Silent Witness: Series 7 & 8 sees the wonderful Amanda Burton bowing out as Sam Ryan after 6 years in this dramatic series. Never compromising, always searching for the truth, Sam believes that each body she deals with deserves to have its story told. She is prepared to investigate crimes and interview witnesses herself if necessary, regardless of the controversy this may cause. In series 7, we join Sam and her colleagues, Dr Leo Dalton and junior pathologist Harry Cunningham as they look to solve four more tragic mysteries. Cases include a suspected terrorist bomb that turns out to be a cover-up for a politician's sex scandal, a murderer who sends Sam clinical photographs of his victims, the deaths of a black athlete and his agent, and an investigation into the work of a controversial, high-profile forensic pathologist - with huge implications for a number of murder convictions. This series also sees the usually very cool Sam's emotional resilience put to the test on more than one occasion. She has to fight off a ferocious sex attacker and is targeted by a serial killer out for revenge on those who convicted him 13 years ago. She also becomes emotionally involved in a case after a brief encounter with victim's lover, and is faced with the painful realisation that motherhood is no longer an option for her. Forensic pathologist Professor Sam Ryan has always delved into the past lives of the corpse she examines, but the discovery of her long-lost son confirms that it's time to confront her own past, as well as her future, so in series 8 she moves on. Harry and Leo are her obvious successors, but what will they make of new recruit Nikki Alexander? However, the upheaval of Sam's departure doesn't mean there are fewer cases landing on their desks - it's now up to them to preserve her ethos that every corpse deserves to have its story told. Episodes Comprise: Answering Fire Fatal Error Running on Empty Beyond Guilt A Time To Heal Death By Water Nowhere Fast Body 21