Silent Witness’ opening two episodes were both dedicated to Helen Whitwell and some viewers might be wondering who she was.
The new series of Silent Witness started on 6th January and it certainly didn’t hold back with the heart-wrenching plot of the first two episodes, Exodus 20:17 Parts 1 and 2. As Professor Nikki Alexander and Jack Hodgson navigated life at the Lyell Centre with their two new colleagues, Harriet Maven and Kit Brooks, they also took on a particularly moving case after an elderly woman’s body was found in a cave. Never one to shy away from important themes and topics, Silent Witness Exodus focused on the manipulation and abuse of vulnerable older people.
Following both the credits of Part 1 and the conclusion of this emotional storyline in Part 2, fans might have noticed a special and no less poignant dedication that came up on screen which revealed that Exodus 20:17 was dedicated to Professor Helen Whitwell.
Who was Helen Whitwell and why was Silent Witness Exodus dedicated to her?
Professor Helen Whitwell was a Forensic Pathologist and Neuropathologist whose work inspired Silent Witness and both parts of season 28’s Exodus 20:17 were dedicated to her. After the credits of the two opening episodes had rolled, Silent Witness paid tribute to her, stating simply that they had been "In Memory of Helen Whitwell, 1955-2024, Professor, Forensic Pathology". The esteemed pathologist passed away from cancer in July 2024 and it’s clear how much she and her work continue to be honoured by the Silent Witness team.
As reported by The Telegraph following her death, Helen had met former police- officer-turned-screenwriter Nigel McCrery whilst working on murder cases. He is the creator of Silent Witness, which first aired in 1996, and he reportedly based the BBC drama’s original lead pathologist Professor Sam Ryan upon Helen. Played by Amanda Burton, Sam was the star of Silent Witness from seasons 1-8. She returned to the forensic drama in season 25 when Silent Witness switched up its usual formula in honour of the 25th anniversary and focused on one central storyline across all the episodes.
Whilst Emilia Fox’s Professor Nikki Alexander might be the only pathologist many newcomers to Silent Witness might know, it was Sam who started things off. Helen Whitwell became Britain’s first female Professor of Forensic Pathology and was an invaluable advisor to Silent Witness for the first series.
She remarked upon how Nigel would ask for her opinion a lot in the early years, telling BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour in 2016, as per The Times, "He used to ring me up, usually at inconvenient times, to ask me what somebody looked like when they’ve been strangled or whatever."
Helen is also said to have once stated that the show’s portrayal of autopsies and forensic detail was broadly-speaking correct, though the experienced pathologist did also acknowledge how Silent Witness understandably deviated from real life for the purposes of entertainment.
"In real life we don’t go and visit prisoners or get involved in the investigation side," she allegedly explained to The Independent back in 1998.
Helen Whitwell also reportedly shared that "all the forensic pathologists" she knew were "sociable and outgoing" and not "miserable characters" like how Sam could sometimes come across as dispassionate. She added, "I don’t know why they depict women like that. Perhaps they think there is a price to pay for the horrific things we see, but that’s a drama series for you."
Throughout her career, Helen went on to work as a pathologist in the West Midlands, supposedly conducting as many as 60 post mortems a year in the case of suspicious deaths. The Professor then lectured in New Zealand at the University of Auckland before being appointed Professor of Forensic Pathology at Sheffield University in 2000.
In 2004 she returned to the West Midlands to her forensic pathology practice and in 2009 she sadly stopped working as a pathologist, reportedly due to developing osteoarthritis in her hands.
Professor Helen Whitwell was the co-author and editor of two standard textbooks - Mason’s Forensic Medicine for Lawyers and Forensic Neuropathology. She was also well known as one of the first forensic pathologists to challenge the idea of "Shaken Baby Syndrome" as the cause of death in various cases. Helen published papers along with neuropathologist Jennian Geddes in the journal Brain in 2001 which showed that other causes could possibly be responsible for the suspicious deaths of infants.
