Vera gets TV 'rival' as new detective drama announced before final series
Vera might not have even aired its final series yet, but Brenda Blethyn's famous character might already have a new 'rival' with the announcement of a brand new female led TV detective drama this week.
It's been 13 years since BAFTA winner and Oscar nominee Brenda first took on the role of no nonsense sleuth DCI Stanhope, as Vera launched on ITV with pilot episode Hidden Depths, also starring a young Sam Fender, who still holds the unlikely claim to fame of being the show's first ever murder victim.
A consistent ratings winner for ITV on home turf, Vera's appeal has spread much further, with audiences in America, Canada, Australia and Japan also hooked on each new episode. Sadly, there won't be too many more of those now, after it was announced by channel bosses earlier this year that Vera will come to an end in 2025.
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Viewers were gutted by the news, which arrived right before Brenda and her co-stars stepped in front of the camera to shoot the last two feature length episodes, with production taking place all over the North East, as cast and crew were spotted in the likes of Blyth, Gateshead and the small Northumberland village of Glanton.
Filming on series 14 of Vera wrapped mid July and now, as fans await confirmation from ITV on when the new episodes will air, there's a new detective on the block in the form of Channel 5's Ellis, with acclaimed actress Sharon D.Clarke, famous for roles in the likes of Rocketman and Lost Boys & Fairies and confirmed to be taking on the lead role of DCI Ellis, a copper known for cracking unsolved crimes.
Sharon leads the cast in the three part crime series, which, like Vera, will consist of two hour long episodes, with a start date for the new drama still be be revealed.
It will focus on DCI Ellis and her sidekick DS Harper arrive in a new town where she goes all out to 'win over' local detectives and help them to solve mysteries.