"I Know Vera Better Than Anyone"

As Vera returns for a new series, Brenda Blethyn shares why she still loves playing the straight-talking detective...

- MITYA UNDERWOOD

It was 13 years ago that we first saw Brenda Blethyn don her hat, mac and a rather grumpy look on her face, portraying a firm but fair Geordie detective.

Little did we know - and nor did Brenda - that the character DCI Vera Stanhope would become one of the most adored TV sleuths of all time, with the show regularly receiving upwards of 7 million viewers. Series 12 has just begun and with a special extra episode in the bag, The Rising Tide, fans are in for a real treat.

"Who would have thought when we made that Vera pilot 13 years ago that we would be talking about having made 51 films?" Brenda says. "Every time we finish a series I say I'm not going to be doing any more, but then I change my mind. Usually it means six months away from home in Kent for me, and in 2022 it was the best part of 10 months." But Brenda, who turns 77 this month, says it isn't a case of homesickness pulling her back to her life in Kent with her art director husband Michael, it's the four-legged member of her household.

"My dog Jack can't be with me in the North East for all of that time," she says. "He's all right after I've been away for a little while, but if I happen to manage to come home for a few days in between filming Vera episodes he goes mad and then my husband has a merry time of it when I go away again with the dog wondering where I am. So when we finish filming, as we just have, I always say, 'I really don't think I can do this any more.' But then I have a rest and get my appetite back again and change my mind."