Silent Witness viewers tuning in to watch episode 3 and 4 this week might have been left a little confused as the original running order for season 29 has changed last-minute. Instead of The Enemy Within, we got Part 1 of Creekwood and although not everyone will have been aware of the switch-up, those who are will be wondering why.
After all, so many series are shot with a specific trajectory in mind and Silent Witness is no different. However, the BBC have moved The Enemy Within to later on in the run.
In a post on social media they simply stated that the new episodes were a "change to the previously billed" ones, though a BBC spokesperson told TV Guide that this was due to an attack that took place over the weekend.
"Due to the attack in Birmingham over the weekend, this week’s episodes of Silent Witness will not transmit as planned and instead they have been replaced with two episodes from later on in the series," they declared.
On 9th February, the day that episode 1 of The Enemy Within would have aired, the BBC reported that a boy had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following the attack of two teenagers with a machete outside a shop. Two boys were taken to hospital and a third was punched on Stratford Road in Shirley, as confirmed by West Midlands Police.
The Enemy Within’s storyline sees the team investigating a fatal stabbing which appears to have been racially motivated. Meanwhile, Jack discovers that his new-found gym friends since moving to Birmingham harbour very far-right views that make him highly uncomfortable.
The BBC’s decision to air Creekwood instead isn’t the first time that they have changed an episode’s order so as to be respectful in the light of horrific events. As a crime drama fan I also used to tune in every week to watch New Tricks and the season 9 finale, Part of a Whole, was swapped in place of Glasgow UCOS in the running order.
At the time it was reported that this change took place "in light of current news events" involving allegations against Jimmy Savile, as Glasgow UCOS’s plot focused on the discovery of the cover-up of child abuse in care homes.
The sensitivity of the BBC concerning news events is both totally understandable and admirable, and explains why the Silent Witness episode schedule has been changed. The Enemy Within Part 1 and Part 2 will now air on Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th February in another slight amendment.
Episode 3 of the new series of Death in Paradise will be broadcast in the usual Monday night slot, pushing Silent Witness back by a day. Creekwood continues at 9pm on BBC One on 10th February with Part 2 and in this story Dr Nikki Alexander, Jack Hodgson, Kit Brooks and Harriet Maven assist the police with their investigation after an elderly man, Arthur Lane, is discovered dead on the site of the old Creekwood Hospital with a screwdriver impaling his eye.
These episodes explore mental health and how it was treated, both in the past and present, and the struggles of the homeless community.
