Is Jack leaving Silent Witness? David Caves' future on the show explained

david caves plays Jack, who hands himself in for murder after a sequence of events in the two-part Grace of God story. The second part shows Jack cleared of the man's murder and returned home to Nikki, and david caves is scheduled to appear in the next and final two episodes of the season.

What happened in the episode

The episode began with Nikki and Jack testifying at a hearing for a series of shootings taking place in Birmingham. Jack then left for the pub, where he got into a fight with a local punter. A few days later Jack discovered that same man dead on Nikki's examination table. Consumed with guilt and convinced he had caused the man's death, with the evidence mounting, Jack handed himself into the police.

David Caves' on-screen fate

The second part of 'Grace of God' shows Jack cleared of the man's murder and returned home to Nikki. Jack's involvement turned out to be part of a wider investigation that saw him simply as a pawn in the police's case. The episode ends with Jack in therapy, with his final reflection: "I want to be there for all of it. I'm ready. " Prior to the season beginning David Caves had said: "He’s more affected by the trials and tribulations of his work and we see that play out majorly in this series. Jack is really tested in one story, a very personal odyssey he must go on alone. " The storyline leaves Jack not looking like himself after jail time and guilt, but cleared of the murder charge and returned to Nikki.

Season 29 troubles in Birmingham

The entirety of season 29 has seen Jack struggle with his new life in Birmingham. He first found himself accidentally in deep trouble with a racist gang, who then used his image to create an AI video of him where he appeared to share hate speech. After his time in jail and his guilt over the death (even though he didn't cause it), Jack is changed and attending therapy, presumably in order to be cleared to return to police work.

Schedule and replacement changes

Season 29 kicked off earlier this month but has experienced a number of changes to its original planned schedule. Last week, episodes 3 and 4, called The Enemy Within, which revolved around the forensics team investigating a fatal stabbing that seemed to be racially motivated, were replaced with the following week's storyline Creekwood, starring guest actors Lydia Wilson, Cat Simmons, Megan Cusack and Mark Stobbart. The shake-up was believed to be because of a horrific incident that took place in Birmingham. "Due to the attack in Birmingham over the weekend, this week's episodes of Silent Witness will not transmit as planned and instead they have been replaced with two episodes from later on in the series, " a spokesman said.

The schedule has been altered further: the show will air on Tuesday and Wednesday night this week, instead of its usual Monday and Tuesday slot. The latest season of Death in Paradise was scheduled to air on Monday, February 16 in the 9pm slot. Death in Paradise episode 3 was removed from the schedules on Friday to make way for the FA Cup fixture between Hull City and Chelsea. Coverage of the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina spans more than 450 hours of live action, and that coverage is expected to last until February 22 when disruption to the usual schedules will end. Silent Witness was set to return on Tuesday, February 17 and Wednesday, February 18 at 9pm with part one and two of The Enemy Within, which feature Chris Reilly, Selin Hizli, Gerard Kearns and Phaldut Sharma. The guest stars join familiar faces including Emilia Fox as Dr Nikki Alexander, David Caves as Jack, Maggie Steed as Harriet and Fran Mills reprises her role as Kit. Silent Witness is available on iPlayer now.

Fan reaction and social posts

Reaction to the episode and the wider season was mixed. Some viewers took to X, formerly Twitter, to complain and said they "stopped watching" minutes in. One viewer wrote: "I have just managed 1min 20secs of #SilentWitness that's me finished with it. Typical lies and propaganda. #DefundTheBBC. " Another post said: "More biased drama feeding the narrative from @ #SilentWitness can’t wait for the drama dealing with the grooming gangs. " A separate user wrote: "Blimey some might think that Starmer wrote this episode or at least the last 15 minutes #SilentWitness. " One viewer added: "What the hell was that ending? Kier Starmer and the woke left must have written that script! Absolute garbage from the turned a decent series into lefty claptrap. Fair to say I won't be watching another episode again... #silentwitness. "

Not all reaction was negative. Some fans praised the episode and the performances. One wrote: "These people are just everything to me!! The portrayals and acting of each individual blows my mind every time #SilentWitness. " Another said: "That scene. Wow #silentwitness, " while a third commented: "What a beautiful scene with Hamza being there for her #SilentWitness. "

Plot threads and character notes

Tonight's episode saw the forensics team find flaws in the evidence against the prime suspect, leaving DI Ahmed furious that she was unable to charge anyone and appease the continuing anger and violence in the community. Meanwhile, Jack met up with his new 'friends' in the pub and was asked whether he could be trusted to share and uphold their patriotic values, while Kit discovered the true identity of Alex Nelson. There soon followed another attack, and for one member of the police team it was personal.

The drama’s principal cast includes Emilia Fox, David Caves, Maggie Steed and Francesca Mills. The second part of 'Grace of God' is available to stream now, and david caves is listed for the final two episodes of the season, due for release next week. Date of some reporting in the context: Tuesday, 24th February 2026.