Who is Tom Faulkner? Silent Witness season 25 character played by cast member Matthew Gravelle explained

Forensic drama series Silent Witness kicked off its six-part 25th season in style when it returned to BBC One this week.

In a dramatic season premiere, the Heath Secretary was assassinated and an original member of the forensics team, Sam Ryan returned.

Sam was acting shifty following her return to the series - she watched the forensic specialists like a hawk and it appeared that she had something to hide.

The season also saw the introduction of a mysterious new character - Tom Faulkner, played by Matthew Gravelle.

Sam was guarder about her relationship with Tom, although it became clear through the episode that the pair had a past.

According to show producer Nick Lambon, Tom will have an important role in the series and has connections with several major characters.

Who is Tom Faulkner?

Following the assassination of the Health Secretary, the forensics team found the shell casing from the murder weapon and after running tests they learn that the fingerprints on the casing matched those of Tom Faulkner.

When Tom’s face pops up on the computer screen, Nikki, the forensics expert who took over from Sam in season eight of the show, recognises him too.

Tom used to serve in the army and then began working for the UN, and at some point in his career he met both Sam and Nikki.

Landon told Metro: “I think it’ll be a huge shock when the audience find out who Tom is and why he’s such a significant person in Nikki’s past and how he’s connected to Sam as well.”

Landon explained more of Tom’s character history, saying that he and Sam worked together - he had worked on her security detail when she was in Stockholm - and grew close before something caused a rift to develop between them.

Even though Tom’s fingerprints were found on the shell casings, it’s not clear if he is the killer - although if he didn’t pull the trigger, he may well know who did.

At the end of the first episode, Tom asks Nikki: “Do you want to know who killed the health secretary?”

Who is Matthew Gravelle?

Matthew Gravelle is a Welsh actor who has had a career in television spanning back to 2000.

Gravelle’s early screen roles include one-off appearances on Hearts and Bones, Holby City, Casualty and Torchwood.

He has also appeared on the Welsh-language programmes Y Pris, Pen Talar, and 35 Diwrnod.

One of Gravelle’s biggest roles to date was as Joe Miller, a suspect in the detective series Broadchurch alongside David Tennant and Olivia Colman.

He has also starred as Terry Price in drama series Keeping Faith, Joshua Peake in the Amazon Prime action series The Widow, and DI Nathan Eason in the ITV drama Manhunt.

How can I watch Silent Witness on TV?

The first episode of Silent Witness season 25 aired on BBC One on 23 May, and is available to watch now on iPlayer.

Episode two will air at 9pm on BBC One on 24 May, with future episodes airing on Mondays and Tuesdays until the season finale on 7 June.