Silent Witness Series 24 | Interview with David Caves (Jack Hodgson)

After a slightly longer break because of Covid, how was it getting back into character again?

It was an absolute godsend to be honest, it was a joy to get back and see everyone and start filming. Everyone went above and beyond and pulled together in a way I haven’t really seen before. To be able to get the show up and running and all the parts of it – all the cogs that must turn together, is no mean feat. I take my hat off to production and the crew who worked relentlessly and tirelessly to get the show done and I hope we did some good work in there.

Remind viewers where we left your character in the last episode?

We’re not in a great place!  Thomas has died and Clarissa decided to leave the Lyell Centre, so a very sad end to the last series. Nikki and Jack are back at the Lyell and it’s a bit empty and quiet. They’re a bit listless to begin with, not quite sure who is in charge, who they’re working under, what the new set up is. But quickly they’ve got to strap on the boots and away you go. Before you know it, everything snowballs as it does in life and one thing leads to another, work is all consuming again and there’s not a lot of time to feel melancholic.

How does the arrival of new forensic scientist Adam Yuen change the dynamic of the team?

It slightly upsets the balance. Adam is quite a cocky guy, very bright, very clever and Jack is a bit suspicious of him, so there’s definite friction between the two of them. Nikki is slightly more welcoming and trusting, she doesn’t see that tension initially and they get along fine. Jack’s a bit more like ‘I’m not sure about you yet Mr’.

What is the stand-out moments for you in this series?

There’s a big family story line running through the whole series for Jack.  We see the return of his father Connor and the arrival of his niece Cara a young, deaf girl who arrives at the Lyell, claiming that Jack is her uncle.  Jack’s brother Ryan gets out of jail and both Ryan and Jack’s father move in with him, so it really is ‘keeping up with the Hodgson’s’. It brings all sorts of trouble into the mix because of Jack’s complicated personal life bleeding into his professional life, which is never a good combination. It’s a stressful time for him.

This series looks in more detail at your family and backstory, how was it delving into the more personal aspects of Jack’s character and how it shapes him as a person?

Those elements are the life blood for an actor, it throws up such a rich mixture of emotions to delve into for the character. Jack doesn’t know how he’s going to respond to many of these things, this little girl showing up and saying my brother’s her dad, finding out what my brother has done in his past that put him in jail. It’s coming at him thick and fast from all angles. That’s just what you want for these characters, you want them to be under pressure, all the time, to see what they’re going to do. I thought the writers did a terrific job bringing all that together and it’s very poignant as well.

I love the dynamic with Jack and his dad Connor. It really rings true with me, it’s kind of a laconic relationship they have. I don’t know if it’s a Northern Irish things, fathers, and sons and what’s not said, and not being able to show much emotion with each other. I think we tap into that well. It’s a weird relationship from the outside but it makes total sense when you know the characters. It was great to play.