The Penitent - Part 1

Stop, Stop with this ridiculous new version of Silent Witness! Can't watch another show! What was once the most brilliant Show has been ruined, and it is cringeworthy to watch any further episodes. So unrealistic now. Obviously a Limited Budget for extra and good actors like the old episodes. I'm one disappointed and sad fan. Please put this show out of its misery Time to go back to old series to remember how great Silent Witness once was and how the characters were given brains, haha. Cannot even believe I've taken time out to do this review. I usually just score. But give us, the viewers some credit!!

Having been an avid fan of Silent Witness of many years, from Series 25, I feel it has went downhill and have been left disappointed.

Its script writing and ability to deliver the story in a well acted and realistic way has always been very good.....until now.

I feel that now the main issue is the script writing followed by poorer acting and quite unrealistic scenes and generally poor story telling.

This was confirmed by watching Series 26. It fails to transition between series 25 and and 26 in terms of staffing/new members of the team and the relationship between Nikki and Jack.

Also the series 26 episode 1 & 2 story is relatively good on paper but very poorly delivered and acted out.

Many key omissions from realism and blatant holes in the story.

I question whether I would continue to watch it.

Back once again, Silent Witness continues to roll on, despite the budget cuts at The BBC, it always feels like this show is vulnerable, something of a British Institution. I had hoped that Amanda Burton might have returned, that would have been something.

It is a complex story that isn't perhaps going to be everyone's cup of tea, but persevere with it, it's a rewarding hour of your time. It felt a little more Line of Duty than Silent Witness, heavier plotting than we're normally used to.

Doctor Gabriel Folukoya and Velvy were interesting new characters, I see them fitting in well, the shake up that was needed, I wasn't a fan of the last intake of team members.

'Everything we do is maybe.'

The team are called in when a man falls to his death at an office block, The Lyell team instantly lock swords with The NCA.

Fair play to the production team and actors, after the six part story back last summer, a full series has followed just six months later.

It's a very good series opener, very little focus on Nikki and Jack, it was almost exclusively focused on the story, the death of the two men. Perhaps a little pedestrian to begin with, it wasn't long before it opened up into a pretty dramatic affair.

The scene with the pigs, that was pretty grim, although I did enjoy the various swine jokes.

I can see Velvy becoming an interesting character as time goes on, he's definitely a little quirky to begin with, I liked him.

How great to see Sophia Myles here, what an underrated talent she is, a real presence. Really liked Chloe also, I hope we see more from here.

Hard to believe this show's been going as long as it has, on this evidence though, it has a lot of life left in it yet.

8/10.

Unfortunately not a great start to a new series, the acting was wooden even from the more experienced cast members , the plot played like a before watershed childrens mystery and the script was abysmal , childish attempts at humour and a unsophisticated plot, hate to be so negative but it was one of the poorest attempts at prime time drama on UK television in sometime. Sometimes I think shows try to go in 'new' directions but this one totally got lost when it did it. The main leads attempt at a blossoming new romance fills the throat with a sicky feeling. I hope reviews reflect this and force creators back to the drawing board, rant over.