The 'Silent Witness' Season 27 Trailer Brings a Serial Killer Into the Light
While Doctor Who may boast it just celebrated its 60th Anniversary, fans know that a good decade and a half of that was spent off the air, in the wilderness of fandom supporter media, including radio dramas, novels, and one 1996 television film that nearly killed the franchise. However, 1996 also spawned another series, one that shows no signs of ending anytime soon, Silent Witness, which had become the BBC's longest-running non-soap-opera, non-medical drama, with Season 27 heading to the BBC for January 2024, and more seasons to come.
Silent Witness initially starred Amanda Burton as Dr. Sam Ryan, a forensic pathology expert hired to investigate crimes, which in the 1990s was something of a new area. Burton starred in the lead role for eight seasons before calling it quits in 2004; her replacement, Emilia Fox, as Dr. Nikki Alexander, has been one of the series' central characters since, celebrating 20 years on the program with the new season. I say "one of" because, with Burton's departure, the writers wisely decided if the series wanted to be able to run beyond its original star, it would need to become an ensemble piece.
Though Fox has been an anchor for the show since Season 8, the turnover throughout the seasons has been steady, and if it weren't for the ensemble nature of the series, it might not have survived this long. Luckily, Alexander, along with David Caves, who joined as DCI Jack Hodgson, her mainstay partner in crime solving in Season 16, have kept the show on an even keel through cases and casts of all sorts. With the Season 27 trailer, it looks like the two are ready to do it again.
