Series 19 of Silent Witness sees the four-strong team click into gear whilst still not quite hitting earlier heights
“It’s not your job to ask those questions”
Having watched rather a lot of Silent Witness over the past months, Series 19 is the first one where I’ve started to feel, dare I say, perhaps just a little bored. I mean, it was never a show designed to be binged (and we’re talking 25 years’ worth of broadcasts) but even so, there’s a slight but undeniable sense that the writers haven’t really got much new to say or show.
It’s a bit of a shame as this series does see the reconfigured Lyell team finally settling into their new groove (with Liz Carr’s Clarissa finally getting her much-deserved pre-show credit). But between the police unit corruption and padeophiles being attacked, sexual assaults on women and one of the team having to question previous decisions, it feels too familiar ground to be genuinely exciting.
Top guest appearances
- Georgie Glen doesn’t get a huge amount to do as ‘After the Fall’s’ Professor Roach but anyone who instinctively treats Nikki with such disdain is a rare treat to behold
- ‘Flight’ sees the always intriguing Esther Hall digging into a case of radicalisation and potential terrorism, her DI Nina Ryman a powerful presence throughout
- In a story that packs in Niamh Cusack, Toby Wharton and Kyle Soller, it is Lyndsey Marshal’s Sasha Blackburn whose emotive work with lifers released on license that stands out the most
- I’ll always swoon for Steven Miller but Alicya Eyo’s short but vibrant work as police officer Jo in ‘In Plain Sight’ does the stuff. We won’t mention Daniela Denby Ashe’s Polish accent though…
- And a rare TV appearance from queen of British musicals Emma Williams is a fun diversion in series’ closer ‘River’s Edge’
