Silent Witness series 28 starts tonight 6 January 2025 on BBC 1

[IwantToRetire]

Starting this thread (as I did this time last year) as the comments on the episodes on telly addicts are always so funny it makes it worth while sitting through the totally unconvincing plots, characters, so called relationships and ...

But who knows maybe this year will be different!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0026l5k

It makes my puppy howl

Easy access in order to bump off old people with property, plus he was diverting their pensions to his account and it was presumably easier to snoop at their post in the home.

He presumably walked home as he walked through the forest, and he did say that he was very familiar with it so could presumably have found his way back quite easily.

I had high hopes until about halfway through; there's a bit more science (Nikki rambling about Lymes) but agree their sexed up romping and drooling over each other has me looking away too often. Like the new actresses so far. Hate the cop. Poor actor and shouty at weird times - yelling at the guy who got his head smashed in about whether he killed the owners just on the pavement by the car...not even bothering with an interview room 🙄

But how was the main old guy linked to the nursing home? He just lived at home didn’t he?

I like the fact Benjamin came back and got revenge. Good for him . Although I thought the guy in his house was hallucinating ( I thought the drink he had was drugged and it was his accomplice attacking him).

Harriet reminds me of Meryl Streep .

The new colleague was wearing a similar tank top to Nicki.

The regular, supporting cast is rather inclusive, isn't it .

@NowNumber5 I was thinking the very same thing last night when watching it 🤔.

So this is what the actor who plays Howie in Eastenders was doing when he and Kim went on his 'cruise' last year.

Nicki and Jack is just so wrong, and they're behaving so unprofessionally with it.

I agree, how did the old man get from the river to the house? Is there more next week or is that it?

That policewoman should be on a disciplinary for her lack of action. He gave her the full name of his friend she should have looked into it a bit more.

New assistant character is a bit annoying / badly scripted.

Best bit is always Nicky's clothes.

I always sing along as well. The dog ignores it now.

It's a bit like Midsomer Murders. Utterly ludicrous murders and situations that are quite hilarious, but takes it all so deadpan seriously that it's entertaining.
love the Maggie Steed character, like an old school headmistress - but a piano in the office???????

The plots are often ludicrous but I do like the new characters. I couldn't stand Livy and Jack's niece. Nicky and Jack together make me cringe - such a mis-match!

I'm always in awe of the props department making the dead bodies and body parts. I wonder if they keep bits for recycling?

I've just looked at next week's blurb on the Sky planner and it looks like a new set of stories.

So odd, it doesn't feel finished.

I stopped watching it years ago when she started doing all the other investigators' jobs as well as her own but I caught about 20 minutes as I was waiting for DH to come in with the dog (from around the Lyme's disease discussion to the old man getting the bag put on his head).

Was it just me who found the new team member really annoying and know it all? At this rate she'll do the rest of the team out of a job. I think the fact that she's a small person was meant to be a big reveal but I'd already recognised the actor's voice as Earthy Mangold from Wurzel Gummidge.

But they were rubbish! They literally missed two dead bodies lying about 10 yards away from the mangled foot.
Of course our intrepid hero found them within minutes after squinting his eyes and furrowing his brows...

I've gone back today and watched the first 3 episodes. It's such a change from the overacting and boringly predictable story lines. They really keep you guessing and no cringy love interests. All of the characters feel real and less fake.

Also the wholly ridiculous"recruitment" process; no scoring matrix, no-one from HR involved, no panel interview. And despite them being brilliant they didn't appear to have a notice period or a current job.

Well I surprised myself by quite enjoying these 2 episodes .

First of all the new Director is great. Putting that thick twat Jack in his place, and in fact he is so thick Nikki had to explain to him that that is what was happening.

Best to skim over what Nikki and Jack's actual work is and their cringemaking mutual attraction (not).

The plot line was in fact very topical. There has been a whole investigative series on Radio 4 about older people being take advantage of, and handing over power of attorney and other finicial deals to unscrupulous people and then left destitute (not murdered!). One was in fact a solicitor working with a social worker.

Not helped by so many older people living isolated lives and / or no family.

I am glad the old man suvived and he might just have got himself back home as he was still active. And the poker bit was great.

His whole role was a gesture of FU to all the poor little me people going on about you had it so good, you owe me, whine, whine, whine. And his loyalty to friends.

I suspect the BBC will get loads of complaints about giving a "Boomer" a chance to out smart (and kill - tut tut) a poor put upon young person.

Seriously, the issues are very topical. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-14177079/BBC-podcast-power-attorney-ron-hiller.html

But the whole fantasy lab, are we a bit short staffed (enter virtue signalling casting) let alone the hulk Jack, and Nikki reduced to making do with all of this, is hard to belief.

Maybe they could do the story lines without the main characters.

I will be tuning in next week to see if they can match it!

Wasn't aware what this was about but found this:

The end credits included the caption: “In memory of Helen Whitwell”. Whitwell, who died in 2024, was the professor of forensic pathology who was the inspiration for Sam Ryan, Amanda Burton’s character in the first eight series of the show.

From an article in the i (behind a pay wall) but can be read here https://archive.is/MQ4oU

Honestly 🙃

What a load of tosh - shame, it used to be good.

It’s gone to shit.

What a ridiculous ending. The relationship angle is completely unconvincing and way past its shelf life. Jack saying ‘remember you’re engaged..’ to himself whilst she’s merely talking to a police officer ? And having to ride those quad bikes to the murder scene..🤣x

This is me! Watched it last night and screeched the top note. Dog got off lap, utterly disgusted 😁

I am enjoying Maggie Steed. But then, she can do no wrong in my eyes.

And Nikki’s wardrobe, as always.

The story was very upsetting, I found. And it seemed more gory and gruesome than usual, or perhaps I am imagining it?

Little things like this and the fact he was/is a cage fighter make me strongly suspect someone like Nikki IRL would have run a mile from this controlling violence loving manchild.

I recorded the first episode and managed about 20 minutes before deleting it and cancelling the rest of the series to record.

Nicky and Jack is definitely not a match made in heaven.

Much preferred it with Leo and Harry, Nicky wasn't quite so soppy back then.