Silent Witness returns to BBC as stars Emilia Fox, David Caves and Maggie Steed reveal show secrets - when is it on TV?

The show stars Emilia Fox, David Caves and Maggie Steed, who all return for the long-running show’s 28th series on the air. Silent Witness, which was created by screenwriter and producer, and former murder squad detective, Nigel McCrery, first aired in the UK in February 1996 and has since become one of the UK’s highest-rated dramas, pulling in an average of 7.4m viewer for the latest series.

Caves, who plays Jack Hodgson, said: “You never take it for granted, because you just don’t know what’s going to happen or if they’re going to invite you back. So it’s been wonderful that it has gone on for so long, really thanks to this one here [Emilia Fox].”

Fox said: “It’s definitely not me. I tell you what though, I don’t think the expectation was ever that this show would go on as long as it has, because Amanda [Burton] was the very genesis of this story. I think no one knew what would happen after that. And then Tom [Ward] and Willie [William Gaminara] playing Dr Harry [Cunningham] and Leo [Dalton] took it on, and I joined and we somehow created the dynamic between the three of them.

“I certainly didn’t know how long it would go on for and just felt lucky year after year when they asked me to come back. And so I don’t think anyone could ever have expected this, but that’s part of the sort-of-amazing thing about it.

The actress, who plays Dr Nikki Alexander in the beloved show, added: “We’re so grateful to the BBC. They want to keep making this show. The audience that comes to it is really who we make it for, as they’re watching it. That’s why it gets made again.

“So really, our thanks are to them and then the person who always gets forgotten about is Nigel, who created the idea in the first place of having this a female pathologist at that time. It’s testament to the show itself, looking at crime solving from that angle, is a reason why the show has lasted as well.”

What to expect from Silent Witness series 28

Silent Witness series 28 will see the team return as the body of an elderly woman is found in a cave in the upcoming first episode. The show will also introduce two new team members - Harriet Maven, played by Maggie Steed, and crime analyst Kit Brooks, played by Francesca Mills.

Speaking about joining the show, Steed said: “I was in the deep end – it was quite a learning curve. It’s a great job, as you are facing [what] you never expected to all the time. I’ve never played a pathologist before.”

When is Silent Witness on TV?

Silent Witness returns to BBC One on Monday, January 6 at 9pm. The show will also air live on BBC iPlayer, with the episode available to watch on catch up shortly after it concludes on live TV.

For those wanting to catch up on older episodes, BBC iPlayer has all previous 27 series to jump in on before the return of Silent Witness.