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Silent Witness is a British crime drama television series produced by the BBC, which focuses on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in 1996, the series was created by Nigel McCrery, a former murder squad detective based in Nottingham. Twenty-five series of Silent Witness have been broadcast since 1996.[1]

Silent Witness
Title card (2015–2017)
GenreCrime drama
Created byNigel McCrery
StarringAmanda Burton
John McGlynn
Clare Higgins
William Armstrong
Ruth McCabe
Mick Ford
Nick Reding
Mark Letheren
William Gaminara
Tom Ward
Emilia Fox
David Caves
Liz Carr
Richard Lintern
Jason Wong
Genesis Lynea
Theme music composerGeoffrey Burgon (s. 1)
John Harle (s. 2–present)
ComposersGeoffrey Burgon (s. 1)
John Harle (s. 2–7)
Paul Leonard-Morgan (s. 8)
Sheridan Tongue (s. 9–20)
Andy Price (s. 21-23)
Nick Holywell-Walker (s. 24-25)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series25
No. of episodes228 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersCaroline Oulton (s. 1–3)
Patrick Spence (s. 4)
Mike Dormer (s. 5)
Jessica Pope (s. 6–9)
Laura Mackie (s. 6–9)
Hilary Salmon (s. 10–11, 19)
Phillippa Giles (s. 12–18)
Anne Pivcevic (s. 19–20)
ProducersTony Dennis (s. 1)
Alison Lumb (s. 2)
Anne Pivcevic (s. 3)
Lars Macfarlane (s. 4)
Diana Kyle (s. 5)
Nick Pitt (s. 6–8)
Tim Bradley (s. 9–10)
George Ormond (s. 11–12)
Ruth Kenley-Letts (s. 13)
Richard Burrell (s. 14—ep. 15.2)
Mat Chaplin (ep. 15.3)
Lachlan Mackinnon (ep. 15.4–15.6)
Sharon Bloom (s. 16—18)
Madonna Baptiste (s. 19)
Ceri Meyrick (s. 20)
Running time50 minutes (s. 1–5)
60 minutes (s. 6–present)
Production companyBBC Studios Drama Productions
DistributorBBC Studios
Release
Original networkBBC One
Picture format576i (4:3) (1996–1998)
576i (16:9) (1999–2006)
(1080i) (16:9) (2007–present)
Audio formatStereo
Original release21 February 1996 (1996-02-21) 
present

Amanda Burton starred as primary character Dr. Sam Ryan before leaving the show during the eighth series. Since her departure the series has featured an ensemble cast, which initially consisted of William Gaminara, Tom Ward and Emilia Fox, and later on David Caves, Liz Carr and Richard Lintern alongside Emilia Fox. At the end of series 23 Carr and Lintern both departed. The cast was joined by Genesis Lynea from series 24.[1]

The programme is broadcast in more than 235 territories,[2] including ABC in Australia,[3] Showcase and the Knowledge Network in Canada, KRO in the Netherlands, TV One[4] and Prime[5] in New Zealand, BBC First in South Africa and BBC America in the United States. Silent Witness continues to achieve good audience ratings in the UK. In 2011, for example, Series 14 attracted an average audience of nine million viewers.[6]


Background


The main character in the original series was based on Professor Helen Whitwell, a forensic pathologist based in Sheffield, who McCrery had known while serving as a police officer. The programme followed the activities of pathologist Sam Ryan, played by Amanda Burton, until she departed early in the eighth series.

There was a succession of regular supporting characters, changing almost every series, but Dr Leo Dalton (William Gaminara) and Dr Harry Cunningham (Tom Ward), who were introduced in the sixth series, continued as lead characters following Ryan's departure, with Dalton replacing her as professor.

A new character, Dr Nikki Alexander (Emilia Fox), was introduced in mid-series eight, based on Dr Brooke Magnanti, a forensic scientist based in Sheffield. While working as a forensic anthropologist, she appropriates facilities and software in the pathology department to analyse an Iron Age find, with the belated, bemused and begrudging approval of Dalton. Dr Alexander is able to assist in a set of cases being investigated by the team, as it turns out she has "worked in forensic pathology in Johannesburg for six months" and is certified by the Home Office to practise. She eventually overcomes Leo's reluctance and, with Harry's support, is offered and accepts a position on the team.

Before the 16th series begins, Harry has left to accept a position in New York City. He is succeeded by forensics expert Jack Hodgson (David Caves) and his assistant Clarissa Mullery (Liz Carr). At the climax of the 16th series, Leo is killed in an explosion. His replacement, Dr Thomas Chamberlain (Richard Lintern), is introduced at the start of the 17th series.

Although the show focuses heavily on areas of pathology, the police also have a presence in each case. During later series of the show, detectives and investigators tend to differ from episode to episode, with guest artists appearing in these roles. However, during the early years of the show several characters appeared regularly to investigate each case.

The first three series were set in Cambridge. This changed to London from the start of the fourth series, following Sam as she took up an academic position in the Lyell Centre, the Pathology Department of UCL. The programme remained in an academic setting until the end of series 16 when the Lyell appeared to have become separated from the University and operated as a stand-alone institution.

Each series is typically made up of a series of two-part stories. The first nine series generally featured eight episodes (four two-part stories), except that series 4 and 5 each featured just six episodes (three two-part stories); this was increased to ten episodes (five two-part stories) from the tenth series onwards, excepting series 12 and 15 which each featured 12 episodes (six two-part stories). The 25th series, broadcast in 2022, introduced a new format consisting of one story in six episodes.[1]

In 1998, the writer John Milne received an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for the second series episode "Blood, Sweat and Tears". In the United States the series airs during 'Mystery Monday' on BBC America.


Music


The theme music from series 2 onwards is entitled Silencium and is performed by John Harle. The arrangement, for chamber orchestra and soprano saxophone solo, was first performed as part of the Canterbury Festival on 22 October 2011.[7] The vocal section is performed by Sarah Leonard.[8]

The incidental music used in the series is written by the BAFTA-nominated composer Sheridan Tongue.


Critical review


An episode first broadcast in April 2012 attracted criticism for its violent and sadistic content.[9] There were 632 complaints made about the fifteenth-series episode Redhill, written by Ed Whitmore, which included a scene depicting a sadistic sexual and murderous attack. The BBC was censured by the editorial committee of the BBC Trust, which said in its report:

When the prison officer emerged from the toilet holding the bloodied stick with a pool of blood on the toilet floor, viewers were left in no doubt that an act of sexual violence was being carried out. ... The committee concluded that the final scenes in the toilet block were in breach of the guidelines on harm and offence as they exceeded audience expectations for this series as they depicted a sadistic method of inflicting pain, injury and death.[9]

The BBC had responded to the initial criticism of the episode by saying that it took its responsibility to its audience "extremely seriously" and always tried to "strike the right balance between compelling drama without being unnecessarily graphic".[10] It said that "The final scene was not an attempt to gratuitously shock the audience; ... We acknowledge that certain scenes may have been challenging, but we filmed and presented them in such a way as to make sure that although as a viewer the implication was there, it was never actually shown."[11]

The show has also been criticised by reviewer Michael Hogan. Reviewing the first episode of series 21, he asked in the UK's Daily Telegraph how it had become the world’s longest running crime drama, writing: "In place of convincing dialogue or emotion, they instead exchanged meaningful stares" and "The leading pair were so wooden, they made the bodies on the autopsy slab look lively."[12]


Episodes


SeriesEpisodesOriginally airedAverage viewership
(in millions)
First airedLast aired
1821 February 1996 (1996-02-21)3 April 1996 (1996-04-03)N/A
2814 February 1997 (1997-02-14)11 April 1997 (1997-04-11)N/A
3819 March 1998 (1998-03-19)24 April 1998 (1998-04-24)N/A
4630 May 1999 (1999-05-30)16 June 1999 (1999-06-16)9.27
5611 December 2000 (2000-12-11)20 March 2001 (2001-03-20)8.78
6828 September 2002 (2002-09-28)27 October 2002 (2002-10-27)7.79
7811 October 2003 (2003-10-11)2 November 2003 (2003-11-02)7.79
885 September 2004 (2004-09-05)26 September 2004 (2004-09-26)7.43
9825 July 2005 (2005-07-25)16 August 2005 (2005-08-16)6.89
101016 July 2006 (2006-07-16)14 August 2006 (2006-08-14)6.87
111028 August 2007 (2007-08-28)25 September 2007 (2007-09-25)6.49
12121 October 2008 (2008-10-01)6 November 2008 (2008-11-06)6.32
13107 January 2010 (2010-01-07)5 February 2010 (2010-02-05)7.46
14103 January 2011 (2011-01-03)1 February 2011 (2011-02-01)7.97
15121 April 2012 (2012-04-01)20 August 2012 (2012-08-20)6.59
161010 January 2013 (2013-01-10)8 February 2013 (2013-02-08)7.24
17102 January 2014 (2014-01-02)31 January 2014 (2014-01-31)7.38
18106 January 2015 (2015-01-06)3 February 2015 (2015-02-03)8.82
19104 January 2016 (2016-01-04)2 February 2016 (2016-02-02)9.09
20102 January 2017 (2017-01-02)31 January 2017 (2017-01-31)8.92
21108 January 2018 (2018-01-08)7 February 2018 (2018-02-07)8.75
22108 January 2019 (2019-01-08)5 February 2019 (2019-02-05)8.61
23107 January 2020 (2020-01-07)4 February 2020 (2020-02-04)8.47
24106 September 2021 (2021-09-06)5 October 2021 (2021-10-05)7.28
25623 May 2022 (2022-05-23)7 June 2022 (2022-06-07)6.33

Characters



Overview


Actor Character Series
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Amanda Burton Sam Ryan Main Does not appear Main
John McGlynn Tom Adams Main Does not appear
Clare Higgins Helen Farmer Main Does not appear
William Armstrong Trevor Stewart Recurring Main Does not appear
Ruth McCabe Wyn Ryan Recurring Main Guest Does not appear
Mick Ford Peter Ross Does not appear Main Does not appear
Nick Reding Michael Connor Does not appear Main Does not appear
Mark Letheren Rob Bradley Does not appear Main Does not appear
William Gaminara Leo Dalton Does not appear Main Does not appear Guest Does not appear
Tom Ward Harry Cunningham Does not appear Main Does not appear
Emilia Fox Nikki Alexander Does not appear Main
David Caves Jack Hodgson Does not appear Main
Liz Carr Clarissa Mullery Does not appear Recurring Main Does not appear
Richard Lintern Thomas Chamberlain Does not appear Main Does not appear
Jason Wong Adam Yuen Does not appear Main Does not appear
Genesis Lynea Simone Tyler Does not appear Main

Main



Recurring



Guest appearances


A number of notable actors have made appearances in the show, such as Shaun Dooley, John McEnery, Anastasia Hille, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Phil Davis, Deborah Findlay, Duncan Preston, Emily Mortimer, Philip Glenister, Ken Stott, Brendan Coyle, Colin Salmon, Idris Elba, Roberta Taylor, Adrian Lester, Joe Absolom, Kevin Doyle, Nicholas Hoult, Adam James, Jesse Birdsall, Lesley Manville, Josette Simon, Neil Stuke, Stuart McQuarrie, Paul Copley, Robert Pugh, Melanie Hill, Chris Walker, Jack Dee, Christopher Colquhoun, Ace Bhatti, Richard Todd, Andrew Sachs, Suzanne Bertish, Neil Maskell, Stephen Moore, Anthony Head, Mel Martin, Sean Chapman, Bjørn Floberg, Marian McLoughlin, Angela Bruce, Richard Graham, Prunella Scales, Matthew Marsh, Philip Jackson, Paterson Joseph, Lia Williams, Shaun Dooley, Christopher Fulford, Ben Crompton, Nitin Ganatra, Stuart Graham, Russell Tovey, Neil Jackson, Ron Donachie, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiké Okonkwo, Kellie Bright, Tim Healy, Esther Hall, Michael Nardone, Jack Sheperd, Robert Cavanah, Deborah Findlay, Roshan Seth, Ashley Jensen, Dorian Healy, Cal MacAninch, Shelley King, Annabelle Apsion, Eva Birthistle, Don Gilét, Jude Akuwudike, Jaye Griffiths, John Bowe, Hilton Mcrae, Stephen Walters, Daniel Casey, Caroline Lee-Johnson, Peter Howell, James Hillier, Sorcha Cusack, James Laurenson, Daragh O'Malley, and Kathy Kiera Clarke


Home media



Australasia


In Australia (Region 4), series 1 through 23 have been released on DVD through Roadshow Entertainment, starting with series 1 on 7 September 2006 through to series 21 on 28 May 2018. Universal then took over the releases beginning with series 22 on 20 November 2019, and have re-released some earlier seasons this time as individual seasons rather than 2 season editions.

Australia (Region 4)
DVD Title Release Date
Series One 7 September 2006[15]
Series Two 5 September 2007[16]
Series Three & Four 6 May 2010[17]
Series Five & Six 2 September 2010[18]
Series Seven & Eight 5 May 2011[19]
Series Nine & Ten 4 August 2011[20]
Series Eleven & Twelve 1 December 2011[21]
Series Thirteen & Fourteen 7 June 2012[22]
Series Fifteen & Sixteen 5 June 2013[23]
Series Seventeen & Eighteen 6 May 2015[24]
Series Nineteen & Twenty 3 May 2017[25]
Series Twenty One 28 May 2018[26]

11 December 2019[27] (Universal)

Series Twenty Two 20 November 2019[28] (Universal)
Series Nineteen 11 December 2019[29] (Universal)
Series Twenty 11 December 2019[30] (Universal)
Series Twenty Three 8 April 2020[31] (Universal)
Series Eighteen 6 May 2020[32] (Universal)
Series Fifteen 28 October 2020[33] (Universal)
Series Sixteen 28 October 2020[34] (Universal)

United Kingdom


As of June 2022, the first 24 series have been released on DVD, whilst all episodes from all 25 series have been made available on the BBC iPlayer.[35]


Novels


During the early years of the show, series creator McCrery wrote and published four tie-in novels relating to the series, following Sam Ryan (Amanda Burton), Trevor Stewart (William Armstrong) and Superintendent Tom Adams (John McGlynn), and brand new character DS Stanley Sharman, with Burton generally appearing on the front cover of each novel. A fifth novel, "In Search of Evil", was due to be released in 2003, but its publication was cancelled.

Title No. Publication Date
"A Case for the Defence"19 September 1996
Walking home from a night out, Sam stumbles upon the remains of a mutilated body on a footpath in the Northwick graveyard. Evidence suggests that the killing may be linked to a particularly ritualistic form of the black arts, but Sam is unconvinced as the murder bears an uncanny resemblance to another murder committed in the same town many years ago. When a second body is discovered, Sam's evidence is called into question, and is used to create the information that the police need to solve the case, before the killer strikes again. As Sam and Trevor uncover information surrounding the circumstances of the murders, elements that once seemed like coincidences soon appear to belong to a more horrific plan.
"Strange Screams of Death"23 August 1998
Sam is tasked with investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a woman whose body is discovered in a disused shed at a former American airbase on the outskirts of Cambridge. The post mortem reveals that she had been violently raped, before being tortured, and viciously murdered. When a second body is discovered in similar circumstances, Sam finds herself dealing with a serial killer, who has the hunger to slaughter again. Can her profile of information find the identity of the killer before it is too late? Meanwhile, as Tom Adams closes in on his prime suspect, Sam discovers that he may not be working alone, and a search is launched to find the accomplice of a dangerous criminal.
"The Spider's Web"32 August 1999
Sam is asked to perform a second autopsy on a teenage boy who was killed in a tragic joyriding accident, when despite his parents' protests, the results of the autopsy seem clear—he died of multiple injuries consistent with a high-speed car crash. However, as Trevor performed the post mortem, Sam is reluctant to go up against her friend and colleague, in an attempt to find the answers that the family are looking for. However, reading Trevor's post mortem report prompts Sam to go ahead with the second autopsy, and her findings seem to suggest that the accident may have been no such thing. But neither Trevor nor Superintendent Tom Adams accepts her findings, and believe that she is reading between the lines.
"Faceless Strangers"43 September 2001
When the wife and beau of a local member of parliament is found dead in her own home, Superintendent Tom Adams calls upon Sam and the entire resources of the Cambridge Constabulary, in an attempt to further his career, and solve the case as quickly as possible. However, his investigation is halted by the discovery of the decomposed body of a homeless drug addict in the local underground toilet block. When Adams dismisses the death as an open and shut case, one of his juniors, DS Stanley Sharman, decides to enlist Sam's help, to discover the identity of the dead woman—and discover just who is responsible for her death. Meanwhile, Adams is determined to crack his case.

References


  1. Lambon, Nick (20 May 2022). "Celebrating Silent Witness 25 with Ten Memorable Episodes". BBC - Writers' Room. BBC. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  2. "BBC – Silent Witness – Media Centre".
  3. "Silent Witness". ABC Television.
  4. tvnz.co.nz/silent-witness/show-432523
  5. "Drama".
  6. Liz Jaques. "TV Overnight Ratings; Retrieved 25 January 2011". MediaTel. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  7. "John Harle". musicsalesclassical.com. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  8. "John Harle – Discography". johnharle.com. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  9. "Silent Witness broke TV guidelines". Belfasst Telegraph digital. 26 February 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  10. "BBC defends 'Silent Witness' violence after complaints". digitalspy. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  11. "Complaints – Silent Witness, upsetting scenes, BBC One 22 and 23 April 2012". BBC. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  12. "Silent Witness, series 21 episode 1 review: how did this become the world's longest running crime drama?". Daily Telegraph. 8 January 2018. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  13. "Silent Witness star Liz Carr set for Hollywood film role". BBC News. 5 February 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  14. "Arsher Ali". Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  15. "Silent Witness - Series 01". Sanity. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  16. "Silent Witness - Series 02". Sanity. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  17. "Silent Witness - Series 03, 04". Sanity. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  18. "Silent Witness - Series 5 and 6". Sanity. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  19. "Silent Witness - Series 7 and 8". Sanity. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  20. "Silent Witness - Series 9-10". Sanity. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  21. "Silent Witness - Series 11-12". Sanity. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  22. "Silent Witness - Series 13-14". Sanity. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  23. "Silent Witness - Series 15-16". Sanity. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  24. "Silent Witness - Series 17-18". Sanity. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  25. "Silent Witness - Series 19-20". Sanity. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  26. "Silent Witness - Series 21". Sanity. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  27. "Silent Witness - Series 21". Sanity. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  28. "Silent Witness - Series 22". Sanity. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  29. "Silent Witness - Series 19". Sanity. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  30. "Silent Witness - Series 20". Sanity. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  31. "Silent Witness - Series 23". Sanity. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  32. "Silent Witness - Series 18". Sanity. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  33. "Silent Witness - Season 15". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  34. "Silent Witness - Season 16". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  35. "Silent Witness".



На других языках


- [en] Silent Witness

[ru] Безмолвный свидетель (телесериал)

«Безмо́лвный свиде́тель» (англ. Silent Witness) — британский детективный телесериал.



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