Silent Witness series 29: Unsettling Jack Hodgson prison scenes filmed in famous location used for Time and Happy Valley
Jack's life is in grave danger
Silent Witness series 29 has done the unthinkable, throwing fan favourite Jack Hodgson in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
In Part 1 of Grace of God (Monday, February 23), fans of the forensic drama watched Jack struggle to cope with the pent-up rage he feels over the violence he encounters at work. Sadly, instead of finding solace in a nice cup of green tea or a meditation session, he turned to booze. We’ve been there, Jack – we watch but we don’t judge!
When he encountered a nasty piece of work in a bar, he got involved in a drunken bar brawl. The next day, his world turned to ashes when the man he fought (Chris Coghill’s Scott) later turned up dead. Tragically, Jack could not remember whether he killed the man. So he eventually handed himself in, while Nikki and the Bowman team race to uncover the real culprit.
Part 2 of Silent Witness Grace of God continues tonight (Tuesday, February 24), as Jack wakes up in prison and quickly realises that one of his fellow inmates is Marcus Retford. Marcus is a man Jack previously gave evidence against in court. Jack understands that he now faces real danger. But where did the team film the prison scenes in Silent Witness? Here’s everything you need to know.
What prison was used as a filming location for Jack in Silent Witness series 29?
The cast and crew of Silent Witness filmed Jack Hodgson’s jail scenes at Shrewsbury Prison, The Dana in Shropshire. The prison once operated as a Category B/C men’s prison. These are secure, closed facilities that did not hold Category A prisoners. Officials closed it in 2013, and it now operates as a tourist attraction that offers guided tours, ghost hunts and overnight experiences.
Builders constructed the prison in 1877, and it remains one of the largest and most complete surviving Victorian prisons in Britain. Although officials closed it in 2013, they preserved the site at scale. The government shut it down as part of a national restructuring programme designed to reduce the prison estate’s budget. The prison also struggled with severe overcrowding. By 2008, it held 326 inmates despite having only 178 authorised places.
Today, visitors can pay £15 to explore the prison. The standard Prison Entry ticket allows guests to move freely through the vast wings, step inside cells, walk along the landings, and spend time in key spaces that shaped daily life behind bars.
Visitors can also try the Cell Escape Room, take on the Prison Escape experience, join a Guided Tour or Ghost Tour, or even spend a Night Behind Bars. The prison sits in the town centre of Shrewsbury, next to the train station and large public car parks, which makes it easily accessible.
Don't miss a single story! Add us as a Preferred Source in Google for all your television news
Of course, Silent Witness fans know that the BBC One forensic drama is now filmed in and around Birmingham. Shrewsbury lies about 40 miles from Birmingham, so the locations sit relatively close to one another.
What other TV shows have been filmed in Shrewsbury Prison?
Film and television producers regularly use the historic, decommissioned Shrewsbury Prison as a filming location. The 200-year-old listed building spans almost four acres, which makes it ideal for film crews.
Like Silent Witness, producers of The Apprentice used the prison for series 17, where the candidates sold tickets, booked events, and organised food and drink for the tourist attraction.
The team behind Happy Valley also filmed the season 3 finale at the prison in March 2022. In that series, Sergeant Catherine Cawood’s nemesis, Tommy Lee Royce, escaped from prison and sought revenge.
Producers of Without Sin (starring Vicky McClure), Celebrity Hunted, Susan Calman’s Grand Day Out, Man Like Mobeen, and the Disney+ thriller The Stolen Girl also filmed scenes inside the disused prison.
Perhaps most famously, the BBC filmed the acclaimed drama Time at Shrewsbury Prison. The production team took over the establishment for two months to shoot Jimmy McGovern’s prison drama. Fans will know it starred Sean Bean and Stephen Graham, and spawned a second and third season.
