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17 out of 18 people found the following review useful:
A fine example of British drama, 15 August 2006
10/10
Author: bumbebee from United Kingdom

I always enjoy this show for the following reasons: It gives a wonderful insight, if simplified, into the world of forensic pathology, an area in which I would love to work.

Each new case is original, well constructed and thoughtfully presented. They remain topical, without the feeling of an after-school special relating to current affairs.

Unlike shoddy American drama, the focus is on the storyline and character development. The reason that dialogue is not snappy and constant is because it would turn the characters into one of the "Friends" brigade - where cheap laughs are more important than the integrity of the character.

The show is challenging - plots and subplots intertwine cleverly, meaning it's not a "background" show, but one which is completely consuming for the viewer.

The honest make-up/autopsy scenes. These just fit, without being sensationalist, and add to the realistic feeling of the show.

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21 out of 28 people found the following review useful:
Silent Witness is a must-see crime drama!, 28 May 2000
Author: Lindsay-5 (schumann_1@yahoo.com)

Amanda Burton's Professor Sam Ryan is a clever, highly-intelligent and sometimes intimidating coroner and professor at London University. Her professional qualifications set her apart from other coroners in the area, and so she is regularly called upon to assist the police at homocide crime scenes and in subsequent autopsies. In the style of a murder-cop show starring someone besides a cop, Professor Ryan manages to solve all of the cases herself, only occasionally calling on the aid of one of the actual police officers. This series is very often intense and graphic during some of the autopsy scenes, but it is consistently well-written and well-acted. Very little of Sam Ryan's private life leaks into the series, and the series' primary focus on the murder in question is somewhat unusual to this genre. When a glimpse of Professor Ryan's personal life is revealed to the audience, it leaves them curious for more. Silent Witness is a very well-written show and I highly recommend it when it next appears in reruns!

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11 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Prof Sam Ryan, 28 September 2005
Author: k1yak from United Kingdom

Silent Witness has been around sins 1996. Amanda Burton plays Dr Sam Ryan (in the early years) then moves on to being a prof. You find out in the early episodes that her Father was killed in an IRA bomb in the 1970's which her family witnessed. This is the reason she chose that profession. In the 8 series that Amanda Burton was in, Sam had quite a few love interests. This TV Show is fantastic with great stories which were the creation of Nigel McCrery. Yes Sam was obsessed in getting the truth but thats a good thing if you take a look at her back ground as I have through all the episodes including the last one "Time to Heal" you understand why. Many people say that Sam was annoying and yes she was sometimes. You have to say some of the stories were fantastic. Helicopter crash, Fires, avalanches, War Crimes,Getting it wrong (Yes Sam Got it wrong well no it was her boss but she felt guilty) And thats just a few. I Just Wish the BBC would bring it out in DVD I thought they might have with Amanda Burton leaving. If you get the chance to watch an episode you will enjoy.

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8 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
CSi the way it should be, 16 October 2008
8/10
Author: Rob Neal (tryptych@yahoo.com) from London, England

This series continues to grow in interest, quality and plot lines.

Whenever people rave about CSi, (which I consider it, and it's even lamer derivatives to be THE worst drama on TV), I always point them to Silent Witness. It follows accurate pathology, police routine and technology, and doesn't talk down, or dumb down. If you want to see pathologists at work, then you are going to see cadavers opened up. (That's what they do.) If you don't like that sort of thing, stop complaining that it's sick and go back to washed-out, inaccurate American cop shows that wouldn't know a dead body if it jumped up and bit them. (Or just lay there looking pretty with a cloth laid over their naughty bits.)

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5 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Fabulous show, 7 February 2008
9/10
Author: Paul McDevitt from Canada

Fabulous show ever since Amanda Burton (Sam Ryan) left the show.

The story now takes centre stage and not Sam Ryan. The plots are more varied because it does not revolve around one character.

The best crime show today. More realistic than the CSIs of the world. Brings new forensic capabilities into the show only when they help and not as the centre piece.

While the stories can be expansive, they are not outrageous and are spread out over two one hour episodes (less commercial time) allowing deeper plot and character development.

Too bad there are very few episodes each season.

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3 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
Glad that Amanda has gone for a Burton, 18 July 2007
3/10
Author: paul-3257 from United Kingdom

I originally gave up watching Silent Witness when I found that AB's character annoyed me. Every episode (that I watched) appeared to follow the formula:

1) Ryan saying that the death was not suspicious - the police should stop kicking up such a fuss (they were buffoons). 2) Police accepted her opinion, stopped investigating 3) Ryan then decided it was suspicious and kicked up a huge fuss that the police were incompetent!

Ryan seem to alternate between cool, calm professional and near hysteric.

How exactly was she supposed to be worthy of promotion to professor, rather than put on probation?

Not really an advert for Women's lib! Were they just copying Quincy's pointless outbursts?

Just started watching an Emilia Fox episode, better so far...Emilia hasn't thrown any hissy fits.

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11 out of 26 people found the following review useful:
The Sam Ryan Show, 8 August 2005
Author: Sulla-2 from United Kingdom

Professor Ryan was not a coroner, she was actually a pathologist. However, viewers would be excused if they thought she was a detective or Senior Police Officer. She spent more time investigating matters by interviewing suspects and witnesses than she did doing her main job, cutting up dead bodies.. The programme is watchable in spite of the smug Professor Ryan rather than because of her. Liaisons with Senior Police Officers ( no junior ranks please) are the norm and it is also compulsory for Sam Ryan to be put into a bit of danger. It was a bit like a UK version of Quincy but a bit more drawn out and less enjoyable. Profssor Ryan has now left the series.

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6 out of 62 people found the following review useful:
Sick!, 24 December 2005
Author: inframan from the lower depths

This show is very well-acted but is basically one plodding & unoriginal plot after another stretched out with a plethora of pseudo-technical forensics jargon delivered with many pregnant pauses & meaningful looks.

What separates these shows from the hundreds of run-of-the-mill Agatha Christie rehashes & homages that British TV churns out are the ghoulish & highly detailed recreations of carved-up cadavers & hideous burn victims. There's even a disclaimer at the beginning of every show warning off viewers too squeamish to witness recreated autopsies.

It's obvious that the monster makeup aspect of this programme is the real draw which I find pretty sick & morally reprehensible. It exploits the plight of badly disfigured people (see the episode about the train accident) who have to live out their nightmares with much pain & little hope of recovery (to say nothing of the convenience of makeup removal at the end of the day).

Sick.

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