Silent Witness has enjoyed 26 seasons on the BBC and shows no signs of slowing down. While, admittedly, the forensic element is what sets it apart from other crime dramas, it's the romance between Emilia Fox and David Caves' characters, Dr Nikki Alexander and Jack Hodgson, that is the beating heart of the show.
A dedicated legion of fans have remained loyal to the series over the years, fully investing in Nikki and Jack's will-they-won't-they storyline that gives even Friends' Rachel and Ross a run for their money.
Opening up to HELLO! about the new series, the actors revealed what's in store for Jack and Nikki, while also teasing an upcoming "special" moment for the couple in a first for the show. Read on for all the details…
Fans rejoiced at the end of season 24 when Nikki and Jack finally gave in to their feelings for one another, and it looks like the couple are still going strong when we meet them again in series 26.
Of course, office romances - or lab romances, rather - are never plain sailing and the high-stakes cases put to the Lyell team in this series place even more pressure on their relationship.
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"It's tough, isn't it? Suddenly working together and being together," said David. "It's always a tricky one to negotiate, isn't it? But especially for them because their jobs are so high stakes and they're in jeopardy a lot, so it's a big burden to try and shoulder."
Emilia added: "I think that with a big opening epic story, the writers put their relationship under pressure straight away because as much as they're each other's strengths, they're each other's weaknesses as well and vulnerabilities because they love each other. So if the other is in danger, then it could be the greatest cause of harm."
The pair also teased a "pretty special" moment in the third story of the series, which will see Jack and Nikki mark a Silent Witness first.
"At the end of the third story, we get asked to do something in the mortuary that Jack and Nikki have never done before," explained Emilia. "And then the focus comes back onto their relationship, I would say, in the last storyline… It was an amazing moment to film."
Emilia and David play Nikki and Jack in the series
She later added: "That really is a tease because it was something I don't think I've done in any other show. But lots of other people have done it in other shows, but we definitely haven't done it in Silent Witness.
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"The audience has waited for ten years, and they are an incredibly loyal, generous, kind and loving audience, who have invested in the Jack and Nikki relationship. I think everyone agreed what we didn't want to happen was to put them together and then immediately bust them up.
Emilia teased a major moment ahead for the couple
"There's a reason why suddenly this has happened and it would be a shame to lose all the great moments that they have just to create a dramatic effect. So really, what you're seeing is their friendship, which has turned into a relationship and hopefully seeing a side of them which can work, [where they can] work together and love each other and then who knows what's going to happen in the future. I'm all for Jack and Nikki."
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When asked if the pair would like to see Nikki and Jack tie the knot at some point in the future, Emilia said that she'd be interested to see how Jack would propose, with only one small caveat: "Not at a crime scene."
Silent Witness is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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