Silent Witness: Why was The Enemy Within episodes pulled from schedule? BBC makes last minute change following tragic event
Episodes of Silent Witness were pulled from broadcast this week in a last minute move by the BBC.
The popular crime drama series returned for its 29th series last week, with a new double-part story delighting viewers. Emilia Fox, David Caves, Maggie Steed and Francesca Mills made their return to the screen as the newly-named Bowman team, with the show making a move to Birmingham.
Viewers tuning in this week may have noticed that the expected episodes had been pulled from broadcast. The BBC had previously been set to show a two-part story titled ‘The Enemy Within’, telling the story of a fatal stabbing in Birmingham.
However, these episodes were swapped with another two-part story, with episodes five and six - titled ‘Creekwood’ - airing instead.
The BBC has confirmed that The Enemy Within episodes were pulled following a fatal stabbing in Birmingham over the weekend that saw two teenagers, aged 14 and 15, targeted in a machete attack. A 12-year-old boy has since been arrested.
A BBC spokesperson said: "Due to the attack in Birmingham over the weekend, this week's episodes of Silent Witness will not transmit as planned and instead they have been replaced with two episodes from later on in the series."
Episode three and four of the series have been rescheduled to next week. However, there is another warning for Silent Witness fans as next week’s episodes will air at a slightly different time.
Episode three and four will air on Tuesday and Wednesday night at 9pm on BBC One, as opposed to the usual slot for Silent Witness on Monday and Tuesday. This is because BBC is carrying coverage of the FA Cup clash between Hull City and Chelsea on Friday evening, with the latest episode of Death In Paradise instead being moved to Monday at 9pm.
The episode schedule should return to normal from Monday, February 23.