Vera's Brenda Blethyn facing 'hard' exit from drama as she confirms when filming will start

Brenda Blethyn has admitted it will be 'hard' to say goodbye Vera, as she confirmed that filming on what will be the drama's last ever episodes is now just days away.

Legions of Vera fans were left gutted earlier this week when ITV revealed that the much loved show will come to an end next year, after 14 series. It was back in 2011 that Brenda, a BAFTA winner and Oscar nominee thanks to her roles in Secrets & Lies, made her first appearance as DCI Stanhope, the not to be messed with sleuth from Northumberland & City Police.

No-one involved with Vera's pilot episode had any idea just how popular the programme would turn out to be and, 13 years on, it isn't just a huge hit in the UK, but also has a big following overseas in the likes of America, Australia and Japan. That meant that there was a lot of upset at news of Vera's fate, with reactions flooding in on social media and now Brenda and her Vera co-stars are gearing up to get in front of cameras for a final time to shoot the two part new series.

READ MORE: Vera ITV spin-off 'demanded' as David Leon put in frame for lead role

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Just like Vera author Ann Cleeves, Brenda has been inundated with messages from fans over the last few days, after the actress released a statement, saying she'd be 'sad' to say 'cheerio' to her TV alias. And now Brenda has taken to X (Twitter) for the first time since Vera's ending was announced to respond to all the support she's had.

Penning a heartfelt reply to fans, Brenda wrote: "Many thanks to everyone for your good wishes. so very much appreciated. getting ready to start filming Series 14 of Vera next week. gonna be hard saying farewell."

It didn't take long for comments to come pouring in, with one fan telling Brenda: "Very best wishes for the filming of the new series, Brenda. We’ve watched every episode, several times, and have always loved Vera. Living in Newcastle, we enjoy recognising many of the locations. You, the cast and crew have done a fabulous job. Thank you so much."

A second reacted: "You, all the cast, crew, & writers, not to mention @AnnCleeves have been incredible, & have given us all such wonderful stories that we can return to time & time again, thank you!"