Silent Witness backdrop
Crime•Drama

The Best Episodes of Silent Witness

Every episode of Silent Witness ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Silent Witness!

Binge this in 10d 20h•Peaking at 8.7/10

A team of exceptional forensic pathologists and scientists investigate heinous crimes and use their skills to catch the people responsible.

Airs on
BBC One
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons29

All1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Click to reveal
    Silent Witness Season 13 Episode 7 - Shadows (1)
    8.7/10(350 votes)

    #1 - Shadows (1)

    S13:E7

    Nikki and Harry try to help wounded victims of a campus shooting while trapped in the building with the rampaging shooter.

    Director:Farren Blackburn
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Silent Witness Season 23 Episode 10 - The Greater Good (2)
    8.5/10(332 votes)

    #2 - The Greater Good (2)

    S23:E10

    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.

    Director:Dominic Leclerc
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Silent Witness Season 13 Episode 8 - Shadows (2)
    8.4/10(284 votes)

    #3 - Shadows (2)

    S13:E8

    Leo's postmortem of the victims reveals there were two guns used, and possibly a second shooter.

    Director:Farren Blackburn
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Silent Witness Season 14 Episode 4 - Lost (2)
    8.3/10(212 votes)

    #4 - Lost (2)

    S14:E4

    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.

    Director:Anthony Byrne
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Silent Witness Season 18 Episode 2 - Sniper's Nest (2)
    8.3/10(303 votes)

    #5 - Sniper's Nest (2)

    S18:E2

    Nikki and Jack investigate links between the victims to close the net on the killer.

    Director:David Richards
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Silent Witness Season 18 Episode 4 - Falling Angels (2)
    8.3/10(363 votes)

    #6 - Falling Angels (2)

    S18:E4

    Nikki helps high-flying DI Luke Nelson unearth painful childhood memories.

    Director:Craig Viveiros
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of Silent Witness

    READ
  7. Silent Witness Season 19 Episode 9 - River's Edge (1)
    8.3/10(252 votes)

    #7 - River's Edge (1)

    S19:E9

    A family murdered at a picnic leads the team to the female victim's estranged husband.

    Director:Thaddeus O'Sullivan
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Silent Witness Season 19 Episode 10 - River's Edge (2)
    8.3/10(241 votes)

    #8 - River's Edge (2)

    S19:E10

    As Nikki and Jack move closer to the truth, their lives are thrown into mortal danger.

    Director:Thaddeus O'Sullivan
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Silent Witness Season 27 Episode 9 - King’s Cross (1)
    8.3/10(256 votes)

    #9 - King’s Cross (1)

    S27:E9

    The Lyell are called to a museum outside King’s Cross Station, where they discover the bodies of eight victims entombed below. With the knowledge that a prolific serial killer was operating in London nearly twenty years ago, Nikki and the team know this will be a case like no other.

    Director:Toby Frow
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Silent Witness Season 12 Episode 10 - The Lost Child (2)
    8.2/10(202 votes)

    #10 - The Lost Child (2)

    S12:E10

    As the search for Liam continues, Nikki's loyalty towards her former mentor is tested.

    Director:Dudi Appleton
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Silent Witness Season 16 Episode 6 - True Love Waits (2)
    8.2/10(254 votes)

    #11 - True Love Waits (2)

    S16:E6

    When arrested and interrogated by DI Kate Warren, Alan Lane vehemently protests his innocence and insists he didn't kill his wife.

    Director:Thaddeus O'Sullivan
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Silent Witness Season 16 Episode 8 - Legacy (2)
    8.2/10(224 votes)

    #12 - Legacy (2)

    S16:E8

    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.

    Director:David Richards
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Silent Witness Season 18 Episode 1 - Sniper's Nest (1)
    8.2/10(307 votes)

    #13 - Sniper's Nest (1)

    S18:E1

    Nikki and Jack strive to track down a sniper at large in London and stem a public crisis.

    Director:David Richards
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Silent Witness Season 21 Episode 8 - One Day (2)
    8.2/10(316 votes)

    #14 - One Day (2)

    S21:E8

    The team are determined to uncover the truth about unexplained deaths of patients at a care home. They are desperate to rescue Serena and return her to safety. Unbeknownst to her colleagues in the Lyell Centre, Clarissa allows herself to be admitted to the care home in order to investigate. Her determination to find out what happened at the care home leads her to uncover a shocking truth, but puts her life in danger.

    Director:Thaddeus O'Sullivan
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Silent Witness Season 23 Episode 4 - Close to Home (2)
    8.2/10(298 votes)

    #15 - Close to Home (2)

    S23:E4

    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.

    Director:Thaddeus O'Sullivan
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Silent Witness Season 27 Episode 2 - Effective Range (2)
    8.2/10(334 votes)

    #16 - Effective Range (2)

    S27:E2

    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.

    Director:Max Myers
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Silent Witness Season 27 Episode 10 - King’s Cross (2)
    8.2/10(262 votes)

    #17 - King’s Cross (2)

    S27:E10

    Nikki continues to try and identify the last of the remaining bodies in an effort to uncover any connections and find motive, while Jack and the police begin to look into several two-decade old missing persons cases which might reveal the identity of the man dubbed “The King’s Cross Serial Killer”.

    Director:Toby Frow
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Silent Witness Season 28 Episode 7 - Vanishing Point (1)
    8.2/10(353 votes)

    #18 - Vanishing Point (1)

    S28:E7

    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.

    Director:Max Myers
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. Silent Witness Season 4 Episode 2 - Gone Tomorrow (2)
    8.1/10(221 votes)

    #19 - Gone Tomorrow (2)

    S4:E2

    Sam learns that the captain of the helicopter died of a heart attack, but she doesn't think it was the cause of the crash, and with 75 helicopters grounded, accident investigator Tony Newsome needs some answers.

    Director:Matthew Evans
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. Silent Witness Season 14 Episode 7 - Bloodlines (1)
    8.1/10(278 votes)

    #20 - Bloodlines (1)

    S14:E7

    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.

    Director:Dudi Appleton
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. Silent Witness Season 14 Episode 8 - Bloodlines (2)
    8.1/10(263 votes)

    #21 - Bloodlines (2)

    S14:E8

    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.

    Director:Dudi Appleton
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. Silent Witness Season 16 Episode 5 - True Love Waits (1)
    8.1/10(246 votes)

    #22 - True Love Waits (1)

    S16:E5

    When a pub landlady is stabbed to death and her little finger cut off, Nikki is isolated in her quest to prove the husband's innocence.

    Director:Thaddeus O'Sullivan
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. Silent Witness Season 18 Episode 3 - Falling Angels (1)
    8.1/10(375 votes)

    #23 - Falling Angels (1)

    S18:E3

    Nikki and Jack investigate a man killed by a train on the London underground.

    Director:Craig Viveiros
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. Silent Witness Season 23 Episode 8 - Hope (2)
    8.1/10(303 votes)

    #24 - Hope (2)

    S23:E8

    The team's investigation leads them to a mysterious cryogenics facility and the discovery of another suspicious death.

    Director:Tracey Larcombe
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. Silent Witness Season 23 Episode 9 - The Greater Good (1)
    8.1/10(265 votes)

    #25 - The Greater Good (1)

    S23:E9

    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.

    Director:Dominic Leclerc
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Best Episodes Summary

"Shadows (1)" is the best rated episode of "Silent Witness". It scored 8.7/10 based on 350 votes. Directed by Farren Blackburn and written by Unknown, it aired on 1/28/2010. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Greater Good (2)".