Silent Witness star Emilia Fox has revealed that Dr Nikki Alexander and her new husband Jack Hodgson (David Caves) will both face “difficulty” in upcoming scenes that will really put the couple to the test.
Last night, Silent Witness kicked off series 29 with Nikki and forensic scientist Jack taking on a notorious murder case in Birmingham, where they have relocated from London to work in a new facility named The Sir William Bowman Centre of Excellence.
BBC
Over the ten-part series, Nikki and Jack will continue to attend Birmingham’s most sinister crime scenes, before Jack’s own past lands him in deep trouble. Nikki is drawn into her husband’s plight, which Emilia teases as a situation that Jack has brought on himself.
“It’s definitely of his own making,” the actress told Digital Spy during a recent set visit. “I always feel about Jack and Nikki, they are each other’s strength, but it makes them very vulnerable to anything that happens to either of them.
“And definitely in this series, you see Jack experience something that creates a difficulty for both of them, and I think exposes the vulnerability because of how much they love each other.”
BBC
Having launched in 1996, Silent Witness has long been known for its thorough portrayal of forensic science, but Emilia – who has played Nikki since 2004 – is certain that the new series explores subjects that they have never touched on before.
“Two stories take the series into different places it’s never been in,” she shared while praising Silent Witness returning writer Tim Prager, who penned the show’s heartbreaking disability and care-home abuse story. “From a research perspective, that’s been really fascinating because I certainly didn’t know a lot of it, and have had to wrap my head around it, as has everyone else.
“It’s an area of science which really is like, ‘Wow!’ and it’s real. So, that’s been fascinating. And you keep seeing it crop in the news once you’re thinking about it. Once again, Tim has tapped into very topical subjects.”
With over 20 years of experience on the show, Emilia’s willingness to learn about her character’s trade is one of the many reasons that the acclaimed actress continues to return to her role year over year – even if does bring her more challenging scripts each time around.
“It’s one of the things I most love about this series,” Emilia explained. “I like learning new things. But now, I think that the writers and the expert pathologists who we work with like setting me harder and harder things to say!”
Silent Witness airs on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer.
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Soaps Writer, Inside Soap and Digital Spy
Lily joined Inside Soap as Junior Writer in 2024 after studying Politics and History at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). While studying, Lily’s work for LSE’s student newspaper was shortlisted by the Student Publication Association for its Best Feature award. Promoted to Writer in late 2024, she regularly interviews talent from Britain’s favourite soaps and much-loved dramas. Her highlights include interviewing the stars on the red carpet at the Inside Soap Awards, visiting the Coronation Street cobbles and working alongside Albert Square legends (yes, Big Mo was there!) on an exclusive photo shoot.