Silent Witness series 28 ended on a bittersweet note, because although it was a happy ending for Nikki and Jack, the future of The Lyell looked precarious – so what is the future of the team in series 29?
The latest run of episodes have been some of the best yet, proving the long-running forensic drama still has legs. And it’s not going anywhere anytime soon…
In fact, BBC One also already confirmed there’ll be a series 29. It will air in 2026 – marking 30 years since the show first aired in 1996.
But, after the Silent Witness series 28 cliffhanger, the show has left us in the uncomfortable position of not knowing who will return, although we DO know they will have a new home in Birmingham. Here’s everything we know so far about the future of The Lyell in the upcoming series 29 of Silent Witness.
***Warning: spoilers from Silent Witness series 28 episodes 9 and 10 ahead***
Is Emilia Fox’s character Nikki Alexander leaving The Lyell in Silent Witness?
The short answer is yes! Although there is absolutely no reason to think Emilia Fox is leaving Silent Witness, we do know that The Lyell is changing. Series 29 in 2026 will not be set in The Lyell.
The final episodes of Silent Witness series 28 saw Nikki Alexander faced with a tricky dilemma. Although the problem was somewhat muted by her nuptials!
In episodes 9 and 10 – entitled I Believe in Love Part One and Two – Nikki had a ‘secret’ meeting with the Home Office about a new job in Birmingham.
Talking to fiancé Jack, she explained: “They were sounding me out about setting up a new centre of excellence.”
She went on to admit that the finer details still needed to be ironed out. In later scenes, viewers saw Nikki seemingly sat in from of Home Office officials discussing the role further. However, she was visibly uncomfortable to learn that they planned to force The Lyell boss Harriet Maven to “retire” – even though she didn’t want to.
She told them: “I would love to make it work, but I can’t. We’re a team. I’ll only do it if Harriet is in charge.”
So, at the moment, viewers don’t actually know if Nikki will leave The Lyell. It all hinges on whether the whole team will be including – and that was left deliberately unclear… Although we do know that future series will be filmed in Birmingham.
Are The Lyell team splitting up?
Later, after Nikki and Jack’s low-key wedding, both Harriet and Kit received an email about the Sir William Bowman Centre of Excellence in Birmingham. Looking shocked, Kit said: “What are we going to do?”
While it seemed obvious that Kit had been offered a role on the new team, a cloud of trouble crossed Harriet’s face. Had she been included or let go?
Of course, because both Jack and Nikki were off celebrating their wedding, we did not discover if they also received emails about the prospective move to Birmingham… However, as we know series 29 is set in Birmingham, we’re pretty sure they’ll be there too.
So if Nikki refused to leave without Harriet, we have to assume that the whole team will be back. However, it’s not unusual for the forensic show to shake up its cast pretty regularly. Watch this space for more updates about Silent Witness series 29.
Is Silent Witness moving to Birmingham?
The Beeb are keeping tight-lipped about the changes to Silent Witness series 29. However, we DO know that the 2026 series began pre-production early this year in Birmingham.
Silent Witness was previously filmed in and around London. However, the long-running hit drama series will move to the West Midlands as part of a plan that “will see the BBC boost TV drama production in the region”.
Charlotte Moore, BBC Chief Content Officer says: “The BBC is committed to investing in the West Midlands. And this plan will create a future proof skills base in the region that will fundamentally change the landscape boosting high impact content production with the arrival of the hugely popular hit series Silent Witness.”
Mark Linsey, MD for Scripted, BBC Studios says: “This is an exciting time for one of our longest-running dramas that continues to thrill audiences here in the UK – and in over 200 territories around the world. We look forward to seeing the creative opportunities relocating production of Silent Witness to the West Midlands will undoubtedly bring.”
