Silent Witness 2026 cast: who is in the cast for series 29? Full list of actors
Silent Witness returns and there will be plenty of familiar faces! 👀📺
- Silent Witness is set for a big change in series 29.
- The team are moving to Birmingham for five new cases.
- But will the cast be the same this year?
Silent Witness is returning with five brand new cases on the BBC. The long-running crime drama is now in its 29th series - if you can believe it.
The show underwent some huge changes last year, with the addition of two fresh faces to the cast. Long-time viewers will be used to actors coming and going over the nearly 30 years it has been on the air.
The team are moving to a new location for series 29 - and you might be wondering if the main cast is changing again. Here’s all you need to know:
Where does Silent Witness series 29 take place?
For this latest batch of episodes, the BBC show is moving the action to England’s second city. The team will be opening the doors to the Sir William Bowman Centre of Excellence in Birmingham for the first time.
The announcement that the show would be moving to Birmingham actually came as far back as 2023. It was teased at the end of series 28, with Dr. Nikki accepting an offer to set up a new forensic centre, alongside the rest of her team.
It is not the first time the show has moved, with series 1-3 being set in Cambridge, before switching to London.
Who is in the cast of Silent Witness series 29?
The main team will be the same as last year, it has been confirmed. There will be plenty of guest stars over the coming episodes.
Silent Witness will feature the following actors in series 29:
- Emilia Fox - Dr. Nikki Alexander
- David Caves - Jack Hodgson
- Fran Mills - Kit Brooks
- Maggie Steed - Professor Harriet Maven
Where do you recognise the actors from?
If you are watching the new episodes of Silent Witness - and feel like the new cast members look familiar, you may be wondering if you’ve seen them before. Here are some of the roles they are best known for:
Emilia Fox
The Silent Witness star has been the main lead of the show since series eight - and is now in his 21st year on it! But away from the crime drama, she was part of the cast for the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, as well as in the 2002 film The Piano.
David Caves
Best known for playing Jack on Silent Witness since 2013, David has appeared in movies like 2016’s Jackie. He played Clint Hill in the movie.
Maggie Steed
The actor has had a long career across both TV and film, including recently a role in Disney+’s Rivals show. She has also had parts in EastEnders and Coronation Street, over the years.
You may also recognise her from her roles in the popular Fisherman Friends films - appearing in the 2019 original and its sequel Fisherman Friends: One and All in 2022. She also played Mrs Gertrude Biggleswade in Paddington 2.
Fran Mills
The actor playing Kit Brooks has had a few prominent TV roles in recent years. She played Cherry Dorrington in the show Harlots and was also Earthy Mangold in the reboot of Worzel Gummidge.
Francesca also played Helen of Troy in the hit mini-series Pistol, about the Sex Pistols, which was released by Disney+ in the UK. She also was Detective in Time Bandit’s on Apple TV Plus last year and appeared in four episodes of Netflix’s The Witcher: Blood Origin in 2022 as Meldof.
What has been said about Silent Witness series 29?
Speaking about the new season, Emilia said: “When I look back on the series there is always a theme to them and the last series was definitely about love.
“The theme of this series, across the stories, is trust and what we can believe in and what’s real. That crosses from stories about AI, to trust in relationships and Jack has some big storylines in this series.”
David added: “Jack is still the same stubborn, sarcastic fella, just with a bit more self-awareness. He’s older and more mature. He’s more affected by the trials and tribulations of his work and we see that play out majorly in this series. Jack is really tested in one story, a very personal odyssey he must go on alone.”
Discussing what to expect from her character, Fran said: “I think the viewers will see Kit really anchored in her way of working and feeling more confident in her ability to solve complicated crimes, she spent a lot of last year trying to prove herself worthy to be in the room of legends like Nikki Alexander and Harriet Maven so this year she really finds her flow and, alongside Jack, their friendship grows and they work really well together in the new building.”
Maggie added: “The character has taken a big step to move to another city, Birmingham - which they all have - so they're all a bit apprehensive. She continues to try to do her best for the rest of the team and is fiercely loyal to them and would defend them to the deaths.
“She's a very forthright, witty woman and she continues to be that and is very committed to the team. She's there to make sure everything runs well and is efficient and maintains all its principles. She would also defend them if they ever got into trouble because sometimes the work is dangerous.”
See what time the latest episode of Silent Witness is on TV. Plus learn when the next episode is out.