# List of Silent Witness episodes
*Silent Witness* is a British forensic crime drama broadcast on [BBC One](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-one) since 21 February 1996, and its episode list covers 29 series as cataloged by TVmaze and Televisionstats (FilmBooster lists 267), each story told as two 60-minute parts except where noted.[1](https://epguides.com/SilentWitness/) • [2](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/938/silent-witness/episodeguide) • [3](https://www.filmbooster.com.au/film/71103-silent-witness/episodes/) • [4](https://televisionstats.com/s/silent-witness/episodes)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First broadcast | 21 February 1996, BBC One, with the two-part story *Buried Lies*[5](https://www.watchmode.com/tv/silent-witness/episode-guide) • [1](https://epguides.com/SilentWitness/) |
| Series and episode count | 29 series[4](https://televisionstats.com/s/silent-witness/episodes) • [6](https://telewised.com/shows/Silent-Witness/) • [3](https://www.filmbooster.com.au/film/71103-silent-witness/episodes/) |
| Episode format | Two 60-minute parts per story, a pattern BBC1 introduced with *Silent Witness* in 1996, first shown on Wednesday and Thursday of the same week[1](https://epguides.com/SilentWitness/) • [7](https://theses.gla.ac.uk/4526/1/2006WeissmannPhD.pdf) |
| Typical series length | 8 episodes in the first three series, generally 10 from Series 10 onward, with Series 12 at 12 and Series 25 at 6[5](https://www.watchmode.com/tv/silent-witness/episode-guide) |
| Lead characters | Dr Sam Ryan (Amanda Burton, series 1–8 and 25), then Dr Nikki Alexander (Emilia Fox, from series 8) and Dr Jack Hodgson (David Caves, from series 16)[1](https://epguides.com/SilentWitness/) |
| Guest appearances | Guest cast members include Idris Elba, Nicholas Hoult, Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Comer, Evanna Lynch, and Martin Compston[8](https://www.womanandhome.com/life/news-entertainment/silent-witness-a-list-guest-stars/) |
| Most recent series | Series 29, 10 episodes, premiered 2 February 2026[5](https://www.watchmode.com/tv/silent-witness/episode-guide) • [9](https://www.womanandhome.com/life/news-entertainment/when-dies-silent-witness-season-29-start/) |
## Series structure and history
The first series, transmitted in February and March 1996, consisted of four stories split into two parts each, for a total of eight episodes: *Buried Lies*, *Long Days, Short Nights*, *Darkness Visible*, and *Sins of the Fathers*.[1](https://epguides.com/SilentWitness/) • [10](https://silentwitness.fandom.com/wiki/Episode_Guide) The episodes opened each case with Dr Sam Ryan's first work as a police consultant, a death investigation involving a child, and continued with a ritualistic killing, a death in police custody, and the murder of a charred body in a burning restaurant.[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/938/silent-witness/episodeguide)
Series 2 (1997) and Series 3 (1998) each carried eight episodes in the same four-stories format. Series 2 comprised *Blood, Sweat and Tears*, *Cease Upon the Midnight*, *Only the Lonely*, and *Friends Like These*; Series 3 comprised *An Academic Exercise*, *Fallen Idol*, *Divided Loyalties*, and *Brothers in Arms*.[1](https://epguides.com/SilentWitness/) • [2](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/938/silent-witness/episodeguide) From Series 4 (1999) onward, the series settled into a 6-episode year (three stories) for Series 4 and 5, returning to 8 episodes for Series 6 through 9.[5](https://www.watchmode.com/tv/silent-witness/episode-guide) Series 10 (2006) reached 10 episodes, and Series 12 (2008) set the early peak at 12.[5](https://www.watchmode.com/tv/silent-witness/episode-guide) • [1](https://epguides.com/SilentWitness/)
## Premieres and season-by-season episode counts
The premiere dates and episode counts below follow Watchmode's episode guide; two sources give a different count for Series 4 (Watchmode lists 6 episodes, FilmBooster lists 5) and a different total for the run.[5](https://www.watchmode.com/tv/silent-witness/episode-guide) • [3](https://www.filmbooster.com.au/film/71103-silent-witness/episodes/)
| Series | Premiere | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | 1996–1998 | 8 each[5](https://www.watchmode.com/tv/silent-witness/episode-guide) |
| 4–5 | 1999, 2000 | 6 each[5](https://www.watchmode.com/tv/silent-witness/episode-guide) |
| 6–9 | 2002–2005 | 8 each[5](https://www.watchmode.com/tv/silent-witness/episode-guide) |
| 10–11 | 2006–2007 | 10 each[5](https://www.watchmode.com/tv/silent-witness/episode-guide) |
| 12 | 1 October 2008 | 12[5](https://www.watchmode.com/tv/silent-witness/episode-guide) |
| 13–24 | 2010–2021 | 10 each[5](https://www.watchmode.com/tv/silent-witness/episode-guide) |
| 25 | 23 May 2022 | 6[5](https://www.watchmode.com/tv/silent-witness/episode-guide) |
| 26–29 | 2023–2026 | 10 each[5](https://www.watchmode.com/tv/silent-witness/episode-guide) |
## Notable stories and guest roles
Several stories are remembered for cast members who later became prominent. [Idris Elba](https://www.edgepedia.org/idris-elba) played Charlie in *Blood, Sweat and Tears* (Series 2, 1997), about the death of boxer Kevin Sharma; [Nicholas Hoult](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicholas-hoult) played Tom Evans in *An Academic Exercise* (Series 3, 1998), about the murder of his mother, a Cambridge professor and friend of Sam Ryan; [Daniel Kaluuya](https://www.edgepedia.org/daniel-kaluuya) appeared in Series 12; Jodie Comer played Eve Gilston in *Fear* (Series 15, 2012), a story involving exorcisms; Evanna Lynch appeared in *Shadows* (Series 13) and reprised her character in *Redemption* (Series 24); and Martin Compston played DS Jason Ross in *In a Lonely Place* (Series 17).[8](https://www.womanandhome.com/life/news-entertainment/silent-witness-a-list-guest-stars/)
[Ruth Gemmell](https://www.edgepedia.org/ruth-gemmell) appeared in three separate roles: DC Kerry Cox in all eight episodes of Series 1, and later DI Beth Ashdown and Ellie Brooke.[8](https://www.womanandhome.com/life/news-entertainment/silent-witness-a-list-guest-stars/)
## Schedule changes and the move to Birmingham
The two-part broadcast pattern has occasionally been disrupted. During Series 29, the BBC pulled the billed two-parter *The Enemy Within* at short notice and substituted different episodes, with a BBC spokesperson attributing the change to an attack that took place over the weekend; *The Enemy Within* then aired on 14 and 21 May 2026, followed by *Grace of God*, in which Jack Hodgson is imprisoned after a bar fight leaves a man dead, and the closing two-parter *Shame*.[11](https://www.womanandhome.com/life/news-entertainment/silent-witness-episode-schedule-change-season-29/) • [12](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/silent-witness/episodes-season-29/1000097377/)
## References
1. [Silent Witness (a Titles & Air Dates Guide), epguides.com](https://epguides.com/SilentWitness/)
2. [Silent Witness – Episode Guide, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/938/silent-witness/episodeguide)
3. [Silent Witness (1996) – Episodes, FilmBooster.com.au](https://www.filmbooster.com.au/film/71103-silent-witness/episodes/)
4. [Silent Witness Episode Guide, Televisionstats](https://televisionstats.com/s/silent-witness/episodes)
5. [Silent Witness Episode Guide – All Seasons & Episodes, Watchmode](https://www.watchmode.com/tv/silent-witness/episode-guide)
6. [Silent Witness – Airing times and Episode listing, telewised.com](https://telewised.com/shows/Silent-Witness/)
7. [Television Fiction in Europe, Council of Europe / Weissmann PhD thesis, University of Glasgow](https://theses.gla.ac.uk/4526/1/2006WeissmannPhD.pdf)
8. [Silent Witness A-list guest stars, Woman & Home](https://www.womanandhome.com/life/news-entertainment/silent-witness-a-list-guest-stars/)
9. [When does Silent Witness season 29 start and how can you watch the new series?](https://www.womanandhome.com/life/news-entertainment/when-dies-silent-witness-season-29-start/)
10. [Episode Guide, Silent Witness Wiki (Fandom)](https://silentwitness.fandom.com/wiki/Episode_Guide)
11. [Why has the Silent Witness episode schedule changed? Woman & Home](https://www.womanandhome.com/life/news-entertainment/silent-witness-episode-schedule-change-season-29/)
12. [Silent Witness Season 29 Episodes, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/silent-witness/episodes-season-29/1000097377/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Seasons, episodes, and installments › Installment collections and reference › Scripted live-action episode lists › Live-action episode lists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license