‘Vera’ Star Brenda Blethyn Exiting Series With 14th & Final Season
A long-running British staple is coming to an end as ITV’s Vera, which is viewable on Roku and BritBox, will conclude with its upcoming 14th season.
The news comes as titular star Brenda Blethyn reveals her exit from the title, announcing that it’s time to “be saying Cheerio.” Based on Ann Cleeves’ bestselling Vera Stanhope novels, Vera originally debuted on ITV in May 2011, and filming on the 14th and final season is slated to take place this summer in Northumberland and North East England, according to Variety.
©ITV / courtesy Everett Collection
The last season will reportedly consist of two 120-minute episodes and will mark the end of a 14-year era for Blethyn who is also known for her roles in 2005’s Pride & Prejudice, Little Voice, and Secrets & Lies, the latter two of which earned her Oscar nominations. “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,” the actress revealed in a statement surrounding the announcement.
“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,” Blethyn concluded.
For those less familiar with the title, Vera follows Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope who is obsessive about her work and also driven by her own demons. Along with her colleagues, she approaches each new case with professionalism and enthusiasm. Vera doesn’t hold back when it comes to the crimes she’s investigating, making sure that criminals are brought to justice.
In addition to Blethyn’s remarks on the series ending, Silverprint Pictures’ creative director Kate Bartlett shared in a statement, “It is the end of an era and has been an extraordinary journey over 14 amazing series of Vera. So many wonderful and talented people have been involved in the making of Vera across all the series, but none of us would be here without two incredible women: firstly, the absolutely extraordinary talent of the inimitable Brenda Blethyn. She is brilliant as DCI Vera Stanhope, a truly iconic character of our times. And — of course — the amazing Ann Cleeves, author of the original novels and creator of DCI Vera Stanhope. We will all be very sad to say goodbye to Brenda and everyone involved in making the show.”
