The BBC's beloved crime drama Silent Witness has left fans puzzled after an episode reshuffle on Tuesday. Season 29 of the long-running forensic crime series returned to screens in February, which saw the return of Emilia Fox and David Caves as Dr Nikki Alexander and Jack Hodgson, who begin solving crimes in The Sir William Bowman Centre of Excellence in Birmingham.
While the first and second episodes, The Disappearance of Alice Hill, aired as planned, the third and fourth episodes, The Enemy Within, were pulled from scheduling. This was due to a real-life incident that occurred in Birmingham on 9 February.
The episodes were swapped out for the fifth and sixth in the series, titled Creekwood, meaning that The Enemy Within aired on Tuesday 17 February out of sequence.
Fans were left puzzled
Fans were left puzzled by the episode reshuffle, which meant certain plot points were out of sync with the previous week's.
"What's going on with the new series of Silent Witness?" asked one fan on X. "Was it on last night? Because I seem to have recorded last week's instead. Ep. 5 and 6. Where are episodes 3 and 4? Never to be shown?"
© BBC Studios/Nicola YoungMeanwhile, a second wrote: "Does anyone actually know which order the episodes are actually supposed to run in because I assumed this one was just swapped out for Creekwood last week but seems to make more sense as the first episode of the series before Alice Hill?" A third added: "I'm so confused by the order of these eps. This looks like the first ep not last week's. Huge airing flaw or what?"
What have viewers said about the new season?
Despite the scheduling reshuffle, season 29 has still proved a hit with its loyal fans. Taking to Instagram, one viewer wrote: "The latest episodes are absolutely amazing! Top notch!" while another said: "I'm beginning to think that season 29 is gearing up to be my favourite season (after the greatness of season 28, I didn't think it was possible) and reminding me why it's my favorite show."
© BBC StudiosA third added: "What an incredible start to the new series. This really is the greatest show ever."
The first six episodes of Silent Witness season 29 are available to watch on iPlayer.
