Silent Witness Series 26 (2023) © BBC
Creator: Nigel McCrery
Starring: Emilia Fox, David Caves, Aki Omoshaybi, Alastair Michael, Rhiannon May
Production Company: BBC, A+E Networks, Cipango Productions Audiovisuelles
Kent Locations Used: New Sheppey Crossing, Kingsferry Bridge, Leysdown-on-Sea, Minster-on-Sea, Shellness, Warden
Silent Witness (2023) is a long-running BBC crime drama focusing on a group of forensic pathology experts and their investigations.
Originally created by Nigel McCrery (New Tricks, Born and Bred), Series 26 sees the return of Emilia Fox (The Carer (2016), The Tunnel (2016)) as Dr Nikki Alexander and David Caves (Jackie, Widow’s Walk) as Jack Hodgson. Aki Omoshaybi (Queens of Mystery (2019-2021), The Riot Club) joins the cast as Dr Gabriel Folukoya as well as Alastair Michael (Snatch, Ridley Road) as Velvy Schur and Rhiannon May returning in a more regular role as Cara Connelly.
For Series 26, production visited Kent to shoot in a variety of locations on the Isle of Sheppey for the final two episodes of the series, doubling as the fictional Southbay Island. The Kingsferry Bridge features throughout Episodes 9 & 10 as the bridge to Southbay Island, The Rose and Crown Pub car park in Leysdown-on-Sea appears in both episodes doubling as a caravan park called Harbour Fields, and a private house on The Leas in Minster-on-Sea stars as the house of the murdered Carol Laing (Melissa Batchelor). Other locations featured include Leysdown beach, Shellness beach, Minster beach, a section of land underneath the New Sheppey Crossing, woodland in Warden Springs Caravan Park and Warden beach.
Leysdown is situated at the Eastern end of the Isle of Sheppey. With access to a sandy beach and a slew of arcades, it is one of the largest holiday parks in Kent. Previous productions to have filmed there include Kiss Me First (2018), End of the F***ing World (2017) and Strawberry Fields (2012).
Minster is a large village on the Isle of Sheppey which has a sand and shingle beach, shops and an abbey.
Shellness beach is an SSSI mostly sandy beach with groynes and WWII lookout in a very remote part of Sheppey. Great Expectations (2012) also filmed on the beach and in the nature reserve.
Warden is a small village on the north-eastern coast of the Isle of Sheppey. Immediately northwest of the village and continuing towards the west is Warden Point, a pinnacle of eroding land and muddy foreshore. The pillboxes there are very popular, particularly for music videos.
The New Sheppey Crossing is a bridge across the Swale Estuary that links the Isle of Sheppey to mainland towns Sittingbourne and Kemsley. It was opened in 2006 and provides an alternative highway to the neighbouring Kingsferry Bridge, which allows for the Kingsferry Bridge to be closed for filming, which was done for Too Close (2021).
Series 26 of Silent Witness will begin airing on BBC One from Monday 2nd January 2023.
For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.
