How to watch Silent Witness season 25 online: stream in the UK and abroad

Silent Witness – the UK’s long-running crime drama – is back for season 25 and it's off to an exciting start with the return of OG-lead character Professor Sam Ryan (Amanda Burton). There will be a murder to solve, tonnes of peril, and a budding romance between friends: so, just business as usual then! Scroll down to discover how to watch Silent Witness season 25 online and free on BBC iPlayer from anywhere.

Silent Witness has been a BBC ratings magnet since 1996, netting at least 6 million viewers per season, focusing on a team of forensics at London’s Lyell Center and their complicated personal lives.

Amanda Burton was the series lynchpin until 2004, after Sam left due to a family member being implicated in a murder case. What’s she been up to since then? Burton promises fans plenty of upcoming revelations about her character's history now she's rejoined the show.

Excitingly, Sam and her successor Dr. Nikki Alexander (Emilia Fox) will finally meet as Lyell Center are recruited to solve the assassination of Health Secretary and Sam's husband, Jomo Mashaba (Hugh Quarshie). They’re joined once more by Jack Hodgson (David Caves) – who's now romantically involved with Nikki – and their colleague, Forensic Psychologist Dr. Simone Tyler (Genesis Lynea).

History may come back to bite them yet in this anticipated 25th anniversary season. Below we explain how to watch Silent Witness season 25 online from anywhere now.

How to watch Silent Witness season 25 online for FREE

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You can watch every episode on BBC One or online via BBC iPlayer (opens in new tab). The first episode debuts on Monday, May 23 at 9pm BST, with the next instalment at the same time the following day on Tuesday and the remaining episodes broadcast every Monday and Tuesday until June 7.

It’s very easy – and 100% FREE – to watch Silent Witness season 25 in the UK: you just need to have a valid TV licence. Then you can watch all episodes live as they air, or on-demand at a more suitable time, and not have to pay anything.

BBC iPlayer is available on most smart devices, or through your browser, with apps available on phones, tablets, TVs, games consoles and streaming sticks.

Out of the country when Silent Witness airs? Don’t worry. You can still make use of BBC's free coverage from anywhere in the world via a VPN (opens in new tab).

How to watch Silent Witness online from outside your country

If you find yourself abroad when all-new Silent Witness season 25 airs online, you’ll likely be frustrated by geo-blocking restrictions, which prevent you from accessing your usual streaming service.

Luckily, the best VPN – otherwise known as a virtual private network – offers a simple solution. It alters your IP address to make it appear like you’re somewhere else. While this can be used for privacy, it can also be used to access your preferred streaming platform back home, even when you're out of the country.

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How to use a VPN to watch Silent Witness on BBC iPlayer

Three simple steps to using a VPN to watch Silent Witness online:

1. Download and install a VPN - we recommend ExpressVPN (opens in new tab)

2. Connect to the relevant server location - launch the VPN app, click on 'choose location' and select the right location i.e. 'UK' for iPlayer

3. Head to the chosen broadcaster's live stream - in this case, head to the BBC iPlayer (opens in new tab)

How to watch Silent Witness season 25 online in the US

No broadcaster or online service in the US has announced they’ll carry brand-new Silent Witness season 25 anytime soon. Up until now though, prior seasons have made their way to Amazon Prime Video (opens in new tab) sometime after their UK release.

Season 1-24 can currently be bought for $1.89 per episode or $14.99 for all 10 of them. Alternatively, a BritBox membership offers the first 23 seasons and they’re all yours to stream for a tidy $6.99 per month.

If you’re away from home and want to be reunited with your favorite characters sooner, though, downloading a VPN (opens in new tab) is simple way to connect to your usual streaming platform and watch all your favorite films and TV shows.

How to watch Silent Witness season 25 online in Canada

As above, there’s no confirmed season 25 release date for Canadian audiences, either. 

But if you’re a fan of the show and want to recap the best, previously broadcast episodes, you have two options. BritBox offers top British TV to stream at CA$8.99 a month and has seasons 1 through 23 of Silent Witness. Meanwhile, Amazon Prime Video will let you purchase all 10 episodes of season 24. Its CA$1.89 per episode or CA$12.49 for the whole season.

Of course, if the call of wild has taken you to another country, you’ll have wait to see new Silent Witness. That is, unless you purchase a VPN like Express VPN (opens in new tab). That way you can watch BBC iPlayer whenever and wherever you are in the world.

How to watch Silent Witness season 25 online in Australia

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Welcome Sam Ryan back for the new 6-episode season of Silent Witness, available to stream weekly on Binge (opens in new tab) from Tuesday, May 24.

Starting at just AU$10 a month, Binge is very temptingly priced, and new customers are entitled to a generous 14-day FREE trial (opens in new tab) – which means you can try before you buy.

The Basic plan provides a single stream in SD quality, and you can upgrade to Standard and Premium plans if you want additional streams and better video quality.

There’s also the linear TV option of Foxtel or its streaming equivalent Foxtel Now (opens in new tab), which offers more of a full, cable-like experience. Boasting 30+ channels and a 10-day free trial (opens in new tab), you’ll need the Essentials Base pack at AU$25 a month PLUS the AU$10 Drama Extra add-on to get access to BBC First and new episodes of Silent Witness.

However, if you plan on leaving the country when Silent Witness is broadcast, you might want to buy a VPN (opens in new tab), which can alter your IP address to point back to your home country. That way you can still access your VOD subscriptions online, no matter where you are.