Synopsis: Dr Nikki Alexander, Dr Thomas Chamberlain and Dr Jack Hodgson form a dedicated team of forensic pathologists who try to work out how and why the victim died. This series sees Nikki investigate a murder that’s a carbon copy of a case from her past. She soon suspects that the killings are personal to her. But who will believe her? Jack creates tension when he finds himself aligned with a police complaints investigator over the accidental shooting of a girl by armed police. And a seemingly random killing in the remote countryside leads Nikki and Jack into the dangerous underbelly of a criminal world.
Episode Highlights
Episode 1 – Friday, 21 February 2025
(After The Fall – Part 1)
The apparent suicide of a DJ leads Nikki to question her judgement on a strikingly similar case from her past. The similarities between the cases reveal that a copycat killer is out there – someone who is forensically aware and possibly medically trained. As further lines are drawn between the murders and Nikki’s past, she soon suspects that the killings are personal to her. Meanwhile Tony, a family man recently released from prison for an attempted murder he supposedly did not commit, struggles to come to terms with his new life. The links between Tony’s incarceration and Nikki’s past become apparent as she goes in search of an old rival, who may hold the answers to the current murders.
Episode 2 – Thursday, 27 February 2025
(After The Fall – Part 2)
Nikki is arrested after a senior pathologist that she previously came to blows with is murdered. Meanwhile Tony learns of the pathologist’s death. Recognizing the name from his own trial years ago, Tony begins to fear that his son David is involved. As Nikki is released from custody, she has her own doubts and can’t help but suspect the timing of Scott’s reappearance in her life. As the team move closer toward the truth, Nikki finds the killer drawing closer, but this time she’s the one in his sights. Meanwhile Tony’s past finally catches up with him when the truth about his attempted murder conviction comes out, and the reality is dangerously linked to Nikki’s own investigation.
Episode 3 – Friday, 28 February 2025
(Flight – Part 1)
The murder of a well-known anti-fundamentalist Muslim, Amir Aziz, leads the Lyell team to question who would kill this peaceful but outspoken man. Suspicion quickly falls on a local taxi driver revealed as a member of the English Defence League whose son was killed by a Taliban IED. The team is joined in the investigation by DI Nina Ryman. Ryman knew Aziz and believed him to be a good man, but her faith in him is called into question when it is discovered that he was in correspondence with a drug smuggler. Soon it is revealed that the smuggler is actually a British jihadist, who may be planning a series of attacks in the UK.
Episode 4 – Thursday, 6 March 2025
(Flight – Part 2)
The team races to stop Begovic before she strikes again but it soon becomes clear that she isn’t working alone. Meanwhile, Begovic begins to doubt her actions and the motives of her allies, questioning her plans. Yet events quickly run out of her hands and it’s too late for her to stop as another body is left in the terrorist cell’s wake. As they follow the trail of bodies, the team learns new revelations about Begovic and her compatriots, even as the extremist herself becomes torn between her fundamentalist faith and her son.
Episode 5 – Friday, 7 March 2025
(Life Licence– Part 1)
An ex-convict is killed and suspicion lands on a recently released child killer. As other former long term prisoners out on a life license come under scrutiny, the team learn how fragile their freedom is. Working with Sasha Blackburn, a forensic psychologist specializing in convicts released on life licenses, the team try to ensure these damaged men are treated fairly despite their past crimes.
Episode 6 – Thursday, 13 March 2025
(Life Licence – Part 2)
The team revisit a 15-year old case when they discover that Paul may have lied about his identity so far. Their investigation re-opens old wounds for the victim’s family, however. Further bodies are discovered and a killer with a distinctive, sadistic modus operandi is clearly on the loose. The team turns to Sasha for advice on the killer, but she may be too close to the suspects to help. Can a murderer truly be rehabilitated?
Episode 7 – Friday, 14 March 2025
(In Plain Sight – Part 1)
The Firearms Division comes under fire when a Polish teenager is accidentally killed during an armed police operation. Soon after the inquest clears the officer, the mutilated body of a Turkish man is found in close proximity to the original incident. IPCC investigator Vicky Sharpe suspects a link and approaches the Lyell for help in reviewing the evidence. Nikki and Thomas distrust Sharpe’s motives, but Jack is increasingly convinced by her theories. As the investigation uncovers more details, further bodies are discovered and the team cross paths with Turkish gangsters, a family determined to get justice and a firearms unit desperate to move past the troubles of the past.
Episode 8 – Thursday, 20 March 2025
(In Plain Sight – Part 2)
The body of an armed officer is found, and a manhunt begins for the suspected killer, Bruno. Jack thinks he may be able to talk Bruno into handing himself in and sets off on his own. His search leads him to London’s gun trade – a small business with a massive impact on the lives of those it touches. Meanwhile, the surviving firearms officers become paranoid following their colleague’s murder. As more people are killed, the team discover that the killer must be a highly trained individual.
Episode 9 – Friday, 21 March 2025
(River’s Edge– Part 1)
A family is coldly murdered during a picnic by the River Malt, clinically and methodically shot by their murderer. The Lyell team’s investigation soon points towards the mother’s estranged husband. One of the detectives working on the case believes the case is as good as closed, but another is haunted by an unsolved case from the past and is determined to exhaust every lead before closing the case. All is not what it seems in this case and Nikki and Jack are thrown into mortal danger.
Episode 10 – Thursday, 27 March 2025
(River’s Edge – Part 2)
Amy’s past begins to catch up with her, risking her medical career and everything else. Meanwhile DCI Butcher continues to pursue the estranged husband single-mindedly, whilst Nicki and Jack help DS Guillam search for the truth. Soon however they are thrust into an unexpected and depraved world where their lives are in danger, even as more murders are discovered. As events progress, Amy’s personal nightmare and the Lyell investigation begin to converge – and the crimes may link to people in very high places. Can the rich and powerful be brought to justice?
Catch Silent Witness S19 on Thursdays and Fridays at 21:00, only on S3.
For media enquiries
Caroline Phalakatshela
Publicity Specialist – Video Entertainment 072 382 2032/ phalakatshelamc@sabc.co.za
