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Vera
2011 - 2025 7.4 (155 votes) 14 Seasons
Official Website
Genres
Crime Drama Mystery
Networks
ITV1
Created By
Ann Cleeves

Vera

Overview

A sharp detective with a messy life, DCI Vera Stanhope patrols her “patch” of northeast England, pursuing the truth in cases of murder, kidnapping, and blackmail. Vera is obsessive about her work and faces the world with caustic wit, guile and courage.

Key Crew

Writer: Paul Rutman

Top Cast

Brenda Blethyn
Brenda Blethyn

DCI Vera Stanhope

Jon Morrison
Jon Morrison

DC Kenny Lockhart

Riley Jones

DC Mark Edwards

David Leon
David Leon

DI Joe Ashworth

Sarah Kameela Impey
Sarah Kameela Impey

Dr Paula Bennett

Rhiannon Clements
Rhiannon Clements

DC Steph Duncan

Seasons

Season 1 poster
Season 1 (2011)

No overview available.

4 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: Hidden Depths
2011-05-01

After two young people are killed in the same way - placed in water and surrounded by flowers - DCI Vera Stanhope knows that she must catch the murderer before they strike again. Aided by her team, especially her trusted right-hand man Sgt Joe Ashworth, she unpicks the complex and dysfunctional relationships amongst a group of bird-watching friends. As the friends' loyalty turns to betrayal, Vera finds that a small act of teenage blackmail and an illicit affair may have driven someone to kill.

Runtime: 90 min
Episode 2: Telling Tales
2011-05-08

After Jeanie Long commits suicide, evidence comes to light exonerating her for the murder of teenager Abigail Mantel 11 years earlier. DCI Vera Stanhope and her team set out to retrospectively solve the killing, delving into the secrets and lies of a small community which still feels the repercussions of Abigail's death. Then the case takes an violent and unexpected turn - can Vera use her skill and instinct to find the truth and lay ghosts to rest?

Runtime: 90 min
Episode 3: The Crow Trap
2011-05-15

When a woman is murdered in the remote Northumbrian countryside, DCI Vera Stanhope is led back to a place from her past. As she and her team investigate, they uncover shadowy liaisons, conflicting sympathies and hidden injustices.

Runtime: 90 min
Episode 4: Little Lazarus
2011-05-22

Last in the series of the detective drama based on the novels by Ann Cleeves. DI Vera Stanhope rescues a young boy from a freezing pond after he escapes from a violent attack which left his mother dead. As Vera and her team investigate what happened to the child, they unravel a web of deadly secrets and discover a murderous sequence of events set in motion by power, money and a mother's love. Although she is usually awkward and uninterested around children, Vera finds a kindred spirit in the boy, and begins to realise that the key to the investigation may lie hidden in his memory.

Runtime: 90 min
Season 2 poster
Season 2 (2012)

No overview available.

4 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: The Ghost Position
2012-04-22

Vera's reunion with her first-ever sergeant, Stuart Macken, occurs under tragic circumstances when his house is petrol-bombed. Stuart is badly burned by the attack and his 18-year-old daughter Stella is left fighting for her life in intensive care. Vera is shocked to see that Stuart is a shadow of the man she knew 20 years before and, when her investigation uncovers unpleasant revelations about his personal life, she is faced with some long-buried memories of her own.

Runtime: 90 min
Episode 2: Silent Voices
2012-04-29

Vera investigates the case of a murdered social worked named Jenny Lister, who was universally considered to have been principled and popular. However, in an overworked and understaffed social work system, a notorious case involving the death of a child seems to hold the key to solving the killing. As Vera pursues the truth, she discovers the real secret at the heart of Jenny's death - and the killer who will stop at nothing to keep it hidden

Runtime: 90 min
Episode 3: A Certain Samaritan
2012-05-20

DCI Vera Stanhope investigates the murder of 29-year-old Niall Coulter. With those closest to Niall intent upon obscuring the truth, it is not until the body of a drug dealer is found washed up on a Northumberland beach that the dreadful truth begins to emerge about Niall's past. While coping with revelations from her own past, Vera sifts through evidence of the grief, love and addiction that characterised Niall's life and deduces that his murderer acted through selfless and unrequited love.

Runtime: 90 min
Episode 4: Sandancers
2012-06-03

DCI Vera Stanhope and DS Joe Ashworth investigate a suspicious death in an army barracks. Although the scene has been made to look like a suicide, Vera quickly establishes that Staff Sgt 'Dev' Deverson was murdered. Sensing a connection to a soldier named Ollie who was killed in Afghanistan, Vera interviews Dev's loyal comrades and Ollie's grieving family, exposing a deeply concealed trauma at the heart of the crime.

Runtime: 90 min
Season 11 poster
Season 11 (2021)

No overview available.

6 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: Witness
2021-08-29

DCI Vera Stanhope must unravel the mystery when well-respected local builder and family man Jim Tullman is found beaten to death on the steps of the Collingwood Monument the day before he was due to testify in court as the key witness in a violent assault case.

Runtime: 90 min
Episode 2: Recovery
2021-09-05

DCI Vera Stanhope is called to the scene when the body of addiction support worker Angela Konan is found hidden among the bleak woodlands of Northumberland National Park. Vera and her team must peel back the layers of the introverted victim 's life to uncover her closely guarded secrets and surprising depths. as It appears an increasingly erratic Angela clashed with two clients in the week before she died.

Runtime: 90 min
Episode 3: Tyger Tyger
2022-01-09

When security foreman Gary Mallon is fatally wounded during a robbery at a Blyth container port the evidence points to an audacious heist that went awry. Vera begins to suspect an inside job. But the investigation takes an unexpected turn when Gary’s ex-wife contacts police with the news that their 13-year-old son is missing. Gary Mallon was acting under duress - the victim of a tiger kidnapping. His son was being held as collateral - but where is he now? In order to rescue the missing boy, Vera first needs to work out who was behind the robbery. Further complications ensue when she finds herself forced to collaborate with an NCA Officer who is working on a covert surveillance operation with links to organised crime. As Vera closes in on the kidnappers a misstep in the investigation leads to tragic repercussions, and she finds herself taken off the case.

Runtime: 90 min
Episode 4: As the Crow Flies
2022-01-16

Primary school teacher Lizzy Swann is found dead at the bottom of a cliffside coastal walkway, but what appears at first to be a terrible accident, quickly becomes a murder investigation as Vera discovers evidence the body has been tampered with. Interviews with those who knew Lizzy paint a troubling picture of a guarded and paranoid woman who seemed to be burning bridges with friends and family alike in the days leading up to her death.

Runtime: 90 min
Episode 5: Vital Signs
2023-01-15

Vera is called out to the grim scene of a body found in the back of a burned out car. When identified as a popular local GP, we enter a world of intrigue, betrayal, and lust.

Runtime: 90 min
Episode 6: The Way the Wind Blows
2023-01-22

The body of a young woman has been washed up on the banks of the River Tyne. Although she was a popular colleague, loyal friend, and loving mother and wife, we uncover a web of intrigue, betrayal, and lost promises.

Runtime: 90 min
Season 12 poster
Season 12 (2023)

No overview available.

5 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: Against the Tide
2023-01-29

Vera is called to a lighthouse when the body of a local council worker is found, but it becomes clear that his life wasn't plain sailing.

Runtime: 90 min
Episode 2: For the Grace of God
2023-02-05

Vera attends to the body of an ex-soldier who ended up on the streets and finds that events in his past and the present made for a deadly future.

Runtime: 90 min
Episode 3: Blue
2023-02-12

Joel Kingston is a copper’s copper from a respected and notable police family but when he is found dead, floating in a park lake, DCI Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) finds herself investigating both sides of the thin blue line in order to find his killer. A complex family dynamic, tensions at work, and brushes with the underworld, paint a dark and complex picture. Joel was there to serve and protect but did his stubborn commitment to justice at any price lead to his death? Or, was he killed to stop him revealing a secret that would destroy someone’s life? Vera steps on toes and ruffles a few police feathers as she searches for answers as to why PC Joel Kingston is no longer on the beat.

Runtime: 90 min
Episode 4: The Darkest Evening
2023-02-19

On the night of a massive storm, trying to get home, DCI Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) comes across an abandoned car with a baby inside. With no mobile signal and blocked roads at every turn, Vera is forced to seek refuge somewhere she’d rather not be, Brockburn House, the Stanhope’s ancestral pile. Vera doesn’t exactly receive a warm welcome from her estranged family as there’s a function in full swing and her turning up with a baby isn’t a great look. Things start to look even worse and take a far sinister turn when a body is found on the track leading to Brockburn House.

Runtime: 90 min
Episode 5: The Rising Tide (Christmas Special)
2023-12-26

DCI Vera Stanhope finds herself drawn to the enchanting tidal island of Lindisfarne, where a group of lifelong friends reunites every five years to commemorate their enduring bond. As the tide rises, long-concealed secrets begin to surface, threatening to engulf everyone involved. Vera, aided by her trusted and resourceful team, including Detective Sergeant Aiden Healy, navigates treacherous waters, facing danger and deception at every turn. Together, they must unravel the twisted web of lies before another tragedy unfolds.

Runtime: 90 min
Season 13 poster
Season 13 (2024)

No overview available.

3 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: Fast Love
2024-01-07

Vera is brought to market when a lovable rogue trader is found dead in a lane following a suspected hit-and-run, and a familiar face is back on the scene.

Runtime: 90 min
Episode 2: Tender
2024-01-14

DCI Vera Stanhope is on track to uncover an intriguing yet puzzling case when the body of a sickly young girl is discovered in a railway siding. Found in the middle of nowhere she could be anyone but the investigation soon turns up twists and turns that makes Vera question who this girl actually was. A vulnerable young person with a serious health condition, has her weakened state allowed someone to take advantage of her? And how does the family dynamic work when she’s not truly part of the family? A tale of intrigue, betrayal and blurred lines, Vera’s investigation questions the meaning of family, care and accountability. And with eroding trust, does care come at a cost?

Runtime: 90 min
Episode 3: Salt & Vinegar
2024-01-21

DCI Vera Stanhope investigates when the body of the co-owner of a chip shop is found in his own freezer. A seemingly successful entrepreneur and dedicated family man, Vera uncovers secrets, lies and some unforgivable behaviour as she tries to unwrap the case. Once the investigation begins, it soon becomes apparent that our enigmatic entrepreneur has left behind debts, broken promises, ruined lives and seriously interfered in family business that was not his own. Who is responsible for this unsavoury chip shop assault and battery?

Runtime: 90 min

Videos

"Vera" Season 6 official ITV trailer

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