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Vera (2011)

14 14 seasons 56 episodes Crime, Drama and Mystery

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7.4

Synopsis

A sharp detective with a messy life, DCI Vera Stanhope patrols her “patch” of northeast England, pursuing the truth in cases of murder, kidnapping, and blackmail. Vera is obsessive about her work and faces the world with caustic wit, guile and courage.

About the series

Vera is a British crime drama television series based on the Vera Stanhope novels by Ann Cleeves. It ran on ITV for 14 years from 1 May 2011 until 3 January 2025 and starred Brenda Blethyn as the principal character, Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope.

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Vera is a British crime drama television series based on the Vera Stanhope novels by Ann Cleeves. It ran on ITV for 14 years from 1 May 2011 until 3 January 2025 and starred Brenda Blethyn as the principal character, Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope.

Premise

Vera is a nearly retired detective chief inspector of the fictional Northumberland & City Police, who is obsessive about her work. She plods along in a dishevelled state but has a calculating mind and despite her irascible personality, she cares deeply about her work and colleagues. She often proves her superior skills by picking up small errors in her team members' thought processes. Vera forms a close relationship with sergeants Joe Ashworth and Aiden Healy.

Production

The series is filmed in Newcastle upon Tyne and throughout Northumberland, County Durham and North Yorkshire in North East England. Locations include Hartlepool, Gateshead, South Shields, North Shields, Whitley Bay, Amble, Warkworth, Alnmouth, Bamburgh, and Holy Island. The farmhouse used for the exterior shots of Vera's home is located on the Snook, part of Holy Island at 55°41′10″N 001°50′29″W or grid reference NU1006543635.

"Hidden Depths", "Telling Tales" and "The Crow Trap" from the first series, as well as "Silent Voices" from the second series, are based on novels of the same names by Ann Cleeves. The episode "Sand Dancers" from the second series was due to be broadcast on 13 May 2012. However, the episode was pulled from the schedule as its storyline was about a soldier's death in Afghanistan and it coincided with news of two servicemen dying there.

In August 2012, Vera was renewed for a third series of four episodes, with both Brenda Blethyn and David Leon confirmed as returning for the new series. On 5 June 2014, ITV announced that a fifth series had been commissioned but that David Leon would not be returning. Kenny Doughty was unveiled as his successor. Letitia Knight was announced as executive producer for this series. Cush Jumbo returned to the main cast following her two-episode guest stint in series two, while Lisa Hammond joined the cast as newcomer Helen Milton.

In March 2015, ITV announced that the show had been renewed for a sixth series, with filming commencing in June. The third episode was announced to be an adaptation of the novel The Moth Catcher, which was set to be published in September 2015. Noof McEwan joined the cast following the departure of Cush Jumbo. On 14 January 2020, while attending the TCA Press Tour, Blethyn confirmed that Vera was renewed for an eleventh series. Production for series 11 began in April 2020 and new episodes began airing in 2021. In March 2023, ITV announced that the show had been renewed for a thirteenth series, with filming commencing in mid-May. It aired in January 2024 and featured the return of Joe Ashworth, as well as former Hollyoaks actress Rhiannon Clements as DC Stephanie Duncan.

The fourteenth and final series comprised the final two episodes and aired in January 2025.

Cast

Brenda Blethyn as DCI Vera Stanhope

David Leon as DS (later DI) Joe Ashworth

Jon Morrison as DC Kenny Lockhart

Wunmi Mosaku as DC Holly Lawson

Paul Ritter as Dr Billy Cartwright

Cush Jumbo as DC Bethany Whelan

Sonya Cassidy as Celine Ashworth

Riley Jones as PC (later DC) Mark Edwards

Clare Calbraith as DC Rebecca Shepherd

Kingsley Ben-Adir as Dr. Marcus Sumner

Kenny Doughty as DS Aiden Healy

Lisa Hammond as IO Helen Milton

Noof McEwan as DC Hicham Cherradi

Christopher Colquhoun as Dr. Anthony Carmichael

Steve Evets as PC George Wooten

Ibinabo Jack as DC Jacqueline Williams

Paul Kaye as Dr Malcolm Donahue

Sarah Kameela Impey as Dr Paula Bennett

Rhiannon Clements as DC Stephanie Duncan

Shobna Gulati as Chief Superintendent Khalon

Marley Emma Sage as Young Vera Stanhope

Stevie Raine as Hector Stanhope

Timeline

Episodes

Home releases

Notes

References

External links

Vera at IMDb

Vera at epguides.com

Text from Vera (TV series) on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vera_(TV_series)

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Questions about the series Vera

What is Vera about?

Vera: A sharp detective with a messy life, DCI Vera Stanhope patrols her “patch” of northeast England, pursuing the truth in cases of murder, kidnapping, and blackmail. Vera is obsessive about her work and faces the world with caustic wit, guile and courage.

How many seasons does Vera have?

Vera has 14 seasons, with 56 episodes in total.

Is Vera still running?

Vera has ended in 2025.

Who stars in Vera?

The cast of Vera includes Brenda Blethyn, Jon Morrison, Cush Jumbo, Kenny Doughty and Wunmi Mosaku.

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Page updated on 09/17/2026.