Silent Witness is a British television drama. Fourteen series have been broadcast since 1996. The current series finished on 1 February 2011. Series 15 is currently being filmed and is expected to air sometime this year.
Contents |
| Series | Episodes | First airdate | Last airdate | DVD release | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 21 February 1996 | 3 April 1996 | 24 July 2006 | |
| 2 | 8 | 14 February 1997 | 11 April 1997 | 17 September 2007 | |
| 3 | 8 | 19 March 1998 | 24 April 1998 | 8 March 2010 | |
| 4 | 6 | 30 May 1999 | 16 June 1999 | 8 March 2010 | |
| 5 | 6 | 11 December 2000 | 20 March 2001 | 7 June 2010 | |
| 6 | 8 | 28 September 2002 | 27 October 2002 | 7 June 2010 | |
| 7 | 8 | 11 October 2003 | 2 November 2003 | 9 August 2010 | |
| 8 | 8 | 5 September 2004 | 26 September 2004 | 9 August 2010 | |
| 9 | 8 | 25 July 2005 | 16 August 2005 | 10 January 2011 | |
| 10 | 10 | 16 July 2006 | 14 August 2006 | 10 January 2011 | |
| 11 | 10 | 28 August 2007 | 25 September 2007 | 11 April 2011 | |
| 12 | 12 | 1 October 2008 | 6 November 2008 | 11 April 2011 | |
| 13 | 10 | 7 January 2010 | 5 February 2010 | 21 November 2011 | |
| 14 | 10 | 3 January 2011 | 1 February 2011 | 21 November 2011 | |
| 15 | 10 | TBA | TBA | TBA | |
| Episode | Title | Written by | Directed by | Guest artist (s) | Original airdate | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | "Buried Lies" | Kevin Hood | Harry Hook | Tom Chadbon, Lesley Dunlop, Alec Linstead, Trevor Bannister | 21 February 1996 22 February 1996 |
|
| Sam returns to Cambridge to take up a teaching assignment and to work for the police. In her first case, she has to deal with the death of a six year old girl found floating in a nearby river. The autopsy reveals that the child has suffered previous abuse, including cigarette burns and several broken ribs. Sam receives information from a prison inmate that implicates someone in a previous death and Sam suggests a radical step. In her personal life, Sam has to deal with her elderly mother who is showing signs of dementia and her sister Wyn with whom she has a strained relationship. With the exhumation of a child that had died from abuse some years earlier, Sam is able to demonstrate that there are similarities between the deaths of the two children. There is also only one individual with a connection to both cases. When Sam's house is broken into, her personal safety is put at risk, but she pursues the case with her usual zeal. | ||||||
| 3-4 | "Long Days, Short Nights" | Ashley Pharoah | Mike Barker | Sean Gallagher, Ronald Pickup, Colin Salmon, James Bree, Timothy Block, James Hornsby, Dione Inman | 28 February 1996 29 February 1996 |
|
| When Mark James' decomposing body is found in an abandoned building, there is every indication that he was part of some occult ritual. An upside down cross was carved on his chest, his wrists were bound with ivy and he was strangled. All evidence points to his friend Sebastian Bird, a rich idler who allowed James to live in his house but who had also developed an expert knowledge of the occult before being sent down from Cambridge for having had an affair with a professor's wife. Sam's testy relationship with the police continues as she has difficulty establishing a forensic link in the case and publicly criticizes the well-liked Police Surgeon, Dr. Richard Owen, for attending the crime scene without the proper protective clothing. Sam also has to deal with her rebellious nephew Ricky, who is constantly fighting with his mother and announces that he has left home to move in with her. When another of Sebastian Bird's one-time friends is killed the police are ever more convinced of his guilt and grow increasingly frustrated at Sam's inability to provide them the evidence that they are sure is there. The solution lies in an old case and someone's desperate need for revenge. | ||||||
| 5-6 | "Darkness Visible" | Ashley Pharoah | Noella Smith | Ken Stott, Philip Glenister, James Aubrey, Michael Troughton, Gwyneth Strong, Caroline John | 13 March 1996 14 March 1996 |
|
| Sam investigates the death of a gay man while in police custody. He had been arrested while drunk and was sharing a cell with another drunk, in for the night. The victim died from a blow to the head and was badly beaten post-mortem. DS Farmer is concerned that the assault may have been the work of some of her officers. Sam also meets up with Liam Slattery an old friend she has not seen for 20 years. Sam's sister however is convinced Liam was responsible for the death of their father years before. When a police constable, whose wife reported that he was cracking up, is found dead, the investigating officers themselves believe something is amiss. Sam continues to be harassed by someone unknown, having to call in the bomb squad when she receives a mysterious parcel and subsequently someone tries to run her off the road. Liam and Sam renew their relationship but she is faced with a difficult choice. | ||||||
| 7-8 | "Sins of the Fathers" | Kevin Hood | Ben Bolt | Rex Wei, Teo Wa Vuong | 2 April 1996 3 April 1996 |
|
| One of Sam's students has a problem and seeks some personal advice. She and her family emigrated from Vietnam during the boat people exodus and her father wants her to enter a marriage he's arranged for her. She's worried that her husband to be will realize she is not a virgin and Sam counsels her that honesty is always the best policy, but in this case it drives the prospective groom to violence. When the family's restaurant is burned out, the police find a badly burned body. On the home front, Sam continues to bicker with her sister Wyn about whether their mother should be placed in a home and the bitterness over their father's death continues to divide them. DI Adams and DC Cox's personal relationship is now affecting their work, leading Cox to request a transfer. With the burned body now identified through dental records, the police have a suspect. However, he suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder and the police are concerned that he may lash out. When the police do finally locate him, a member of the team is killed. | ||||||
| Episode | Title | Written by | Directed by | Guest artist (s) | Original airdate | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9-10 | "Blood, Sweat & Tears" | John Milne | Julian Jarrold | Frederick Treves, Frank Grimes, Barry Jackson, John Cater, Ian Liston | 14 February 1997 15 February 1997 |
|
| Boxer Kevin Sharma dies from blows received in the ring, but pathologist Sam Ryan determines that he has a brain injury dating from sometime after his last bout two months ago. One of the governors of the boxing board, retired police Superintendent Jack Reeve, is concerned that it will reflect badly on them. Reeve is also trying to cancel one-time trainer Terence Cross' license after he is the victim of a hit and rub accident that leaves him a quadriplegic. A new Detective Superintendent, Peter Ross, is now in charge and Sam and he knew each other many years previously. Trevor finds himself alone after his wife leaves him. Sam and her sister Wyn bury their mother. Meanwhile, a boxing trainer apparently commits suicide. Sam isn't convinced however and with the assistance of a ballistics expert, obtains the evidence to prove the suicide was actually murder. She also learns the reason for Kevin Sharma getting into a bare-knuckles fight and now suspects that Terence Cross' hit and run may not have been an accident. Sam's sister Wyn continues to have difficulty coping following the death of their mother. | ||||||
| 11-12 | "Cease Upon The Midnight" | John Milne, Jacqueline Holborough | Catherine Morshead | Geoffrey Beevers, Joe Duttine, Grant Masters, Roberta Taylor, Renny Krupinski | 28 February 1997 1 March 1997 |
|
| Stuart Evans is 40 years old and in the advanced stages of AIDS. When he dies the night after his birthday party no one thinks anything of it but his parents donate his remains to scientific study. When Sam and Trevor start an examination of the remains, they notice needle marks and suspect his death may not have been straightforward. Their suspicions are confirmed when the toxicology reports indicate an extremely high level of morphine. Mark Tate is also an AIDS sufferer who has been told that he will soon go blind. He too dies suddenly and when the police learn that he and Evans had the same physician, they begin to suspect doctor-assisted suicide. The police make an arrest but soon realize they have the wrong person in custody when a crucial piece of evidence is uncovered. Sam discovers the true identity of the person behind the deaths but rather than tell the police, she decides to let him to turn himself in. Unfortunately, this leads to a tragic result. In her personal life, Sam and Peter Ross renew their long-ago romance. | ||||||
| 13-14 | "Only The Lonely" | Gillian Richmond | Nicholas Laughland | Jessica Lloyd, Alan Hunter, Lloyd McGuire | 21 March 1997 22 March 1997 |
|
| Helen Mathews is found strangled on the street. In the course of the investigation, the police learn that she was having an affair with Alan White, a flying instructor working for her husband Michael. From the evidence, it appears that she was about to leave her husband and move to Canada. The police uncover a similar case from several years earlier with a striking resemblance to this case and are convinced that the two must be connected. Friction again develops between Sam and the police when her forensic analysis demonstrates that the two cases have no connection whatsoever. Sam continues to fret over her decisions in her last case and her personal relationship with Peter Ross reaches a breaking point. With a second murder on their hands, the police make an arrest in the case. Sam however uncovers some very peculiar bruising on both victims that provides the police with the evidence they need to identify the person responsible. Sam's life is put at risk however when the murderer threatens her. Wyn Ryan, who has been living with Sam since their mother's death, has found a job and is now looking to move on. Sam and Peter continue to struggle with their relationship but are determined to make a go of it. | ||||||
| 15-16 | "Friends Like These" | Peter Lloyd | Richard Signy | Joe Absolom, Kevin Bishop, Christopher Fairbank, Michael Attwell, Stewart Bevan | 4 April 1997 5 April 1997 |
|
| 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 don't 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. | ||||||
| Episode | Title | Written by | Directed by | Guest artist (s) | Original airdate | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17-18 | "An Academic Exercise" | Tony McHale | Jonas Grimås | Denyse Alexander, Anthony Bate, Katharine Schlesinger | 19 March 1998 20 March 1998 |
|
| Sam is shaken when she has to look into the death of a very dear friend, Dr. Annabelle Evans, a Cambridge professor. She was found in her home, badly beaten in what appears to be a botched burglary attempt. The police immediately focus on the husband as the likely killer but Sam suspects that an altercation at a local restaurant during the May Ball, where a waiter spilled wine on Annabelle and was fired on the spot, may provide another suspect. Sam is intrigued by the relationship some of her students may have had with Annabelle, particularly when she learns her friend may have had a lover. In her personal life, Sam has moved on. Her sister Wyn has relocated to Ireland and Peter Ross has also been transferred. She does however run into an old friend who also happens to be an acquaintance of her business partner Trevor. | ||||||
| 19-20 | "Fallen Idol" | Gwyneth Hughes | Alex Pillai | Nick Bagnall, Sudha Bhuchar, Lesley Manville, Jimi Mistry | 2 April 1998 3 April 1998 |
|
| Gemma Boyd, an attractive 17 year old, is found dead at the bottom of a staircase. Although the cause of death was a broken neck, there is little to indicate whether she fell or was pushed. She was found in a vacant house that her estate agent mother and step-father were selling. The autopsy reveals that Gemma had already had a child and was pregnant. The police think that Gemma's boyfriend is their man but when someone else is revealed as the father in the latest pregnancy, Sam thinks there is a far more complex set of relationships at play. Meanwhile, Sam's sister Wyn visits from Ireland with big news: she is going to get married. Sam's relationship with James however takes an unfortunate turn and seems to come to an end. | ||||||
| 21-22 | "Divided Loyalties" | Niall Leonard | Bill Anderson | Neil Stuke, Simon Chandler, Matthew Delamere | 16 April 1998 17 April 1998 |
|
| Sam looks into the death of Maggie Collins who died of a heroin overdose. Sadly, her body wasn't discovered for several days and in that time, her infant daughter died of dehydration. Soon after Maggie's death Stephen Jackson, a small-time dealer and addict, is killed in an explosion in his home. The autopsy reveals that both of them died of overdoses from the same batch of heroin and Sam begins to doubt that their deaths were accidental. When another small-time dealer is killed, the police think they have either vigilantes or a turf war on their hands. What they have is something far more complex that involves one of their own. | ||||||
| 23-24 | "Brothers In Arms" | John Milne | Ian Knox | Elizabeth Berrington, Stephen Churchett, Alec Sabin | 23 April 1998 24 April 1998 |
|
| When Philip Nelson is killed in a farm accident, the pathologists conclude they have a straightforward case of man vs. machine and the machine won. Sam makes an error however and soon finds evidence that points to murder. The police suspect his handyman, all the more so when they discover he was having an affair with Nelson's wife. When the murders continue however, Sam uncovers evidence that connect at least some of the men to events in Northern Ireland when they served in the army together many years before. Sam is more than a little surprised when Charlie, an old friend, sounds her out about taking up a new Chair in Forensic Pathology at London University. DI Michael Connor and his wife take a stab at a reconciliation but he finds it difficult to forgive her infidelity and realizes he has feelings for Sam. | ||||||
| Episode | Title | Written by | Directed by | Guest artist (s) | Original airdate | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25-26 | "Gone Tomorrow" | Niall Leonard | Matthew Evans | John Flanagan, Melanie Hill, Nigel Terry, Paul Copley | 30 May 1999 31 May 1999 |
9.92 10.91 |
| Now installed in London as a Professor at the university, Sam is called to assist when a helicopter carrying 16 men crashes in the North Sea en route to a drilling platform. The pilot's body is recovered and the autopsy reveals he suffered a heart attack between the time he sent a distress signal and the time the helicopter crash. When Sam discovers the pilot had recently postponed his annual medical check-up, she suspects there is more to this than meets the eye. In completing the autopsies on the recovered bodies, it seems that the aircraft may have suffered a catastrophic failure. | ||||||
| 27-28 | "A Kind Of Justice" | Peter Lloyd | Richard Signy | Tom Georgeson, Peter Jonfield | 8 June 1999 9 June 1999 |
8.47 8.33 |
| Brian McNally is a one-time criminal with a major problem. The day after he is badly beaten by gangster Mike Georghiou, McNally finds Georghiou's strangled body at his business. He's convinced that Mike's brother Tony, also a gangster known for his violent streak, will come after him so he gets Sam to prove that he couldn't have been the killer. When McNally's body is found at the foot of a building, a supposed suicide, Sam feels she has somehow contributed to his death. What she doesn't realize is she is not only going up against organized crime, but coppers who've acted as judge, jury and executioner. | ||||||
| 29-30 | "A Good Body" | J. C. Wilsher | David Thacker | Nick Reding, Jack Dee, Cheryl Hall, Alec Linstead | 15 June 1999 16 June 1999 |
9.49 8.48 |
| Sam is reunited with newly promoted DCI Michael Connor when they investigate a fire in a cinema. Sam manages to identify all but one of the 12 victims, body #10. As she gathers more information, including the use of a facial reconstruction, she comes to believe that body #10 is in fact someone who was supposed to have been killed years before and for which Chris Caldwell was convicted of murder. Sam becomes attracted to Caldwell and manages to get him set free, but when others are subsequently murdered, Connor doesn't believe Caldwell is quite as innocent as Sam believes. | ||||||
| Episode | Title | Written by | Directed by | Guest artist (s) | Original airdate | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31-32 | "The World Cruise" | Tony McHale | Coky Giedroyc | Andrew Sachs, Joseph Bennett, Ace Bhatti, Richard Todd, Robert Arden, Cheryl Hall, Michael Elwyn, David Simeon, JoAnne Good | 11 December 2000 12 December 2000 |
8.06 7.61 |
| When twin brothers Jake and Henry Davies are found dead in their home, the police initially suspect robbery as the elderly gentlemen were known to keep large sums of cash in the house. The autopsy reveals murder however and Sam determines that skin grafts both men have on their arms may have been a crude form of plastic surgery meant to cover tattoos of concentration camp numbers. Thinking they are now dealing with a hate crime, the police focus on Carl Martin, a known race-hater. What they have however is a case of someone seeking revenge for the atrocities committed long ago. Thinking they are now dealing with a hate crime, the police focus on Carl Martin, a known race-hater. What they have however is a case of someone seeking revenge for the atrocities committed long ago. | ||||||
| 33-34 | "Two Below Zero" | Tom Needham | Rob Evans | Anthony Head, Mel Martin, Angela Bruce, Stephen Moore | 12 February 2001 13 February 2001 |
9.11 9.20 |
| When the naked body of a young woman is found in the snow at a Norwegian ski resort, Sam is asked to represent the Townsend family whose daughter Ruth disappeared there several weeks before. The autopsy however reveals that it is in fact the body of Louise Hutton who had vanished there some 15 years previously. When Ruth's body is found, it appears both girls were strangled in a similar fashion. The police focus their enquiries on Ruth's boyfriend and on Henry Hutton, Louise's uncle while Sam seeks the advice of a university colleague and tries to draw a profile of the serial killer. | ||||||
| 35-36 | "Faith" | Stephen Brady | Paul Unwin | Kathryn Hunter, Matthew Marsh, John Castle, Prunella Scales, Tim Woodward, David Quilter | 19 March 2001 20 March 2001 |
9.43 9.28 |
| Sam becomes under great stress when she learns that she may have a tumour. As a result, she starts to question her judgment when she misses a possible explanation in determining the time of death in the case of Lloyd Dupen's wife, an apparent suicide. She's not convinced however that everything is above board and agrees to undertake a second autopsy at the request of the dead woman's mother. When she is asked by local reverend Bishop Craig to perform an autopsy on the remains of Sister Constance, a beatified nun who died forty years ago and is under consideration for canonization. The results of the autopsy have an impact on the religious order as well as many of those in the community who see the commercial advantages of having a local saint. | ||||||
| Episode | Title | Written by | Directed by | Guest artist (s) | Original airdate | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37-38 | "The Fall Out" | Tony McHale | Coky Giedroyc | Lia Williams, Lynn Farleigh, Peter-Hugo Daly, Paterson Joseph | 28 September 2002 29 September 2002 |
7.72 7.62 |
| Sam assists the police in the investigation of a multi-vehicle collision that results in the death of eleven people. She is joined by two new colleagues: Dr. Leo Dalton, an experienced pathologist from Sheffield, and Dr. Harry Cunningham, a new trainee pathologist who has just graduated from university. As they try to determine the cause of the accident, they find a severed arm that does not belong to any of the victims. They also have to deal with DCI Carol Deacon, whose role in the investigation appears to be not quite crystal clear to them. The mystery of the severed arm is soon cleared up when the police discover a body floating in a local river with only one arm. Sam decides to conduct her own investigation with little help from the police, however, DCI Deacon soon reveals to Harry that two of the men in the accident were undercover policemen, and realising that Sam is being manipulated, asks her to stay away. The police refuse to inform them of all the details, and soon, Sam's interference has serious consequences. Harry continues to try and find a balance between detachment and compassion as one of the survivors of the crash seeks his assistance. | ||||||
| 39-40 | "Kith and Kill" | Peter Lloyd | Renny Rye | Ben Crompton, Stuart Graham, Russell Tovey | 5 October 2002 6 October 2002 |
8.16 8.46 |
| The police investigate an apparent break-in that resulted in the death of businessman Derek Irons, his wife and youngest daughter. Two older children survive the attack, but one is in a serious condition and the other in a coma. Sam soon discovers that Irons was a ruthless businessman who targeted his rivals' customers resulting in regular confrontations. When Harry and Leo perform the post mortems on the three bodies, they discover that Irons was stabbed, but his wife and daughter were shot. Sam is soon reunited with an old friend from Northern Ireland, Det. Supt. Tony Ashton, who becomes the senior investigative officer on the case. As the police continue their investigation into the deaths, they begin to believe that he may have been killed elsewhere, and then transported to his home. When one of the two surviving children is murdered, Ashton looks to a circle of friends and family for a possible motive. Meanwhile, Harry assists the police with the death of an old woman who is believed to have fallen down a staircase, however, his post-mortem reveals evidence that is not consistent with a fall. As the police investigate further, they soon discover a link between her death and the Irons family murders. | ||||||
| 41-42 | "Tell No Tales" | Avril E. Russell | John Duthie | Maggie Lloyd Williams, Sara Powell, Sally Faulkner, Mary Healey | 19 October 2002 20 October 2002 |
7.64 7.92 |
| When a decomposed body is found hidden in the wall of an old factory building, Sam comes to the conclusion that he was murdered. He is eventually identified by his ex-girlfriend Selina Thomson as Marcus Saul, a man who had simply disappeared one day some seven years earlier. The police soon have a suspect in mind, however, new information suggests that the identity of the killer may lie in a completely different direction. Meanwhile, at the university, Leo is asked by The Dean to investigate a break in on campus which resulted in a large amount of drugs being stolen. Hours later, a student is found dead after suffering a drug overdose, and the university must face the wrath of the girl's father, a major benefactor. When Leo performs the autopsy, it reveals that not only had she taken drugs, but also that she had sexual relations with three different men in the last 48 hours. | ||||||
| 43-44 | "Closed Ranks" | Tony McHale | Paul Wroblewski | Nicholas Audsley, Chiké Okonkwo, Tim Healy, Kellie Bright, Nick Miles | 26 October 2002 27 October 2002 |
8.03 6.73 |
| Sam investigates when police probation officer Jason Villers is found murdered on a landfill site, after being tied up and being burnt across the back. The police soon establish a link between Villiers' murder and the murder of student Michael Haughty, who was found murdered in the same place just months before hand. With no link between the two killings, the police soon believe that they may have a serial killer on their hands. The police soon discover information which could result in bringing justice to Haughty's killer - but appear have no leads on who killed Villers. When a second police probationer officer is found dead, Sam soon concludes that they may be dealing with a copycat killer, rather than a serial killer. The police soon begin to believe that a fellow probation officer may have been responsible for the murders, however, it appears that the commandant, whose son is a trainee student, is covering up the deaths to keep the reputation of the college protected. In a separate case, Harry is approached by the wife of an old university friend who asks him to perform a post-mortem on her husband, who supposedly died in a fall. However, he soon finds that the man was injecting himself with drugs regularly, and that his wife was the one who was prescribing them to him. | ||||||
| Episode | Title | Written by | Directed by | Guest artist (s) | Original airdate | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45-46 | "Answering Fire" | Dusty Hughes | Nicholas Renton | Dave Lynn, Leena Dhingra, Roshan Seth, David Quilter | 11 October 2003 12 October 2003 |
8.09 8.00 |
| When a suspected terrorist attack causes an explosion at a hotel, the death of a highly respected government minister appears to be the key to the motive behind the attack. However, Sam soon discovers that an old acquaintance of hers was also at the scene, and as she delves deeper into the case, has to deal with her attempted rape which occurred many years ago. Determined to get to the bottom of the minister's death, she conducts a second autopsy, but her findings are soon undermined by an independent pathologist, who appears to have a stronger link to the case than meets the eye. To make matters worse, the investigation team threaten to strike Sam off if she supports the dead man's family at an inquest. | ||||||
| 47-48 | "Fatal Error" | Michael Crompton | Renny Rye | Shelley King, Christopher Mellows, Annabelle Apsion, Edward Petherbridge | 18 October 2003 19 October 2003 |
7.59 8.21 |
| Sam becomes under intense scrutiny during an official inquiry into the deaths of two brothers while they were in prison. Her findings are soon challenged by Leo, who is brought in by the Crown to perform a second autopsy. Meanwhile, a series of murders that are taking place ly heavily on a suspect who has recently been released from prison. He served time in prison after being convicted of killing his wife - and the evidence against him was given by Sam during one of her very first cases. During his time in prison, he continued to protest his innocence - but did years behind bars change him for the worse? Sam soon comes to believe that someone is stalking her, and the police have trouble locating the ex-convict. | ||||||
| 49-50 | "Running on Empty" | Ed Whitmore | Jon East | Brian Bovell, Don Gilet, John Bowe, Doña Croll, Katherine Kelly | 25 October 2003 26 October 2003 |
8.47 6.81 |
| When a sports agent is found dead in her flat, the police suspect suicide. However, Sam is not convinced, and when the post-mortem reveals that she was in the early stages of pregnancy, and that she had severe bruising to her arms, signs of a sexual assault appear to convice Sam otherwise. Matters are complicated further, however, when a client that she was planning to run away with is found dead in his flat. Tests reveal the father of her baby is Caucasian, which rule out her client, but appears to implicate her husband for the murder, despite his alibi. However, Sam is soon sidelined from the investigation following a disagreement with DI Jayne Hurst, and Harry's efforts to determine the time of death prove unreliable. | ||||||
| 51-52 | "Beyond Guilt" | Michael Crompton | Renny Rye | Daniel Casey, Tim Plester, Paul Copley, Peter Howell, Joy Harrison | 1 November 2003 2 November 2003 |
8.30 6.86 |
| Sam, Leo and Harry are alarmed when the home office order them to re-examine the work of independent pathologist Peter Sachs. They believe that for some time, Sachs had been performing autopsies with tainted instruments, and that evidence he provided for the courts was therefore unreliable. Harry, however, is not so sure of Sachs' behaviour, and his patience is soon tested to the limit when he is branded a liar and taken off the case. Realising they have been set up, Sam and Leo enlist Harry's help, and visit some of Sachs' family and friends in order to gain a non-biased view of the case. However, they discover some alarming facts about Sachs, and soon realise that they have become pawns in a deadly game of chess between Sachs and mysterious figures at the Home Office. | ||||||
| Episode | Title | Written by | Directed by | Guest artist (s) | Original airdate | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53-54 | "A Time To Heal" | Stephen Brady | Ashley Pearce | Ciarán McMenamin, Des McAleer | 5 September 2004 6 September 2004 |
8.33 7.88 |
| When the bodies of two men are exposed during a landslide in Ireland, Sam is forced to make a long overdue painful journey home. The subsequent investigation suggests the pair died during the sectarian violence of the 1970s, however, a secret closer to home soon comes to light. Sam discovers that her estranged son, whom she had at 16, is still living in Ireland - and the investigation soon leads her to his doorstep. The investigation reveals evidence of RUC corruption, and Sam is soon startled when the evidnece points to the involvement of a member of her own family. As the police pull out all the stops to track down the killers, Sam makes an announcement that stuns her colleagues. | ||||||
| 55-56 | "Death By Water" | Dusty Hughes | Patrick Lau | Natalie Press, Anton Lesser | 12 September 2004 13 September 2004 |
7.78 6.85 |
| Leo and Harry's professional rivalry erupts following Sam's departure. They find themselves dealing with the case of several children who have experienced unexplained breathing difficulties, leaving one baby, Ella, dead. While Harry believes this was mass hysteria, Leo suspects something more sinister. Meanwhile, a man, Nick Garner, is found dead in his car with a stab wound to the chest. When Harry challenges Leo's judgement over the death of baby Ella, he sticks to his claim, putting his career on the line. Harry discovers the truth behind Nick Garner's death, and Leo realises that a boatyard may hold the key to the children's symptoms. | ||||||
| 57-58 | "Nowhere Fast" | Richard Holland | Danny Hiller | Ramon Tikaram, Anastasia Hille, Sylvestra Le Touzel | 19 September 2004 20 September 2004 |
7.54 6.92 |
| Harry and Leo are surprised to be united with Dr. Nikki Alexander, after the home office reprimand them for their conduct following Sam's departure. Nikki, a pathologist who's expertees lie in solving iron age mysterious with modern day techniques, finds herself covering new ground when she ends up bringing her expertise to bear on a modern murder. The case in question is the death of a jockey crushed by his mount during a race. Harry and Leo suspect it were simply an accident, however, when two of the horses' owners are killed in a helicopter crash, evidence emerges that both the horse and the pilot were drugged. Harry and Leo suspect syndicate member Matt Gibb was responsible for the deaths of his co-owners and the jockey, and Nikki's skills help expose the cracks in his story. Gibb confesses to drugging the horse but denies any involvement in the helicopter crash, leaving the pathologists divided over whether to believe him. | ||||||
| 59-60 | "Body 21" | Michael Crompton | Douglas Mackinnon | Danny Webb, Emma Cunniffe, Amita Dhiri | 25 September 2004 26 September 2004 |
7.26 6.87 |
| The team investigate when the derailment of a train caused by someone deliberately leaving a landrover in the centre of the train tracks results in the deaths of twenty-one people. Army Major Mark Wiltshire is immediately suspected after his landrover is found to be missing, but an alibi places him in the mess hall at the time of the incident. The team begin the daunting job of identifying each of the bodies - but struggle to identify the last victim. Working with a survivor's group, they attempt to re-create the layout of the train prior to the crash occurring. The investigation delves deeper when one of the surviving passengers commits suicide, taking with him a vital piece of information. Harry and Leo soon discover that the identification of the last victim could lead to the cause of the crash, and that the solution lies on discovering an unknown romantic affair and a marital betrayal. | ||||||
| Episode | Title | Written by | Directed by | Guest artist (s) | Original airdate | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61-62 | "Ghosts" | Tony McHale | Richard Signy | Liam Garrigan, Nicholas Gleaves, Jacquetta May | 25 July 2005 26 July 2005 |
7.14 6.97 |
| Leo receives devastating news from home - his wife and daughter have been involved in a hit-and-run accident, prompting him to set off for Sheffield immediately. Meanwhile, Nikki is called out to a river when the bodies of two unidentified women are discovered, both shot in an execution-style. Upon his arrival in Sheffield, Leo is greeted with awful news, and haunted by the deaths of his wife and daughter, he goes on a quest to find the man responsible. Harry and Nikki attempt to counsel him as the police infiltrate a gang of identity fraudsters, but when he finally catches up with the enemy, he faces a difficult choice between exacting revenge or taking justice. | ||||||
| 63-64 | "Choices" | Doug Milburn | Andy Hay | Freema Agyeman, Craig Kelly, John McEnery | 1 August 2005 2 August 2005 |
6.32 6.13 |
| The team are called to the scene of a drive-by shooting, where they are joined by detectives from Operation Trident investigating a turf war between drug gangs. The case proves less clear-cut than expected when evidence emerges that someone returned fire. The vehicle used is soon traced to an abandoned industrial unit, where a decomposing corpse is uncovered - and Nikki resolves to find out the true cause of death. The detectives discover club owner Ainsley Modest is under pressure to hand over his establishment to a local gang - but isn't going down without a fight. With a second shoot-out imminent, the team face a race against time to track down the elusive gunsmith before he can arm both factions for the confrontation. Harry follows up a lead, but finds himself in a dangerous situation, and Nikki continues to investigate Lisa's death. | ||||||
| 65-66 | "The Meaning of Death" | Rhidian Brook | Bryn Higgins | Nicholas Sidi, James Vaughan, Velibor Topic | 8 August 2005 10 August 2005 |
7.46 5.67 |
| The team pursue a serial killer with a grisly desire to look at his victims' faces as they die, and the trail leads into the world of academic philosophy. However, Nikki is distracted from the case by the death of her grandmother, while Harry investigates the demise of a woman who apparently drowned in three inches of water. Nikki finds the cruelty of the serial killer's crimes too much to cope with - but a picture belonging to her grandmother provides the flash of inspiration that may put the murderer behind bars. Meanwhile, Harry delves into the death of the drowning victim, discovering that her demise was the result of a cruel twist of fate. | ||||||
| 67-68 | "Mind And Body" | Jeff Povey | Richard Signy | Tim Bentinck, Richard Hope, Terence Maynard, Jan Pearson | 15 August 2005 16 August 2005 |
8.02 7.38 |
| Nikki investigates a man's apparent suicide, and soon begins to suspect foul play after the deaths of Nazim Theara and Kevin Perry occur, leading to recently released mental patient David Nicholson being accused of their murder. While the doctor treating Nicholson, Dr. Sanders, is adamant that he is no threat to anyone, the pathologists are not convinced - especially when a connection with the original victim emerges. Meanwhile, Harry is assigned to the case of a 17-year-old girl who has been crushed by a train - and her mother is positive she did not kill herself. Nikki prevents Dr Sanders from killing himself, and is convinced of her theory that Nicholson was tampering with the patients' medication. However, as Harry pursues his own case, he uncovers a connection - both Nazim and Kevin were on the same cocktail of anti-depressants, provided by an online pharmacy. | ||||||
| Episode | Title | Written by | Directed by | Guest artist (s) | Original airdate | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 69-70 | "Cargo" | Doug Milburn | Michael Offer | Elizabeth Bower, Burt Kwouk | 16 July 2006 17 July 2006 |
6.15 6.29 |
| Four bodies are found in the Thames after a boat full of illegal immigrants founders ashore. Realising they are dealing with a people-trafficking operation gone disastrously wrong, Leo, Harry and Nikki set out to discover if there are any survivors - or any other deaths - while also delving into the victims' past. The team soon manage to identify the four bodies, and discover two of them were a couple fleeing China because they wished to have a second child. Nikki realises their six-year-old daughter was also on the boat - and may still be alive somewhere. Meanwhile, the detectives close in on the gang running the people-trafficking operation. | ||||||
| 71-72 | "Terminus" | Jeff Povey | Alrick Riley | Sean Wilson, Gillian Wright | 23 July 2006 24 July 2006 |
7.10 7.04 |
| The team take on three cases at once in between major murder investigations. Harry deals with a hit-and-run on a council estate, Leo investigates the cause of a fire that left a woman dead, and Nikki is called out when a bride-to-be collapses and dies on her hen night. Harry, still devastated by the tragedy of the hit-and-run, is soon called to investigate the apparent suicide of a high-profile footballer, and when discovers a link to the hit-and-run case, it results in Leo investigating the death of tramp is found dead on a night bus, and Nikki looking into an office prank that proved fatal. | ||||||
| 73-74 | "Body of Work" | Rhidian Brook | Martyn Friend | Linda Thorson, Larry Lamb, Richard Huw, Jim Findley, Robert Ashby | 30 July 2006 31 July 2006 |
6.82 6.87 |
| Harry's burgeoning relationship with Nikki is jeopardised when his ex-girlfriend Penny is killed in a car crash. It looks like suicide at first glance, but DCI Lauren Ambrose uncovers evidence that the victim may have had an affair - as well as a secret child. Meanwhile, Leo examines the staged death of a conceptual artist, Jimmy Triangle. With Harry determined to find Penny's killer, he and Nikki are pushed further apart when he forces her to re-examine Penny's body. Leo is puzzled by more contrary clues in Triangle's bizarre death - and soon becomes convinced that someone is playing a twisted game. | ||||||
| 75-76 | "Supernova" | Paul Farrell | Philippa Langdale | Tamsin Egerton, John McEnery | 6 August 2006 7 August 2006 |
6.76 7.07 |
| When Leo is called to investigate the apparent suicide of 14-year-old Alison Garland, it evokes painful memories of his daughter's death and with the help of a child psychologist, he realises the girl was murdered. The case is soon linked to another incident in which a car salesman was killed with the same knife. When a third murder is discovered on the grounds of a school, Leo realises the killings are connected to a sinister teenage pact. Meanwhile, Nikki investigates the death of an elderly victim who appears to have died of hypothermia - but she soon believes that there is a guilty party to be caught. | ||||||
| 77-78 | "Schism" | Christian Spurrier | Nick Renton | Nicholas Le Prevost, Joseph Mawle, Jemima Rooper, David de Keyser, Paul Panting | 13 August 2006 14 August 2006 |
7.27 7.30 |
| A teenage girl is found tortured to death at a London dogs' home, and it soon emerges another woman is being held hostage by the culprits, who turn out to be a violent team of animal activists seeking to destroy an experimentation facility. However, the case becomes much more complicated when Nikki is kidnapped at gunpoint by the group leader. Harry faces a race against time to find their captors, who are based deep inside the woods. Meanwhile, Leo's best friend Lionel is forced to partake in a hearing against his conduct, and Leo is forced to decide whether to follow his conscience at the expense of his best friend's livelihood. | ||||||
| Episode | Title | Written by | Directed by | Guest artist (s) | Original airdate | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79-80 | "Apocalypse" | Stephen Davis | Maurice Phillips | Julian Glover, Dominic Jephcott, Ian Dunn, Heather Bleasdale | 28 August 2007 29 August 2007 |
6.27 5.42 |
| Harry and Nikki are called to investigate when an RAF helicopter crashes into a detention centre for failed asylum seekers. When it appears that the military are trying to hush up the incident, they each open their own investigations - to prove the pilot wasn't at fault for the crash, and to identify a mysterious girl who fled the site amid the carnage. With Harry's attempts to prove the pilot innocent bordering on obsession, the father of the deceased asks him to perform an independent autopsy. Nikki identifies the detention centre victim, but realises that by doing so she may have put his daughter in danger with his enemies. | ||||||
| 81-82 | "Suffer The Children" | Greg Dinner | Brendan Maher | Matthew Wait, Steve Toussaint, Michael Byrne, Adjoa Andoh | 3 September 2007 4 September 2007 |
6.85 6.31 |
| The discovery of a mutilated child's body in a river forces Leo to face a ghost from his past. Questions are raised as to whether the victim was murdered in a ritual killing, and evidence points the team in the direction of a nearby church. Meanwhile, Nikki investigates the apparently suspicious death of a priest from a local Catholic boys' school. Meanwhile, Harry and Leo are called to investigate the deaths of two young African boys, which continues to spark disagreements between them, resulting in accusations of racial bias dogging their attempts to solve the case. Meanwhile, the body of another man linked to the priest's murder gives Nikki more leads to follow up. | ||||||
| 83-84 | "Hippocratic Oath" | Tony McHale | Diarmuid Lawrence | Natasha Little, Richard Standing, Tanya Moodie, Jamie Parker | 10 September 2007 11 September 2007 |
7.19 6.48 |
| An accident involving a lorry and a funeral procession results in the bizarre discovery of two bodies inside a coffin. Meanwhile, Leo and Nikki's suspicions are aroused during a post mortem on a child, Sam Reid, who died during surgery, and both investigations lead the detectives back to a surgeon, Alice Hutton, who appears to have a high rate of fatality amongst her patients. Nikki is frustrated when she is viciously attacked, and struggles to who attacked her, while Leo works hard to discover what happened to the second coffin body, Claire Stanton. Meanwhile, Harry meets with Alice Hutton, after a tip-off from a member of her team regarding the operation performed on Sam Reid. | ||||||
| 85-86 | "Double Dare" | Michael Crompton | Maurice Phillips | Hugo Speer, Lizzie McInnerny, Danny Midwinter | 17 September 2007 18 September 2007 |
7.19 6.42 |
| A horrific car crash poses troubling questions for Nikki when she discovers one of the victims was the recently released Anna Holland, an accomplice to murder she helped escape a life sentence four years earlier. As the investigation progresses, Nikki re-interviews key witnesses from the original case and begins to doubt her earlier conclusions. As she prepares to publicly concede that she could have been wrong about Anna's innocence, Leo urges her not to throw her career away while there is still uncertainty. Harry tries to identify two bodies found buried in the garden of an empty house, however, he soon discovers that they are connected to his colleague's troubling case. | ||||||
| 87-88 | "Peripheral Vision" | Christian Spurrier | Bruce Goodison | Michael Colgan, Ian Puleston-Davies, Nick Brimble, Archie Panjabi, Renu Setna | 24 September 2007 25 September 2007 |
6.31 6.43 |
| Nikki investigates the discovery of human bones on a former traveller's site, and realises they could be the remains of a senior police officer's missing teenage daughter. However, her forensic analysis raises even greater questions and casts doubt on the guilt of the chief suspect. Meanwhile, Harry is assigned to an insurance case that takes a peculiar twist. When the chief suspects in Nikki's case is murdered, she is cut out of the investigation and left unsure who to trust. However, her lone enquiries bring her into greater danger. Meanwhile, Harry learns he has been deceived regarding the insurance scam and believes he has no option but to pursue the truth alone. | ||||||
| Episode | Title | Written by | Directed by | Guest artist (s) | Original airdate | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 89-90 | "Safe" | Timothy Prager | Susan Tully | Aml Ameen, Marva Alexnader, Elijah Baker, Sidney Cole | 1 October 2008 2 October 2008 |
5.89 5.67 |
| Nikki investigates the murder of a teenage girl, who fell from a ride at a funfair after being brutally raped and stabbed, and suspects the killing may have been part of a gang initiation. Meanwhile, Leo finds himself doing community service after getting caught drink driving and is first on the scene when an attack takes place where he's working. When he tries to prise information from the victim, he disappears from the radar, and only after he performs a botched stabbing does he finally reveal all he knows. Meanwhile, the police struggle to secure any concrete evidence against gang leader Keenan, who manages to evade them and continue his killing spree. Just when all hope seems lost, however, the team make a breakthrough. | ||||||
| 91-92 | "Death's Door" | Stephen Davis | Diarmuid Lawrence | Naomi Bentley, Neil Dudgeon, Phil Davis | 8 October 2008 9 October 2008 |
6.54 6.73 |
| Harry befriends eager medical student Holly Farr after giving a lecture to a group of trainees and involves her in his latest case, the post-mortem of a woman whose body was found at the side of a road with the face expertly removed. Nikki tries to reconstruct the victim's features to help identify her, but Holly immediately recognises her as Fran Price - a former TV presenter and journalist who had fallen on hard times. The team's relationship with Holly falls apart due to a lack of trust, forcing Harry to pursue his own line of inquiry. As he searches for the truth, he finds himself conducting a press conference with Oleg Kovik, a Russian oligarch who claims Fran Price was a friend of his, and that he is the next target of ger killer because of a book he was helping Fran to write. | ||||||
| 93-94 | "Terror" | Michael Crompton | Alex Pillai | Geraldine Alexander, Andrea Lowe, Shaun Dooley, Michael Higgs, Doña Croll, Kevork Malikyan | 15 October 2008 16 October 2008 |
6.41 6.44 |
| An armed police raid at a terraced house in North London sees two suspected terrorists killed, along with a police officer. Nikki doubts the officers' accounts of events after carrying out the post mortems, as the forensic evidence just doesn't add up. The case then takes an unexpected turn when it transpires one of the surviving policemen is having an affair with his dead colleague's wife. Nikki and Harry form a bond as they search for the truth, but accusations fly and paranoia is heightened when another police offer dies in hospital. Meanwhile, Harry uses cutting-edge techniques to uncover the identity of an unknown victim of a shooting, and soon learns that she was a police officer working undercover for the drug squad. Leo performs the post mortem on the second dead officer and soon realises that the team's assumptions about the shooting were wrong - prompting a desperate search for a missing hostage. | ||||||
| 95-96 | "Judgement" | Christian Spurrier | Diarmuid Lawrence | Ron Cook, Rene Zagger, Sophie Stanton, Conor Mullen | 22 October 2008 23 October 2008 |
6.70 6.29 |
| When the body of a member of the Jewish Hasidic community, Yitshok Hassam, is discovered, the team agree to perform a 'dry' post mortem on the victim to respect the wishes of his faith. A forensic link is found to a group of Polish labourers, but Harry begins to wonder whether the victim's wife, Chaim is hiding something, and decides to carry out a full autopsy to determine the time of death. When Chaim's body is also found, Harry becomes convinced that her and Yitshok's deaths are linked. DNA testing suggests the killer is Hasidic, but the police refuse to believe the claims and demand that Harry be taken off the case. However, Nikki decides to stand by her colleague and the pair make some shocking discoveries after re-testing all of the DNA samples. | ||||||
| 97-98 | "The Lost Child" | Dudi Appleton & Jim Keeble | Dudi Appleton | Reece Dinsdale, Alan Williams, Fiona Wade, Michael Begley | 29 October 2008 30 October 2008 |
5.89 6.25 |
| A boy's body is discovered near his school, and a search is launched when the classmate he was last seen with, Liam, is reported missing. After it transpires the deceased was abused and had traces of an unknown toxic chemical in his body, the youngsters' headmaster, a man who used to teach Nikki, becomes a suspect - and a second corpse is found. The search for Liam resumes and a link is discovered between the dead schoolboy's stepfather and the missing child. Meanwhile, Nikki performs an autopsy on the second body and finds traces of the same unknown toxin present in the first. Leo and Harry try to identify and locate the source of the chemical in a bid to find out where Liam is being held - and are led to a container hidden in the woods. | ||||||
| 99-100 | "Finding Rachel" | Michael Crompton | Tim Fywell | Patrick Baladi, Robert Pugh, Sian Webber, Kevin Doyle | 5 November 2008 6 November 2008 |
6.70 6.32 |
| The team fly out to Zambia to investigate the death of a female doctor, Rachel Gates, who disappeared two weeks earlier. It transpires that she was volunteering as a practitioner for a missio,n and had believed a number of refugees died in suspicious circumstances. Leo and Nikki carry out a post-mortem, but their findings throw the case into disarray. The bones originally thought to be Rachel's are identified as another victim, Bethany, and the search for her body begins. When Rachel is found dead outside a nightclub, Nikki is arrested for attempting to carry out a post-mortem on the girl against her mother's wishes. Harry learns foul play was involved in Rachel's death, and Leo has the local water samples tested - with surprising results. | ||||||
| Episode | Title | Written by | Directed by | Guest artist (s) | Original airdate | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101-102 | "Intent" | Timothy Prager | Udayan Prasad | Paul Broughton, Polly Frame, Lucy Cohu, Jonty Stephens | 7 January 2010 8 January 2010 |
8.56 7.81 |
| Insurance investigator William Byfield is found dead, apparently suffocated from exhaust fumes piped into his car. Harry's initial examination suggests it was a likely suicide but, after further examination, the team suspects the man may have died from cyanide poisoning. The victim's over-zealous work replacement Clare Ambler starts to suspect Byfield's death may be linked to his latest investigation involving the untimely death of Stephen Connelly, a healthy middle-aged man. Leo is worried that he has no recollection of the case or being the pathologist who signed off Connelly's post-mortem. Meanwhile, Harry runs into a hospital grief counsellor he worked with in the past who turns out to be Connelly's widower, Rebecca. Convinced Rebecca can be trusted, Harry assures Leo he has nothing to worry about and that it is another case of "bureaucratic inefficiency". But Ambler doesn't back down and convinces the police to investigate Leo for fraud. Leo thinks he may have figured out why he has no recollection of Connelly's post-mortem but, before he can prove his innocence, he is violently struck over the head in front of his house. While Leo lies in a coma, Nikki helps the police with their investigations, as the body of Coroner David Levin is discovered, also poisoned by cyanide. All evidence points to Rebecca, but Harry refuses to believe she is behind the murders. After he becomes romantically involved with her, in a bid to help prove her innocence, he re-examines Levin's body to find evidence, putting his career on the line. When Harry finds proof that Levin took his own life, Nikki convinces the police they have no case against Rebecca. Harry goes to question Rebecca about why Levin would want to frame her, only to discover an empty house and no sign of her. | ||||||
| 103-104 | "Voids" | Ed Whitmore | Thaddeus O'Sullivan | Josephine Butler, John Lynch, Adam Kotz, Souad Faress | 14 January 2010 15 January 2010 |
7.78 7.59 |
| Harry and Nikki find themselves on opposite sides of a high-profile case involving the suspicious death of wealthy banker Bridget Flannery. Suspicion quickly falls on the victim's husband, media personality Tom Flannery, who claims she fell down the stairs. Harry conducts the official post-mortem for the police investigation while Nikki is hired to do a second, unofficial investigation by Flannery's solicitor. The results are very different, with Harry's report concluding the deceased was struck repeatedly on the head with a sharp object. The police, however, are unable to find a murder weapon or a clear motive for Bridget's murder. Despite this, Detective Superintendent Tom Jenkins wants to pin the murder on Tom, using evidence of a botched attempt to clean up the blood. Nikki's belief in Tom is immediately challenged when she learns that his first wife, Olga, was also found dead at the bottom of the stairs in their home, more than twenty years ago. At the Coroner's inquest, Harry and Nikki present their conflicting post-mortem reports. The two colleagues try to remain professional despite their difference of opinion, but a row ensues and they fall out over the case. Photos of the suspect's first wife, Olga, lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of a flight of stairs, are leaked to the press and Tom is subsequently arrested. Harry wants to look into details of Olga's death and asks Leo to put him in touch with his former Czech professor. Nikki is determined to look beyond the police's blinkered investigation to find answers to what really happened on the night Bridget died. Their discoveries unleash long-hidden memories, which lead to further personal tragedy for the Flannery family. | ||||||
| 105-106 | "Run" | Andrew Holden | Susan Tully | Alec Newman, John Bowe, Natalie J. Robb, Frances Tomelty | 21 January 2010 22 January 2010 |
7.44 7.10 |
| Leo returns to work after his recovery from head trauma. His first case involves the shattered body of a young woman, Ruth Gardiner, found at the bottom of a block of derelict flats having apparently fallen from the roof. A post-mortem indicates suicide, but Leo realises he missed vital signs when he uncovers evidence that the girl had been shot in the head before being dragged to the roof and thrown off, leading the police to reopen the case. When DI Alex Neil seems reluctant to pursue the possibility that Ruth may have been an informant for undercover police officer Phil Nelson, Leo starts to wonder if Ruth's death is part of a cover-up. When a gun is found near Ruth's squat, investigations lead Neil to Alex Webb, an employee of a local car dealer. His colleague, Peter Carmody, lies when questioned claiming that he has not seen Alex for at least a week. Harry, meanwhile, is forced to confront some uncomfortable family secrets when an old family friend, Mary Bradburn, shows up at the Lyell Centre for the post-mortem of her husband, James. Although James had cancer, Mary claims it was not advanced enough to kill him, and thus, asks Harry to find out if someone murdered her husband. The police are called out to a flat, rented in Phil's name, and discover a large amount of blood and what looks like a murder scene. DNA matches that of Phil's girlfriend Danielle, Alex Webb and Ruth's unidentified lover, Terry. Leo begins to suspect that Phil is somehow linked to all the murders, but has no evidence to prove it. When Leo remembers where Danielle said she had met Phil, police are led to the home of Peter Carmody's wife. Samples from her house belonging to her husband match the DNA of Phil and Terry, revealing they are all the same man. He has been leading secret lives, pretending to be an undercover police officer. The police continue to close in on Carmody and are directed to some secluded woods where he used to play out his childhood fantasies. Danielle's body is discovered and Leo's examinations lead to Carmody's arrest. As Harry comes to terms with family revelations, Nikki persuades him to finally look into the circumstances of his own father's suicide. This spurs him to re-examine James Bradburn's body, only to discover traces of adhesive on the neck. Harry discovers that he had taped a plastic bag over his head in order to suffocate himself. | ||||||
| 107-108 | "Shadows" | Dudi Appleton & Jim Keeble | Farren Blackburn | Elliott Tittensor, Phyllis Logan, Anna Chancellor, Ian Gelder | 28 January 2010 29 January 2010 |
7.39 7.64 |
| When a student suicide occurs on a university campus, Leo liaises with the Dean and investigating officer DC Saich after it emerges the deceased, Jason Renfrew, was the victim of bullying. Concern grows when a gun and live ammunition are discovered in the dead boy's locker, and the contents from a memory card found in his stomach reveal files containing photos of students, some of whom he named as his tormentors. Before the team can investigate further, their fears become a horrible reality as one of the main buildings comes under attack by a rampaging shooter, trapping Harry and Nikki inside. All Leo can do is watch helplessly via CCTV security cameras as his colleagues try to help the wounded. Specialist firearms officers storm the building and find suspected shooter Scott Weston, lying on the floor, with a bullet wound to the head. As the wounded and dead are wheeled out, Harry stays to help the paramedic attending to Weston. Unable to help, Nikki returns to the pathology lab, but realises she is not alone, when mortuary student Neil Bates enters the lab and locks the doors behind him. As Leo starts preliminary post mortems on the victims in a temporary mortuary in the unversity's sports hall, he soon realises that there were two guns used in the incident. Meanwhile, with Neil pointing a gun at Nikki, she starts to work out events as he slowly confides in her, and it soon becomes apparent Weston had a much bigger agenda than the shooting. | ||||||
| 109-110 | "Home" | Michael Crompton | Paul Wilmshurst | Mojisola Adebayo, Sindi Harrison, Andre Jacobs, Ben Kruger | 4 February 2010 5 February 2010 |
6.85 6.46 |
| Nikki returns to her childhood home in South Africa after she is hired by a private security firm to investigate the cold case of the disappearance of five young men in the 1980s. Harry and Leo also plan trips to Cape Town for a conference, but are waylaid by requests to lend their expertise to the examination of a woman's body dragged out of a bay and the effort to reverse the deportation of a Zimbabwean asylum seeker. Nikki manages to confirm that the skeletons she is asked to examine are the remains of the Kensington Five, but after a visit to informant Captain Brackenhall, she discovers that her ex-business partner was the man involved in the murders - leaving her facing difficult decisions about her love life. | ||||||
| Episode | Title | Written by | Directed by | Guest artist (s) | Original airdate | Viewers (millions)[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 111-112 | "A Guilty Mind" | Timothy Prager | Susan Tully | Roy Marsden, Kelly Harrison, Mark Lewis Jones | 3 January 2011 4 January 2011 |
7.41 7.60 |
| The day after Professor Silverlake, a consultant neurologist at the Dartmouth London hospital, raised his voice at three patients for smoking and drinking on the premises, all three are found murdered. Silverlake, apparently the last doctor to visit the ward, later goes berserk with a shotgun after he is accused of the killings, however, is subsequently killed himself by a police sniper. Leo and Harry believe they have a cut and dry case, however, when the ward's night nurse is murdered, believe they could have a cover up on their hands. Meanwhile, Nikki is deeply upset at having to perform an autopsy on a little girl who is suspected to have been raped and murdered by convicted criminal Jason Bodie, a man who Professor Silverlake once performed live-saving surgery on. Whilst Bodie is committed as unfit to plead, Silverlake's daughter Naomi asks Leo and Harry to help clear her father's name of murder. As Nikki's mental instability over the girls' death worsens, Harry and Leo are forced to get her psychiatric help. But as the true identity of all the murders is discovered, it becomes a race against time to save Nikki's life. | ||||||
| 113-114 | "Lost" | Richard Davidson | Anthony Byrne | Christine Tremarco, Samantha Seager, Barbara Flynn, Mark Benton | 10 January 2011 11 January 2011 |
7.87 8.19 |
| Nikki's archaeologist friend Patrick becomes excited when a woman's body, apparently a thousand years old, is unearthed on a Yorkshire moor. However, dental records show she is a more recent murder victim and Leo, who once worked in the area, believes she is Jodie Fisher, a teenage girl who went missing in 1985. Three other girls were murdered at the time, and the killer, Karl Bentley, was caught and jailed. Leo decides to visit Bentley in jail, however, realises that the wrong man may have been jailed after a copycat killing is committed just hours later. Leo travels to Yorkshire, where he uncovers the identity of the fresh victim, Kelly Summers. He soon realises, however, that Bentley may have had an accomplice, and that his accomplice is still at large. This is confirmed when investigating officer Sonia Hardwick finds a letter to Bentley from his boyfriend in the original case file. Leo soon deduces that Bentley's male lover, Bill Fisher, may have been responsible for all of the murders. | ||||||
| 115-116 | "First Casualty" | Michael Crompton & Oliver Brown | Keith Boak | Kirsty Mitchell, Alicya Eyo, Philip Whitchurch, Josette Simon | 17 January 2011 18 January 2011 |
8.50 8.21 |
| When young soldier Mark Blakefield takes his own life at the Hillsdon Army Base, his friends and colleagues believe the suicide was caused by the traumatic experience of watching his friend, Danny Ferris, die in battle. However, evidence soon comes to light that just before the death, Mark was seen arguing with his superior, Lieutenant Lockfield. When the body of a young female is pulled from a nearby river, it turns out to be Mark's girlfriend, Catz. A suicide note is soon found, claiming that she couldn't cope following her husband's death, and therefore had to take her own life. However, when Nikki discovers that Catz was having an affair with Lieutenant Lockfield, she suspects foul play. Things take an even scarier turn by Lockfield is mysteriously shot at close range. Meanwhile, Harry carries out the postmortem on Mark, and soon discovers he did not commit suicide, and was instead murdered by a blow to the back of the head. When Nikki discovers Catz made a phone call to Lockfield just before her death, she believes it could be the clue to catching him. A search of Catz' flat, however, suggests not only where she having an affair with Lockfield behind Mark's back, she had also secretly been dating his best friend Danny. Later, the police catch a man skulking at Catz' flat. Dennis Croft, a former soldier cashiered for drug peddling, claims that there was a cover-up over Danny's death, and that he was, in fact, killed by Lockfield after he found out he was seeing Catz. He also claims Mark found out about this, and that it was the subject of the argument they were having shortly before his death. CCTV evidence, however, discovers that Catz' death was due to a bizarre accident, so who would have reason to kill Lockford? | ||||||
| 117-118 | "Bloodlines" | Dudi Appleton & Jim Keeble | Dudi Appleton | Mike Kelly, John Rado, Julian Glover, Lili Bordan | 24 January 2011 25 January 2011 |
8.32 7.53 |
| Harry finds a new case on his hands when his girlfriend of three months, human rights lawyer Anna Sandor, calls him to Budapest to investigate the death of a prostitute. He is warned by British diplomat Duncan McBurney to avoid getting entangled in Anna's activities, and when Anna is murdered, suspicion falls on his shoulders, and he is forced to go on the run as the police appear to be in league with the Ukrainian gang he believes are responsible for her death. Leo arrives from Britain to find Harry, and soon learns that Anna was pregnant. Assisted by Janos, an ex-Communist, Harry arranges to meet Leo at the ferry terminal, but Anna's murderer gets their first, shoots Janos dead and corners Harry. Leo arrives to hear gunshots, and finds a burning body on the promenade. Nikki is soon warned of the trouble and flies out to join the team, however, the police soon identify the burning body as Harry's. However, soon after, Nikki & Leo receive a mysterious phone message inviting them to a rendezvous. There they find Harry, who tells them how his would-be murderer was accidentally killed, and that he planted his own possessions on the burning body to enable him to evade the police. The team continue to investigate Anna's murder, and question a prostitute, Marina, in the hope of finding the motive and exposing her killers. A scam to steal prostitutes' babies and sell them to childless couples is finally revealed, and the police who behaved so suspiciously turn out to be undercover officers involved in catching the villains. | ||||||
| 119-120 | "The Prodigal" | Michael Crompton | James Strong | Kate Ashfield, Matthew McNulty, Derek de Lint | 31 January 2011 1 February 2011 |
8.40 7.69 |
| Nikki, Harry and Leo are called to the Dutch Embassy in the wake of a gunman shooting three people - police constables Tom Barlow and Eddie Whitehead, and young mother Klara Van Buren. Klara is the daughter of official ambassador Jonas Van Buren, who's brother Ulrik was shot in a similar situation three years ago, son Jacob has been missing for fifteen years and grandson Jack who has recently disappeared without trace. The two police officers die in hospital, however, Klara manages to survive, and claims that the gunman was her brother Jacob, who had been missing for fifteen years. The news coverage has a strange effect on the Van Buren's au pair, Mary Olivant, who is later found hanged in her apartment, a death which Leo believes is suspicious. When the pathologists come close to uncovering a dark family secret, the Dutch Embassy throw them off the case, and another pathologist, Sabiston, is called in to carry out the postmortems on the two police offers at the ambassador's request. However, Sabiston is not all he seems. | ||||||