted by the death of a young woman ten years ago. When the present-day murder brings back connections to the unsolved case, Guillam sees an opportunity to redeem himself.
However, lead investigator DCI Butcher is convinced that the estranged husband is responsible for the murder and has no time for Guillam’s trip down memory lane.
Episode 10: ‘River’s Edge (Part Two)’
Tuesday 2 February 2016, 9pm
As DCI Butcher moves closer to charging the estranged husband of the family killed at the river, Jack and Nikki join DS Guillam in his search for the truth.
But Nikki and Jack discover that the team has been looking at the case in the wrong way: as they uncover evidence of further murders within a high-powered world of sex and depravity, their lives are thrown into mortal danger.
Nikki and Jack must fight to escape, and bring those responsible to justice.
> Buy Season 18 on DVD on Amazon.
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