Brenda Blethyn is back in Vera’s raincoat, but she has her work cut out in her latest case.

By Lidia Molina-Whyte

Published: Sunday, 29 August 2021 at 12:00 am


Brenda Blethyn is back in DCI Vera Stanhope’s boots – and, more importantly, her iconic raincoat and hat – for Vera season 11.

Set in Northumberland, where Vera is filmed, the crime drama returned to ITV on Sunday 29th August, with a second episode following next Sunday (5th September).

RadioTimes.com can reveal a sneak peek at the brand new investigation taking place during the second episode, when the body of addiction support worker Angela Konan found in the sprawling Northumberland National Park.

With so much literal ground to cover, Vera and longtime colleague DS Aiden Healy (Kenny Doughty) decide to ask the park manager some questions. It transpires he knew Angela, but appears reluctant to elaborate. Take a look below.

Though Vera and her partner don’t get much out of their latest interrogation, they do discover that the park has an out-of-service bothy. We’re willing to bet it will play a big part in the investigation.

The shorter second season will also have four further episodes, set to air across 2022. Blethyn herself has revealed she is open to reprising the role, but, like everything these days, it all depends on COVID-19.

“At the end of filming every season I think, ‘Oh, thank the Lord I’m going home. Never again’,” Blethyn said. “But it’s like having a lovely slap-up meal. You’ve eaten too much. You couldn’t eat another morsel. And you’re shown the menu again. ‘Take it away, take it away!’ But then a week later you get hungry again.”

The series is based on Ann Cleeves’ novels, with Cleeves’ latest Vera book, The Darkest Evening, hitting the shelves  in 2020 and offering plenty of opportunities for adaptation.

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