BBC confirms Silent Witness season 25 release date as new trailer drops

Silent Witness season 25 stars Emilia Fox and David Caves
What's in store for Jack and Nikki this season? (Image credit: BBC)

Silent Witness season 25 is on the way, and it looks like there's some tension between Dr Nikki Alexander (Emilia Fox) and Jack Hodgson (David Caves) already.

Last season, fans were delighted when Nikki and Jack finally made a move, but it doesn't look like it's going to be plain sailing for the couple as they enter the early stages of a relationship.

We don't have long to wait to find out what's next, as the BBC has confirmed Silent Witness season 25 begins on Thursday, May 23 at 9pm.

Speaking about the new series Emilia Fox said: "We follow on from the end of series 24 and Nikki has spent the night at Jack's house, it's the beginning of their relationship. 

"The kiss begged the question of why these two people who have worked together for so long and love each other and are single were not already having a relationship. It threw up many questions."

Emilia added: "How do friends transition to a relationship? Does that relationship dominate everything? How does it work alongside the job? What happens if it goes wrong? What happens if they are in conflict? 

"The lovely thing is that the audience has wanted Jack and Nikki to be together. It's great that they have invested so much in that relationship."

There's more excitement in store too as Amanda Burton returns to Silent Witness for the first time since 2004, where she'll be reprising her role as pathologist Sam Ryan for the 25th anniversary.

Speaking about her return, Amanda Burton said: "I am so excited to be returning to Silent Witness and stepping back into Sam Ryan’s shoes — with a difference! Audiences can look forward to plenty of twists and turns as they discover what Sam’s been doing since leaving the Lyell."

Genesis Lynea returns as forensic ecologist Simone Tyler, who was introduced last season after Nikki Alexander asked her to help solve a murder. Her character has been described as 'a zealous and meticulous ecologist' and we'll be seeing more from her in season 25.

Even though the trailer is only 30 seconds, there's a lot going on and it looks like we'll be dealing with a number of dramatic cases this time around. It's enough to keep us interested without giving too much away.

Silent Witness returns to BBC1 on Thursday, May 23 at 9 pm. Episodes will also be available on BBC iPlayer.

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Now she works for our sister site TechRadar in the same role. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.

She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress