Silent Witness stars Emilia Fox and David Caves have revealed that their characters Nikki Alexander and Jack Hodgson are set to take on "parental roles" in the upcoming 27th season.
Whilst chatting to HELLO! and other journalists at a press event for the new series, the actors explained that the couple's relationship dynamic changes when it comes to Velvy [Alastair Michael] and Jack's niece Cara [Rhiannon Jones ], who developed a close bond in season 26.
Emilia explained: "With Velvy and Cara, [Jack's] taking on a new paternal role and Nikki, who doesn't have children but becomes this go-to person, which you do in a partnership, you test things out. It's a real trust with each other."
David added: "They both take on those parental roles which is really great and makes sense but it's not done in a heavy-handed way."
In the new series, Nikki and Jack are faced with their "most chilling cases yet", including the discovery of a mummified corpse and fears over a serial killer turning up on a university campus.
With the couple set to tackle some of the most difficult cases of their careers, Emilia and David revealed how the pressure of the investigations impact Nikki and Jack's relationship.
"I think because they are together now, we've been trying to work out how to have them in a relationship and have them working together," said Emilia. "We didn't want to have a break-up, conflict thing.
The actress continued: "We wanted to do it differently to other dramas that would make them combust, we wanted the pressure to bring them closer and closer. That was a really thought-through thing but without overwhelming what Silent Witness is about because we didn't want it to become too relationship-orientated but to be able to bring some light into what is quite a dark and heavy world."
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David added: "Even in the most intense, high-stakes situations, there has to be a bit of relief and letting the valve go. It's constant push and pull.
"It's hard because you don't want it to be too easy because then it just goes a bit flat and a bit boring. So you want moments of sparks and we do have moments throughout when we disagree [on] things or Jack puts his foot in it. They are always checking in with each other, which I really like. But it's subtle."
The new series arrives on Monday 8 January, 2024, and sees Nikki, Jack and the rest of the team at the Lyell tackle a disturbing set of new cases across five two-part mysteries.
The full synopsis reads: "In Series 27, pathologist Dr Nikki Alexander (Emilia Fox), forensic expert Jack Hodgson (David Caves) and their dedicated team must help the police solve some of their most chilling cases yet: a body found in an abandoned church sparks fears that a serial killer has resurfaced after twenty years, death terrorises a university campus and no one is safe, a mummified corpse is uncovered - seemingly forgotten by everyone, the Lyell is infiltrated by a malevolent force, and multiple bodies are found entombed beneath a train station in a makeshift mass grave.
"As the team use their expertise to unlock the truth, they are tested to their very limits. Gabriel seeks advice from Jack in an unexpected way, and lets down his guard at work with devastating results. Velvy tries to do the right thing by his family, but at great cost to himself. Cara navigates London student life, making friends and enemies along the way. She impresses Jack when she undertakes work experience at the Lyell, and is forced to intervene when she makes a shocking discovery about Velvy. Nikki and Jack deal with one of the most difficult cases of their career and their relationship becomes stronger than ever."