Brenda Blethyn will soon return to our screen as DCI Vera Stanhope, but there’s something different about Vera season 14.
Season 13 saw Vera reunited with an old friend—Detective Sergeant Joe Ashworth (David Leon), who originally left the show after season 5. With the departure of DS Healy (Kenny Doughty) after Vera’s first-ever Christmas special, Joe’s return was a welcome surprise for audiences, though perhaps initially less so for Vera, as she had to find a new way to work with him since he’d been promoted to the rank of Detective Inspector. Luckily, their friendship properly resurfaced in the final episode, and now there is more of this dynamic duo to come.
What do we know about Vera season 14?
Vera season 14 will only consist of two feature-length episodes. This will make it the shortest season yet, as season 13 produced three episodes, season 12 produced four episodes and a Christmas special, season 11 produced six episodes, and every other season of Vera has consisted of four feature-length episodes.
The reduced episode count led to speculation that this may be the final season of Vera. Rumors have previously circulated that Blethyn would have left the series had Leon not filled the absence left by Doughty’s departure, and the shoots have often been described as long and exhausting.
ITV has since confirmed that Vera season 14 will indeed be the show’s last. In a statement, Blethyn had this to say about her time on the series as DI Vera Stanhope:
“Working on Vera has been a joy from beginning to end and I’m sad to be saying Cheerio. But I am so proud of our achievements over the last 14 years. I’ll be forever grateful to the wonderful Ann Cleeves who created Vera, and to Elaine Collins who saw fit to cast me in the role. The producers, dream cast and crew have been fabulous and I’m going to miss them, but I won’t forget their huge talent, the camaraderie, laughter or kindness we shared nor the friendship of the people of the north east and our fans worldwide. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
via TVZone UK
Though this will undoubtedly be disappointing for fans of the show—Vera is, after all, one of ITV’s most beloved crime dramas—14 years is a long time to spend as one character, let alone such an iconic one.
The plot of Vera season 14
ITV has released an official synopsis for Vera season 14, which reads as follows:
“In the first episode, DCI Vera Stanhope is called to the banks of the Tyne where the body of a young man has been discovered by some anglers. A tangled web of a broken relationship, secret love, grudges, regret, and fraud begins to emerge – has our former inmate been served cold justice, or does his death run deeper?
The final episode brings Vera back to a familiar place when a body is found at the foot of legendary local stones The Dark Wives – with memories of childhood in the background, Vera must work hard to uncover the mystery of why a bright young student would be violently attacked and left so far from home. This poignant episode weaves together past and present and makes for a compelling and emotional farewell.”
The cast of Vera season 14
David Leon will return as Joe Ashworth now that the series has set up his new dynamic with Vera. Joining Leon and Blethyn are Jon Morrison as DC Kenny Lockhart and Riley Jones as DC Mark Edwards. Also returning for this final season are Sarah Kameela Impey as pathologist Dr Paula Bennett and Rhiannon Clements as DC Steph Duncan.
Vera season 14 release date
The U.K. and U.S. release dates for Vera season 14 have been revealed. In the U.K., the final series will premiere on January 1, with the second episode airing on January 2 on ITV1 and ITVX. In the U.S., the final season of Vera will premiere on BritBox on January 2 with the second episode dropping a week later.
