Kenny Doughty's Vera return 'ruled out' by ITV as huge career move announced

Kenny Doughty has delighted fans with news of his latest TV role, after it any hopes of him going back to play a part in the Vera finale appear to have been ruled out.

Already known to TV viewers for his parts in shows like Wire in the Blood and Coronation Street, Kenny joined the Vera cast for series 5, becoming DCI Stanhope's second sidekick Aiden Healy, following the exit of original right hand man David Leon, after four years in the role. Kenny stayed in the hit ITV drama for eight years, with him laving fans gutted by announced he'd decided to quit last year.

Kenny told his many followers on Instagram that he'd made the 'difficult decision' to 'hand his badge in,' as he thanked his co-stars, including lead actress Brenda Blethyn and everyone involved in Vera; before his final scenes as Aiden aired in last year's Christmas special., The Rising Tide.

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Since his Vera exit, Kenny has been confirmed in the cast of new Channel 5 drama The Au Pair and, on Saturday, had a big announcement for fans, when he revealed that he and famous other half, Extras and Nativity star Ashley Jensen will both be in Wax Fruit, which he described as a 'Scottish period drama with wonderful scripts, locations but most importantly characters & stories for everyone.'

While, as expected he won't star in the final series of Vera, fans had been hoping that Kenny would be part of a special documentary celebrating Vera's success. The special, Vera, Farewell Pet, was announced by ITV last month, however, Kenny isn't listed as one of the contributors, with him being notably absent from a list that includes Brenda and David, as well as fellow cast members like Riley Jones and Jon Morrison and Vera author Ann Cleeves.

After Vera appeared in ITV's festive line-up, it's been pretty much confirmed that the final two episodes of the much loved show will air some time in the new year, with Emma Kennedy letting that slip, as she hosted a Vera screening and fan event in London last week.