# Vera (2011)

> DCI Vera Stanhope, a caustic and obsessive detective, pursues murder, kidnapping and blackmail across her patch of northeast England.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/36009

## Facts

- Seasons: 14
- Episodes: 56
- Episode runtime: 90 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, drama, mystery
- Created by: Ann Cleeves
- Network: ITV1
- Cast: Brenda Blethyn, Jon Morrison, Cush Jumbo, Kenny Doughty, Wunmi Mosaku, Lisa Hammond, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Sarah Kameela Impey
- TMDB rating: 8.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1693592/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: caustic, wry, melancholic, gritty, intense

## What critics say

Audiences broadly acclaim Vera as a well-crafted, character-driven British detective series anchored by Brenda Blethyn's performance, though some viewers find its politics heavy-handed.

## Synopsis

Vera (2011-present) is a British national-television police drama created by Ann Cleeves for ITV1, a long-running crime series built around a single, enduring detective. Brenda Blethyn plays DCI Vera Stanhope, a sharp, rumpled senior investigator with a messy private life who patrols her beloved patch of northeast England. Her engine is simple and relentless: she follows stubborn instincts through each case of murder, kidnapping and blackmail, while the people around her, including her loyal detective constable Kenny Lockhart (Jon Morrison) and a rotating set of junior officers and forensic specialists, struggle to keep pace with her. The series runs as a sequence of self-contained mysteries, each feature-length episode built around a new body, a new community and a new set of suspects, so viewers can watch in any order. Its atmosphere is rain-soaked and rural, with bleak moors, market towns and isolated farms that feel both lived-in and quietly menacing. The tone blends caustic wit with melancholy and dogged courage, and the themes of class, loneliness and obsessive duty give the detective work its emotional weight. Fans of Shetland, Prime Suspect and Wallander will find the same blend of character-led investigation and brooding regional atmosphere.

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