David Caves Talks Season Twenty-Eight of BBC’s Silent Witness

Do We Know Jack?

BBC’s Silent Witness returns for an impressive 28th series and here’s one of its stars, David Caves talking about the new run…

Tell us what we can expect from the first story of the new series?

An elderly woman is found dead in a cave with her fingertips burnt off. It’s a very mysterious death, which puzzles us. We can’t quite get to the bottom of that one for a while. But the story then develops into this obsession based around the character of Benjamin, who’s an elderly man living on his own. He’s looking for his dear friend, but he can’t find her. He can’t get in touch with her and doesn’t know what’s happened to her. So, he goes around to her house. But there appears to be a young couple living there now, which baffles him. This was his friend’s house, and he’s wondering why these people are in there. Of course, the young couple think he’s some strange stalker and pest. Then he goes to an antique shop and finds out that a lot of his friend’s belongings are being sold there. And so, he’s very distressed and confused by all of this. It’s an intriguing thriller.

Does the story touch on topical issues?

Yes. The writer Tim Prager is great at weaving in social commentary. He always finds something really zeitgeist-y. This story is about the loneliness and isolation of older people, the abuse and the manipulation of the vulnerable, and scamming. It’s very topical and a very interesting take on how we view our elderly.

The fans were overjoyed that Jack proposed to Nikki at the end of the last series, weren’t they?

Absolutely. It just shows you how lucky we are that people like that relationship so much and are so invested in it. That is not to be taken for granted. We’re very focused on making it the best it can be. It’s hard, it’s a dance because you don’t want to give too much to that and make the show into something else. Jack and Nikki have got a lovely relationship that’s going on behind the scenes that we dip into now and again, but you don’t want to overkill too much with that. We worked a lot on the proposal scene and I think it was a lovely, different take on a proposal. It was slightly low-key, but meaningful and done with heart. That’s when this show is at its best. It balances the heavy plot with scenes full of heart. I think this series has done that really well.

Can you expand on that?

The series is about balancing. How do you organise a wedding when you’re doing this job? It doesn’t feel like it’s the most conducive job to romance! But the people I’ve met who do these jobs have lives, they’re married, they have children, they have a great take on life because they know what the other side is like. Jack and Nikki’s great strength has been finding that love in each other and letting that flourish. In this series, we definitely see that blossom.

How does Jack deal with organising the wedding?

Actually, he tends to be the more neurotic one when it comes to planning. He’s a little bit more stressed about it than Nikki is, and you wouldn’t necessarily expect that. He really wants to have this perfect wedding, whereas Nikki slightly takes a back seat with it. She’s more preoccupied, as she always has been, with work. Also, for her, there’s more questioning going on. She’s thinking, “What does marriage mean for us at this point? Is this really what I want to do? Is this going to change things?” These are just the normal things that people would think at that stage in their life. These characters are not in their 20s. They’re at a different stage, and just what does it mean for them, individually, as well as together? And so, we see fun little insights into that. We try to juggle all that whilst dealing with these cases.

How does Jack respond to the arrival of Harriet, the new boss at the Lyell?

Historically, he has not reacted very well to new people coming into the Lyell. This seems to be a pattern. He’s not very good with change, he likes things as they are. He also just doesn’t like authority very much. It was the same when Thomas ran the Lyell, it doesn’t really matter who it is. So, he’s convinced himself he’s not going to like Harriet. She is a challenge for him and he’s also heard not so positive things about her, so he’s immediately concerned.

Then, of course, Harriet comes in like a whirlwind, she’s not to be fooled with. She’s a tough one, but eccentric and brilliant and funny. Initially, she and Jack lock horns, they are testing each other big time.

How does Jack get on with the other new arrival, Kit?

He really connects with her immediately. She is a hot-shot crime analyst who has come into the fray. She’s brand new and really is dynamite. She knows her stuff, so he’s very impressed with her straight off the bat. She’s just so bright and quick and funny, she’s a ball of energy.

Why do you think Silent Witness is still going so strong?

Aside from the fact that the stories are very good, what the writers really do so well is come up with different takes on subjects. You would have thought that by now we would have exhausted the canon of crime and murders, but the writers always find new angles. It’s not just simply a clinical show about pathology and solving crimes, it’s a show about relationships. There’s Jack and Nikki’s central relationship but we’ve also got these satellite characters now as well who really have their own atmospheres going on.

What do you love about working with Emilia?

I really, really respect her. I’ve been doing this for 13 years and she’s been doing it for 22 years, a long time! Our lives have run parallel to each other. I have tremendous time and love for Emilia. There isn’t anybody who works harder or knows the show better or cares about the scripts as much as she does. I really admire the fact that she still has that care and love. After 22 years of doing it, she still loves filming, she still has the passion for getting up at four o’clock in the morning and coming on set, seemingly fresh as a daisy, putting everything into it, and treating everybody very well. Everybody really respects that.