Stuart Evans is in the advanced stages of Aids when he dies, and his body is donated to science. However a routine toxicology test reveals foul play was at work.
The murder of a married woman who was having an affair seems straightforward. Friction develops between Dr Ryan and the police when the evidence complicates their case.
A tragic scene is discovered when a young mother apparently dies of an overdose. When another addict dies in an explosion, Sam has a bigger case on her hands.
Sam is called in by ex-Detective Inspector Leslie Peterson, now a Coroner's officer, who is investigating the ditching of a helicopter ferrying crew to a gas rig with 14 passengers and two crew on board.
All Sam's skills are required when 10 more bodies are recovered from the North Sea, and the piecing together of the jigsaw of evidence begins in earnest with her pathology team.
Sam searches for the identity of a victim of a cinema fire. A medical artist helps her reconstruct the face, but the result causes some embarrassment for the police.
Two elderly brothers are found dead in their home, with no apparent injuries. A post mortem discovers suspicious puncture marks and a possible racist connection.
A new murder turns DCI Ashton's suspicions toward the victim's family and friends, whilst Harry investigates a death that may be linked to the Irons family.
The murder of a probationary police officer leads the team to the doorstep of a police cadet college, as they quickly establish a link to a similar murder just months before.
As the police investigate the possibility of a copycat killer among the students, a friend from the college pressures Sam to put loyalty above the truth as the case unfolds.
The body of a young pregnant sports agent is found in the grounds of her office building. Sam and her team uncover a tragic story of money and corruption.
Following her discovery of the second body and believing the cases to be linked, Sam is sidelined from the investigation as she attempts to get to the truth.
The Home Office ask Sam and her team to examine a number of times of death as given by a highly respected and internationally renowned independent pathologist, Peter Sachs.
Leo and Harry follow up their leads to discover an alarming truth. Are Sam and her team being used by the Home Office to drive out Peter Sachs in fear of a costly process?
A paranoid schizophrenic goes on a violent frenzy in a busy high street. When a young man from the same care home commits suicide, Nikki is convinced there is a connection.
Harry and Nikki are first on the scene when an RAF helicopter crashes, but Harry's search for answers brings him into conflict with the Ministry of Defence.
Frustration within the team builds as Harry and Nikki struggle to find any useful evidence from the post-mortems to help the police. No one will talk, and they have no leads.
Leo worries for Levi, who is sucked further into a world of gangs and violence.
Leo comes under suspicion for fraud when an insurance investigator accuses him of falsifying a post-mortem report, and Harry falls for the charms of an attractive former colleague.
Harry and Nikki try to remain professional when they find themselves on opposite sides of a high-profile case, but it's not easy as they're both brilliant at what they do, and they soon show that every piece of evidence can be interpreted at least two ways.
The revelation that Flannery's first wife also died of a stair fall sends Harry to Prague to seek evidence to prove the man's guilt. However, Nikki's determination to look beyond the police's blinkered investigation leads to further tragedy.
When the pathologists investigate three suspicious deaths in one night on the same ward, it looks like hospital staff may be behind their murders. Nikki becomes increasingly disturbed by a rape and murder case involving a young child.
Nikki's mental instability worsens, and Harry and Leo are forced to get her psychiatric help. But then when the true identity of the murderer is discovered, it becomes a race against time to save Nikki's life.
Leo investigates a potential copycat killing, but the team are starting to wonder if Karl Bentley was wrongly convicted, leaving the real murderer free to set out on a new killing spree.
As Nikki investigates the drowning of a young mother, Harry is called to an apparent suicide at a nearby army base; it soon starts to look like the cases may be linked.
Having established that Lieutenant Lockford was murdered, Leo makes a startling breakthrough, and the investigation begins to unmask a dark secret at Hillsdon Army Base.
When human rights lawyer Anna Sandor calls Harry to Budapest to investigate the death of a client, they start to uncover a sinister underworld conspiracy, putting both their lives in danger.
With Harry dead and Leo and Nikki getting nowhere with the police, the pathologists struggle to clear Harry's name, while the police seem intent on covering up a wider conspiracy.
When the Van Burens' au pair commits suicide, the pathologists start to unravel the truth behind the embassy shootings, and a dark family secret is exposed.
When Leo's friend commits suicide, Harry and Nikki are called to the scene of a violent and calculated murder, which is thought to be the work of an apparently dormant serial killer.
Harry and DI James deviate from the original investigation to secretly test DNA evidence from the rival Chesham laboratory to try to solve this stalled case.
The murders of two women in a house basement force Jack to lock horns with an old flame, while Leo wrestles with providing a second post-mortem on a baby.
Nikki is wooed by a science minister as she and Jack investigate a murder on an eco-building project, whilst Leo finds himself trapped in a hospital siege.
Conflict brews between Leo and Nikki when he suspects her new boyfriend is involved in a 50-year cover-up, leaving Leo battling alone to expose the truth.
Thomas must put his personal feelings aside as the team track down Begovic before she and her extremist compatriots strike out again. It soon becomes clear that Begovic isn't working alone and may not have been the one who shot Ryman. In fact, her accomplice may be a man previously assumed dead.
When an ex-convict is brutally murdered, the Lyell team is introduced to a forensic psychologist who works closely with those released from prison on life licence.
After the team discovers that suspect Paul may not be who he says he is, the investigation revisits an infamous murder case from the past which he was involved in.
The fatal shooting of a teenager in an armed police operation triggers a series of murders that link gangsters, a grieving family and a fractured firearms unit.
Jack leads the hunt for suspected killer Bruno, the brother of the Polish teenager shot by the armed police, and enters London's small but devastating gun trade.
A family murdered at a picnic leads the team to the female victim's estranged husband. But all is not what it seems, and Nikki and Jack are thrown into mortal danger.
When a people smuggler is found dead in the City, Nikki must delve into London's illegal immigrant community. She meets a vulnerable Syrian teen called Akka who is in need of help, putting Nikki in a moral dilemma - and the killer is still on the loose.
When Nikki, Jack and Thomas make a horrific discovery in the van, they are confronted with the work of a killer who preys on illegal immigrants. With the help of Clarissa, they must work out where the killer will strike next before more vulnerable people meet the same fate.
When a photogenic young schoolteacher goes missing, Jack and Nikki are called to the scene and quickly find themselves at the centre of a media storm. Meanwhile, Thomas fights a lone crusade for justice for a troubled young woman who was killed in puzzling circumstances.
Having found a link between the two cases, the team struggles to make sense of it. Nikki visits a disgraced former colleague who may hold the key. Thomas uncovers the bizarre truth about how Tina died.
A woman's body found floating in the Thames leads Nikki and Jack to a community on the banks of the River Lee. Three years ago a teenager called Ruth Tresize went missing from the area, leaving the locals haunted by suspicion and grief. A fresh spate of killings reopens these old wounds.
Nikki is under fire for leaking information on a suspect, and Thomas is called in to play peacemaker. Jack and DI Ashton track down the mystery witness. Before the killer strikes again, the team must uncover the true story of Ruth Tresize's disappearance three years earlier.
When an East End father and son are killed in a shocking road accident, Nikki and Jack find themselves working alongside a police officer with a vendetta. Clarissa summons her husband Max, a digital forensics expert, to help crack the case - and uncovers disturbing video evidence.
Nikki travels to Mexico when her friend is killed in a carjacking, but she soon makes a discovery that sets her on a collision course with some dangerous and unpredictable forces. Thomas sends Jack to bring Nikki back, but soon he is knee-deep in the unfolding situation.
With Nikki locked in a struggle for survival, Jack must use all of his abilities to track her down. When a mysterious person calls to make demands in return for Nikki's release, Jack's moral principles are put to the test. And with life and death in the balance, every decision counts.
The team continue to investigate the truth around the care home deaths. Clarissa's determination to find out the shocking truth puts her life in danger.
Nikki, Jack, Thomas and Clarissa are just settling down for their respective festive celebrations when they are interrupted by a call-out to a tragedy at a family home.
A mistake has been made during the course of the investigation, and Thomas is targeted as a scapegoat. As frustration grows between the Lyell and the acting DCI, can Thomas rally the team to gather crucial evidence to find the killer before they strike again?
With new drugs hitting the streets, a head teacher confronts the dealers preying on his community, as the team deal with a surge in drug-related crime.
When tragedy strikes close to home, it puts head teacher Noah Taylor on a collision course with the criminals responsible. Can the Lyell team help him stop the cycle of violence?
Nikki is humiliated in court when a barrister accuses her of making a serious error in the case of a policeman who may or may not have been murdered.
Meanwhile the team investigates the death of a medical researcher found in a canal with mysterious puncture marks on his body.
When Thomas sides against her findings on a controversial case, Nikki suspects foul play and takes steps to prove her theory. Jack and Clarissa follow a forensic trail connecting a dead researcher with a billionaire scientist and a secret testing programme.
The team find unexpected connections between the death of a former US ambassador in a plane crash and the apparent suicide of a successful businessman.
The team discover a connection between the plane crash and a sinister online forum. Meanwhile, Matt is grieving for his friend, putting his relationship with Nikki under strain.
When the body of a missing teenager is found in a field near his village, Nikki and the Lyell team must determine whether the killer is a stranger or a local.
Investigating the murder of missing teenager Jason Forbes, Nikki and the Lyell team are pressured by police officers who are keen to secure a conviction.
The body of a woman is found on railway tracks in London, badly damaged from electrical burns. On the mortuary slab, the woman’s recent and historic injuries suggest years of abuse, likely within the home. It’s a difficult post-mortem for Nikki, as she is troubled by memories from her childhood.
When the team's search for Jenny's killer hits a wall, her friends at the women's refuge seek answers. Meanwhile, Thomas makes some friends in high places.
Thomas performs a post-mortem on a soldier who died in military training. His investigation takes a turn when he discovers traces of a possible nerve agent.
Jack is rushed to hospital after collapsing at the scene of a car crash. As he fights for his life, the team must identify the poison to save their friend.
In the first case for new recruit Adam, the murder of a swimming instructor leads the team to suspect her ex-boyfriend, a former cop. Meanwhile, Jack has an unexpected visitor.
Having traced Laura’s last movements to a suburban house, the team work to identify the bodies buried in the garden. Meanwhile, Jack must choose between his brother and the truth.
Nikki, Jack and Adam investigate the murder of a surgeon in a hospital. DNA evidence appears to implicate a patient who was under anaesthetic at the time of the killing.
Jack, Nikki and Simone investigate another death connected to the underground boxing ring. Jack's loyalty is tested when he fears Ryan has put Cara in danger.
Nikki’s students make an alarming discovery while dissecting a body donated for their training. Jack and Simone try to save care home residents from a flood.
Stranded in the flooded care home, Jack and Simone fight to keep the residents alive - but Nikki discovers that they may be trapped inside with the killer.
Sam Ryan recruits the Lyell team to investigate the assassination of the health secretary, but Nikki is unsure whether Sam knows more than she's letting on.
DNA evidence linked to the Health Secretary’s assassination forces Nikki to face her past in the present. As her investigation progresses, Nikki realises that its consequences will affect her, and her profession, forever.
When a woman confesses to murdering her husband, the Lyell team must determine if all is as it seems. Meanwhile, Simone is shocked to be reunited with a detective from her childhood and struggles to untangle her past.
A secret from his father propels Jack to Belfast. Meanwhile, Simone and Nikki investigate the mystery of a burned body. As familial secrets come to the surface, Jack faces tragedy head on.
The death of an investigative journalist throws the spotlight on to Sam Ryan. Nikki begins to realise that the implications of her discoveries will challenge the principles of forensic science.
When a man plummets from a high-rise building, the Lyell team cross paths with the NCA and a notorious mafia group, pushing Nikki to make a tough decision.
Nikki becomes even more involved with the Ndrangheta mafia-group and Jack uncovers some disturbing leads. An unlikely alliance leads Nikki closer to the truth, but not without some collateral damage.
A lorry is found with people locked inside, some dead. With the survivors refusing to speak, Nikki and the team must use their pathological and forensic skills to identify them.
The Lyell team work together to find out why the lorry was found with bodies inside and a dead driver at the wheel, and are truly shocked to discover where it leads them. Gabriel becomes emotionally invested and is presented with an ethical dilemma, and Jack gets a surprise visit.
The Lyell team are thrown into the dark side of social media, where nothing is as it seems, and the perfect profiles of the influencers they are investigating raise disturbing questions. As a heavily pregnant DI asks the team for their expertise, are they running out of time to solve this case?
The investigation continues to take unexpected turns, with Nikki managing to get behind the mask of the lead suspect. Jack has a breakthrough at the festival site and Nikki takes a dangerous opportunity. A surprise event at the Lyell brings some hope.
Levelling-up leaders and environmental activists clash in a small town trying to look to the future. With a sabotaged train and a dead mayor, the activists become suspects.
The Lyell team return to the crime scene as another victim is in peril. Family ties are tested to their limits as they reveal the dark secrets that led to the tunnel collapse, and Jack is put in a difficult position when a blast from the past comes to visit.
Jack is sucked into a complex case where he’s pitted against his former mentor. The tight-knit group of police officers provide a difficult case where nothing is as it seems.
As the evidence mounts against the accused police officer, the local CID finds dissent within their ranks. The Lyell team unveil corruption and deceit within the local jurisdiction, with deadly and wide-reaching consequences.
Amanda Burton, who portrayed lead character Dr Sam Ryan for eight years, shares her thoughts on how and why Silent Witness became the television institution that it remains today.
A new murder victim forces the team to consider whether a notorious serial killer has resurfaced after 20 years, or if they are dealing with a copycat.
When a woman’s body is removed from a reservoir, Nikki performs the post-mortem and confirms she is the deceased wife of pathologist Charles Beck. Jack and Velvy discover new evidence that leads to a surprising arrest as Nikki continues to seek the truth about notorious serial killer Calvin Dunn.
The team pieces together the mystery of a man found dead on the shore of the Thames, while the life of a disgruntled criminology professor begins to unravel.
Events continue to spiral at the university, and Cara becomes collateral damage. The riddle of the body in the Thames is solved. A breakthrough in the Cherry case is received from an unlikely source, but will the team get there before it is too late?
A mummified corpse, undiscovered for a year, is found in a flat. The team strive to uncover its identity and are drawn into a murky world of drugs and botched plastic surgery.
Nikki and Jack work to uncover the truth surrounding a death and consider if it’s linked to their original body. Meanwhile, DI Torres searches for a stalker, and Cara is shocked at Velvy’s living conditions. As the case comes to a head, there are surprises afoot for the team.
The team investigate the death of a Burmese man on a deserted beach, whose young pregnant wife desperately hopes is still alive. Nikki and Jack piece together the perplexing crime scene and find it poses more questions than it answers.
Nikki has a breakthrough and edges ever closer to the truth as they confront a key witness. Who can the team believe and, more importantly, who can they trust?
The Lyell are called to King's Cross Station Museum, where they discover the bodies of eight victims entombed below. With the knowledge that a prolific serial killer was operating in London nearly 20 years ago, Nikki and the team know this will be a case like no other.
The death of an elderly woman found in a cave has the Lyell team asking what drives a person to murder someone so vulnerable. A new boss at the Lyell riles Jack.
Nikki conducts an unusual post-mortem, and a terrifying discovery disturbs the team. DNA evidence forces the Lyell to seek advice from an unexpected quarter.
When a mysterious contagion starts to spread on a flight from Mumbai, Dr Nikki Alexander faces a race against time - at 30,000 feet - to contain a deadly illness.
When six people are slaughtered by an unknown gunman, Nikki and Jack must work against the clock to find the shooter. Can they find him in time before he kills again?