How can Silent Witness move forward? (Picture: Sally Mais/BBC)
Silent Witness closed series 23 tonight with 60 minutes packed full of drama and excruciating plot twists. As Jack Hodgson (David Caves) fought for his life after being exposed to a deadly nerve agent, Thomas Chamberlain (Richard Lintern), Nikki Alexander (Emilia Fox) and Clarissa Mullery (Liz Carr) all raced to desperately find the truth behind the poison so they could save their friend.
However, Jack’s accident was just a red herring as Thomas was exposed to the deadly gas and died after working out the identity of the poison – so Nikki and Clarissa were able to save Jack and the lives of anyone who could come in contact with the nerve agent.
As we said an emotional goodbye to Thomas, we had another blow that Clarissa was leaving Lyell too. After she announced she was moving on ‘to focus less on the dead and more on the living’, we ended tonight’s shocker with Clarissa’s future a bit up in the air.
Sadly, actor Liz has confirmed she has quit Silent Witness after eight ‘wonderful years’.
But as the BBC thriller has been renewed for an astonishing 24th and 25th series, where can we possibly go from here after the death of two Silent Witness giants?
Will Thomas be replaced?
With another two years for Silent Witness, the likelihood is we’ll be welcoming new people into the Lyell very soon – or will we? Thomas will be impossible to replace, but do we even need one?
Back in series 22, we saw him bring offered a job at a university, and also saw Clarissa and Jack discuss whether Nikki would take his job. Surely, that’s the best option for the future of the Lyell but will she want to fill his boots?
How much longer can the Lyell last?
With the confirmation of series 25, we know we’re sticking with Silent Witness for another two years. But the Lyell is struggling to get work, and after the sabotage at the end of series 22 and the center getting stripped of its equipment tonight – is this possibly the beginning of the end?
If a replacement for Thomas does happen, getting the Lyell up and running is going to be a slog.
How will Nikki cope after watching Thomas die?
After watching Thomas die and going through the stress of Jack fighting for his life as well, just how will this affect Nikki?
Following her ordeal in Mexico, series 21 saw Nikki seek therapy for PTSD – could this be something that resurfaces?
How will Jack cope after narrowly escaping death and saying goodbye to his best friend?
And then, of course, we have Jack – who isn’t very good at being open with his emotions.
The close bond Jack has with Clarissa is something viewers have loved watching and as she waves her goodbyes, how will he cope? He’s always been the one that looks after Clarissa or Nikki in their hour of need, but what if Jack needs looking after and isn’t able to explain how he is feeling?
Narrowly escaping death after being poisoned, coming to terms with Thomas’ sacrificing himself and Clarissa’s exit is a lot for us to take, let alone Jack.
What will all the changes do to Jack and Nikki’s friendship?
The constant will they/won’t they with Jack and Nikki is only going to come in harder, right?. As they’re left to deal with the aftermath of Thomas’s death and Clarissa’s departure, what will this do to their friendship?
Here’s hoping it brings the two of them closer together and they’re able to support each other, but with such uncertainty after tonight’s ending, could it all put a big distance between Jack and Nikki?
Will Jack and Nikki contemplate their future at the Lyell too?
All of this being said, and another two series being confirmed, Jack and Nikki’s upcoming journeys could see them also contemplate their future at the Lyell. It’ll be all hands on deck as they attempt to get everything back to normal and with so many changes, could it just be too much for the both of them to cope with?
We’ve seen yet another fantastic series of Silent Witness and you definitely get the feeling that a completely new era of the show is on its way. With new storylines and new faces, the drama is only just beginning…
