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Silent Witness season 28 cast: Meet the characters

Emilia Fox and David Caves return for the 28th season of the long-running forensic crime drama, but who joins them?

Silent Witness characters stood next to each other, smiling ahead.

BBC / BBC Studios

Published: Monday, 13 January 2025 at 12:19 pm

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Silent Witness returns to our screens for season 28, and as well as dealing with five complex new cases, Nikki and Jack also have a wedding to plan.

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"I think the interesting dynamic is... [a] sort of a running theme through the series is Jack has got his mind on working out what a good wedding will be for them," Emilia Fox told RadioTimes.com and other press.

"Nikki’s a little bit in denial about it, like the organisation of wedding preparation and what kind of wedding they’re going to have at this stage in their lives, which I think is a really interesting thing."

Fox added: "[They're] two people who have been great friends and have loved each other and supported each other in different ways. Then they’ve admitted their love for each other and come together, and then seeing whether they can work together and have a relationship together.

"Then this is this next stage of commitment and what that means. And so, Harriet and Kit coming in also give those eyes on how they’re both doing with that and with the preparations.

"There's lovely little insights – there’s three females with Jack … so there’s real fun with that."

Alongside that, some new faces have joined the Lyell, which you can read all about below.

Silent Witness season 28 cast

The main cast of Silent Witness is as follows:

For more about the major players in Silent Witness season 28, read on...

Emilia Fox plays Nikki Alexander

Emilia Fox as Dr Nikki Alexander in Silent Witness holding a clipboard and pen while wearing a pair of white gloves and uniform.

Emilia Fox as Dr Nikki Alexander in Silent Witness. BBC Studios,Gary Moyes

Who is Nikki Alexander? Brought up in South Africa, Nikki chose to stay in England following her parents' death and joined the Lyell team all the way back in 2004.

Curious and open-minded, she can be impetuous, but always rises to the challenge when she's up against it. Since first joining the team, Nikki has grown into a skilled and confident pathologist – and she has dealt with a lot of extremely challenging situations, including saving Jack's life in season 16.

After sharing a kiss with Jack at the end of season 24 and their relationship growing in seasons 25, 26 and 27, the pair are now engaged.

"The reaction of fans to the proposal at the end of the last series was amazing," said Fox. "It's the best, most wonderful feeling when the audience really like something and feel that they've got what they wanted.

"The relationship between Jack and Nikki has been running over such a long period of time, and the expectation has been so great about what would or wouldn't happen, that we wanted that to be rewarded in the way that the proposal took place. There was a surprise element to it, but it reflected into what they do as well. The proposal had all of that."

What else has Emilia Fox been in? Fox first rose to prominence following her turn in Roman Polanski's 2002 film The Pianist and went on to land a number of big-screen roles including The Soul Keeper, 3 Blind Mice and The Republic of Love. Small-screen credits in addition to her long-running Silent Witness stint include roles on Merlin, Delicious and The Trial of Christine Keeler.

David Caves plays Jack Hodgson

David Caves as Jack Hodgson in Silent Witness dressed in a grey jumper and brown jacket

David Caves as Jack Hodgson in Silent Witness. BBC Studios/Robert Wilson

Who is Jack Hodgson? Straight-talking and quick-witted, Jack is the Lyell Centre's talented and head-strong lead forensic scientist. Guided by his instincts, he relishes a challenge and is confident in his own ability. He possesses the humility to admit his mistakes, but isn't afraid to ruffle a few feathers when necessary.

In the season 27 finale, Jack finally proposed to Nikki and is now hyper-focused on organising the perfect wedding.

"The series is about balancing," said Caves. "How do you organise a wedding when you're doing this job? It doesn't feel like it's the most conducive job to romance!

"But the people I’ve met who do these jobs have lives, they're married, they have children, they have a great take on life because they know what the other side is like. Jack and Nikki’s great strength has been finding that love in each other and letting that flourish. In this series, we definitely see that blossom."

What else has David Caves been in? Although best known for his role as Jack – who he has played since 2013 – Caves has also appeared in the film Jackie, and has a number of theatre credits to his name, including a critically-acclaimed turn as Petruchio for the Royal Shakespeare Company's The Taming of the Shrew in 2011.

Maggie Steed plays Harriet Maven

Maggie Steed plays Harriet Maven, standing in the main off at the Lyell

Maggie Steed plays Harriet Maven. BBC Studios/Chris Baker

Who is Harriet Maven? The new head of The Lyell Centre.

"She's a very bright woman," said Steed. "She doesn't suffer fools gladly and has a highly developed sense of humour. She values loyalty and skill and honesty, and she's got a light touch. She can mess up, so she's not holier than thou. She's also done lots of other things in her life. She's had the corners knocked off her over the years. There are big, rich knots there to untangle, which is marvellous.

"What Harriet does in the series reflects her character. She is not a cipher. I also very much like the fact that she would protect Nikki and Jack come hell or high water and has enormous respect for their work. They're very bold, and they sometimes push the envelope, but she would always protect their right to do so."

What else has Maggie Steed been in? You might have watched her in EastEnders, Shine on Hervey Moon, Pie in the Sky, Born and Bred, Chewing Gum and Ten Percent.

Francesca Mills plays Kit Brooks

Francesca Mills plays Kit Brooks, wearing white, sat in a wheelchair at her desk

Francesca Mills plays Kit Brooks. BBC Studios/Chris Baker

Who is Kit Brooks? A crime analyst who joins the Lyell shortly after Harriet.

"She's bright-eyed, very eager, and very clever," said Mills. "She has got a brain that I think works faster than her. Things are coming out of her mouth, live, as they are processing."

What else has Francesca Mills been in? You might know her from Harlots, Worzel Gummidge, Pistol and The Witcher: Blood Origin.

Silent Witness season 28 guest stars

Episodes 1 and 2 - Exodus 20:17

Sean Pertwee as DI John Flynn talking to Jason Callendar as Gary Baxter outside. Gary has a bandage on his head

Sean Pertwee as DI John Flynn and Jason Callendar as Gary Baxter. BBC Studios/Chris Baker

Episodes 3 and 4 - Homecoming

Zoë Telford as Helen McGuire in Showtrial, stood underneath two screens with police logos on them and looking at the camera

Zoë Telford. BBC / World Productions

Episodes 5 and 6 - Broken

Tamzin Outhwaite as Sally.

Tamzin Outhwaite as Sally. BBC Studios/Chris Baker

Episodes 7 and 8 - Vanishing Point

Close up of Jo Hartley as Beth Thomas on an airplane

Jo Hartley as Beth Thomas. BBC

Episodes 9 and 10 - I Believe in Love

Close up of Karl Collins as Detective Inspector Gordon 'Ivor' Strong, wearing a white shirt and black jacket

Karl Collins as Detective Inspector Gordon 'Ivor' Strong. BBC

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Silent Witness season 28 airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of Patrick Cremona, smiling against a lime green background.

Patrick CremonaSenior Film Writer

Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.

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