Silent Witness: #15 – S02E07 – Friends Like These – #1/2 – Amanda Burton, William Armstrong, Mick Ford

This Episode

When 75-year-old Millicent Lockwood is found brutally beaten to death in a local park, the police immediately focus on a local who was seen arguing with her a short time earlier. The autopsy reveals little evidence but Sam once again refuses to make the evidence they have fit the suspect, which leads to an inevitable clash with the police. She also sees two youths, Kelvin Price and Ben Quayle, act out part of the murder. The police, however, are pursuing other lines of inquiry and do not have the time, nor the inclination, to pursue Sam’s theories. She then sets off on her own investigation, convinced that Kelvin and Ben are the murderers. She is also concerned that one of the boys may do himself harm after a third boy, who was only peripherally involved, hangs himself. The police are concerned that her involvement may actually taint some of the evidence they have and an angry DCI Peter Ross informs her that he has filed a formal complaint with the Coroner and the Chief Constable over her conduct. This obviously affects their professional and personal relationship.

The Show

Silent Witness is a British crime drama television series produced by the BBC, which focuses on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in 1996, the series was created by Nigel McCrery, a former murder squad detective based in Nottingham. Twenty-five series of Silent Witness have been broadcast since 1996.^[1]

Amanda Burton starred as primary character Dr. Sam Ryan before leaving the show during the eighth series. Since her departure the series has featured an ensemble cast, which initially consisted of William Gaminara, Tom Ward and Emilia Fox, and later on David Caves, Liz Carr and Richard Lintern alongside Emilia Fox. At the end of series 23 Carr and Lintern both departed. The cast was joined by Genesis Lynea from series 24.