END OF A VERA

So sad to see the final episode of Vera on Britbox. I loved the series, and the final season--only two episodes--were both great and sad at the same time. Great because of the acting, storyline, setting, plot, etc, but sad because the series has ended. Brenda Blethyn was terrific as Vera. I will miss her and the series. 

Vera, Season 14, News!

Vera, Season 14, the final season, with Episode 1 today in the US on BritBox. Sadly there are ONLY TWO episodes. Episode 2 airs next week (1/9/25). I will miss this sensational show. Brenda Blethyn is a treasure! See what she has to say about leaving the show (scroll down). In the meantime, you can catch up on all past seasons on BritBox. Or, you can read all the Ann Cleeves Vera Stanhope mysteries. They are terrific! 

The long-running British crime-drama series inspired by Ann Cleeves’s Vera Stanhope novels has finally come to an end, and BritBox presents this final season. Vera: Season 14 follows DCI Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) as she takes on her last investigations for the Northumberland & City Police. From a man’s body found on the bank of the River Tyne to a young student left dead at the foot of legendary local stones The Dark Wives, these two cases are sure to culminate in a compelling and emotional finale for this beloved onscreen sleuth. 

Vera, Season 14 Episodes

Inside

Episode 1: DCI Vera Stanhope investigates the murder of a young man found near a river. As she unravels the case, a complex web of relationships, secrets, and deceit emerges, leading her to question any deeper motives behind the death.

The Dark Wives

Episode 2: A body is found near local stones called The Dark Wives. Vera investigates the murder of a bright young student, uncovering connections to her childhood memories. Past and present intertwine as she solves the case in an emotional farewell.

From Brenda Blethyn: 

“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 fourteen 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.”

Brenda Blethyn on why she's leaving:

Speaking at a Q&A event held at London's BFI in November, the 78-year-old actress revealed that while she was sad to step away from the role, she hadn't spent a summer at home for 14 years. 

When asked how difficult it was to make the decision, Brenda said: "It was a big decision because I love the job, I love the people I was working with and I know they loved it too so it was a little bit of an emotional responsibility as well because if I stop, it's going to stop. "I saw on the catering list one day, just on a typical day there were 76 people, so that's all those people. I console myself with the fact that there's a big studio opening in Sunderland next year so there will be lots of jobs available," she continued. "I was aware that people who would like to continue on it wouldn't be able to and that made me feel sad but as much as I like my Newcastle family, I have a family at home and I hadn't had a summer for 14 years and I thought, 'Bren, go and have a summer. Go home,'" explained the actress, who has homes in south London and Ramsgate, Kent with her husband, Michael Mayhew. 

She added: "So it was a difficult decision."

ANN CLEEVES: THE DARK WIVES - Book Launch and TV news!

I'm a huge fan of all of Ann Cleeves' mysteries, but my favorite is the Vera Stanhope series. Today marks the launch of Ann Cleeves' latest Vera Stanhope crime novel, The Dark Wives. I was lucky enough to read it last month, and it's another standout novel. It kept me reading late into the night. As always, the police procedure is spot on, and we learn more about Vera and the cadre of characters we've grown to love. The Dark Wives deals with the problems in Britain's child welfare system.

FYI: This is not the final Vera Stanhope mystery. The next one will be published in 2026. 

But here's some Vera TV news: Brenda Blethyn will be retiring from the TV show "Vera,"  and her final episode, airing in 2025, will be based on The Dark Wives. 

Read The Dark Wives now and get a sneak peak into what will be the final showing from Brenda Blethyn, BAFTA winner and Oscar nominated actress, as Vera.

Be sure to scroll down to view Ann Cleeves discussing Female Detectives. 

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Ann Cleeves is the award-winning New York Times and multi-million copy bestselling author behind three hit television series—the BBC’s Shetland, starring Douglas Henshall, and ITV’s Vera, starring Academy Award Nominee Brenda Blethyn, and The Long Call, starring Ben Aldridge. All three are available on Britbox. 

The first Shetland novel, Raven Black, won the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel, and Cleeves was the recipient of the Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger award in 2017. In 2022 she was awarded the OBE for services to reading and libraries. 

VERA, SEASON 13: February 28

Vera, Season 13, debuts on BritBox on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, and streams weekly. Seasons 1-12 are streaming on BritBox. Sadly, Vera season 13 only consists of three episodes and not the four as in several of the past series. 

Vera, Season 13, has Brenda Blethyn once again playing super sleuth DCI Vera Stanhope, but now we see the return of actor and director David Leon as Joe Ashworth. 

Brenda Blethyn says: 

"Stepping back into Vera's shoes for the thirteenth series feels like coming home again. The support from the locals in the North East is truly heart-warming and reuniting with the talented David Leon and the rest of our exceptional team is an absolute delight. Together, we embark on this new chapter with a terrific script crafted by the brilliant Paul Matthew Thompson."

David Leon says: 

"I’m thrilled to be returning to Vera. It's fantastic to be back in the North East and reunited with Brenda and the crew for the new series. I’m looking forward to exploring the relationship between Joe and Vera as they make up for lost time.”

Series 13 follows events after the Vera Christmas special, Vera: The Rising Tide, which aired on Boxing Day. The Vera cases in series 13 again draw inspiration from the best-selling novels and characters created by acclaimed crime writer Ann Cleeves. There are plenty of guests stars in all episodes.

Meanwhile, Vera season 14 has now been officially confirmed!

VERA, SEASON 12, RELEASE DATE!

VERA, Season 12, will premiere on BritBox January 29! YAY! We have a date at last!

Vera is, of course, is played by two-time Academy Award nominee Brenda Blethyn. Blethyn brings the Ann Cleeves's Vera Stanhope to life, with her "usual brand of searing insight, caustic wit and fearless detection." Vera's team members, Detective Sergeant Aiden Healy (played by Kenny Doughty) will be back in the new episodes, as well as DC Kenny Lockhart (Jon Morrison), DC Mark Edwards (Riley Jones) and DC Jacqueline Williams (Ibinabo Jack).

The books are based on characters from Ann Cleeves' Vera Stanhope series. Want to catch up on the series? Read all the books. They're wonderful! Well written, great characters, terrific plots, great prose and fabulous setting.

Ann Cleeves's Vera Stanhope mystery novels:

The Crow Trap (1999) 

Telling Tales (2005) 

Hidden Depths (2007) 

Silent Voices (2011) 

The Glass Room (2012) 

Harbour Street (2014) 

The Moth Catcher (2015) 

The Seagull (2017) 

The Darkest Evening (2020) 

The Rising Tide (2022)

Short Stories:

    "The Starlings," by Ann Cleeves in The Starlings and Other Stories, Edited by Ann Cleeves

    "The Habit of Silence," by Ann Cleeves in Best Eaten Cold

    "The Woman on the Island," by Ann Cleeves, originally published as Hector's Other Woman in Guilty Consciences" (Crime Writers' Association). Available as a Kindle single.  Also in Offshore, A Short Story Collection by Ann Cleeves. 

VERA: Season 12 and more!

VERA, Season 12, comes to BritBox this month. Can't wait. No confirmed date in the U.S., but Season 12 will premiere on January 15 in the UK on ITV, so it's possible that it will drop on BritBox in the US later that week. I'll keep you posted on this blog.

We know in the UK that the series will return with 6 self-contained episodes. Two of those episodes are the final episodes of Season 11. Four episodes will be Season 12. In the U.S. we've seen all of Season 11, so we're anxiously awaiting Season 12.  I love this series.

Vera is, of course, is played by two-time Academy Award nominee Brenda Blethyn. Blethyn brings the Ann Cleeves's Vera Stanhope to life, with her "usual brand of searing insight, caustic wit and fearless detection." Vera's team members, Detective Sergeant Aiden Healy (played by Kenny Doughty) will be back in the new episodes, as well as DC Kenny Lockhart (Jon Morrison), DC Mark Edwards (Riley Jones) and DC Jacqueline Williams (Ibinabo Jack).

The books are based on characters from Ann Cleeves' Vera Stanhope series. Want to catch up on the series? Read all the books. They're wonderful! Well written, great characters, terrific plots, great prose and fabulous setting.

Ann Cleeves's Vera Stanhope mystery novels:

The Crow Trap (1999) 

Telling Tales (2005) 

Hidden Depths (2007) 

Silent Voices (2011) 

The Glass Room (2012) 

Harbour Street (2014) 

The Moth Catcher (2015) 

The Seagull (2017) 

The Darkest Evening (2020) 

The Rising Tide (2022)

Short Stories:

    "The Starlings," by Ann Cleeves in The Starlings and Other Stories, Edited by Ann Cleeves

    "The Habit of Silence," by Ann Cleeves in Best Eaten Cold

    "The Woman on the Island," by Ann Cleeves, originally published as Hector's Other Woman in Guilty Consciences" (Crime Writers' Association). Available as a Kindle single.  Also in Offshore, A Short Story Collection by Ann Cleeves. 

VERA Season 10 coming to BritBox !!!

News on Vera: Season 10 begins will premiere exclusively on BritBox on January 21st, with new episodes dropping not too long, after they initially air in the UK.

The tenth series will be made up of four self-contained mysteries inspired by Ann Cleeves's best-selling Vera Stanhope novels.

Of the new series, Brenda Blethyn said: “Vera is said to be the longest running ITV drama series with a female lead. Who would have thought somebody as shambolic as Vera, looking like she does, would have such an appeal? It’s great.”

Along with Brenda Blethyn in the lead, Kenny Doughty returns as DS Aiden Healy, DCI Stanhope's loyal and dedicated partner.

Other members of the team include Jon Morrison as DC Kenny Lockhart, Riley Jones as DC Mark Edwards, Ibinabo Jack as DC Jacqueline Williams and Paul Kaye as Pathologist Dr. Malcolm Donahue.

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Read Ann Cleeves's Vera Stanhope novels:

The Crow Trap (1999)
Telling Tales (2005)
Hidden Depths (2007)
Silent Voices (2011)
The Glass Room (2012)
Harbour Street (2014)
The Moth Catcher (2015)
The Seagull (2017)

Vera Season 7 & Poirot Award for Brenda Blethyn

Vera returns to the U.S. this month on Acorn TV.  Brenda Blethyn stars as the brilliant detective chief inspector. Kenny Doughty returns as her go-to detective sergeant, Aiden Healy, in four new stand-alone episodes. Natural Selection, Dark Angel, Broken Promise, and The Blanket Mire. I've seen them all, and they're outstanding! Such great acting and storylines.

Called “One of the best mysteries…in the last decade” (The Baltimore Sun), Edgar-winner Vera follows a cantankerous but brilliant detective who solves unthinkable crimes in northeast England. Two-time Oscar nominee Brenda Blethyn imbues DCI Vera Stanhope with “a monumental intelligence” (The Guardian) in this hit detective drama inspired by Ann Cleeves’ bestselling crime fiction. 

FYI,  Acorn TV has all seven seasons available for streaming.

And Malice Domestic announced this week that Brenda Blethyn will be the Poirot Award Honoree for Malice Domestic 30. Ms. Blethyn is the Academy Award and Emmy nominated, Golden Globe winning actress who stars as DCI Vera Stanhope in the series Vera, based on the books by Ann Cleeves.