Popular ITV crime drama Vera is about to come to an end, with feature-length episodes airing today and tomorrow, January 1 and 2. Actress Brenda Blethyn is set to hang up her hat as Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope as the long-running show reaches its final conclusion.
ITV bosses said Vera will not be fading out quietly, as the show’s 14th and final series will “intertwine gripping murder mysteries with the heartfelt narrative of Vera’s personal journey”. Returning alongside Blethyn for the swansong is David Leon as DI Joe Ashworth, Jon Morrison as DC Kenny Lockhart.
Blethyn said filming one of the scenes involving Vera and DC Kenny Lockhart “broke my heart when I read the script”, and was “emotional” to film. After first appearing in the role in 2011, Blethyn has decided to say goodbye to the character to spend more time with her family.
Reflecting on her decision to leave the show, the 78-year-old said: “It was a lovely summer back in 2023. And I came to realise I hadn’t had a summer with my husband for 14 years. Naturally I missed my family. And my dog Jack, although he was with me in the North East, but I didn’t see him much because I was working all day.
“I love my Vera family but I love my other family too. And when you consider I was already thinking about packing work in when I was offered the job back in 2010, 14 series of working on Vera is pretty good going.”
Off-screen, Brenda actress is married to fellow actor Michael Mayhew, known for his roles in The Item, Voices From the List and War Dogs of the Pacific, among others. The couple have been together since the 1970s and tied the knot in 2010.
According to the Express, Brenda was smitten with Michael from the start, but initially feared he didn’t reciprocate her feelings. She recalled a moment when she thought he was flirting with a barmaid instead of her, saying: “I was at the bar and I heard him say, ‘Are you hungry? ‘, but he wasn’t looking at me but the barmaid.”
However, as she later told The Daily Mail, she realised he was indeed addressing her. When asked about the best kiss of her life, Brenda responded: “[It was] from my husband Michael Mayhew. I was besotted by him when we first met at the National Theatre.”, as reported by the Liverpool Echo.