'Vera' has been recommissioned for a ninth series.
The cast of Vera
Brenda Blethyn is set to pull her mac on again to portray Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope in four new feature-length episodes of the popular drama series.
The 72-year-old actress will be joined by her regular co-stars, including Kenny Doughty (DS Aiden Healy), Jon Morrison (DC Kenny Lockhart), Riley Jones (DC Mark Edwards) and Ibinabo Jack (DC Jacqueline Williams).
And a host of other famous faces will be a part of the first episode of the new series, 'Blind Spot', including 'Doctor Who' star Peter Davison, former 'Coronation Street' and 'Hollyoaks' actor James Atherton, 'Games of Thrones' Paul Kaye, 'The Crown' star Adrian Lukis and 'Britannia' actress Jodie McNee.
The episode sees Vera investigate the murder of newly qualified forensic psychologist Joanne Caswell, whose body is dumped on a landfill site, with the detective discovering she'd been looking into the crime of a former patient who had recently committed suicide.
The stories are taken from Ann Cleeves' best-selling crime novels, and the fourth episode in season nine is taken from her latest book, 'The Seagull'.
The saga sees Vera discovering two skeletons - one suspected to be that of a missing person, Robbie Marshall. When an old acquaintance of Robbie's is murdered in the present, the cop suspects that the two deaths must be connected.
Silverprint Pictures Executive Producer, Phil Hunter, is delighted to be back to work on his third series of the drama.
He said: "It's always a thrill to be back in production on 'Vera' after months of developing the stories and scripts.
"It's fantastic seeing 'the Vera family' re-united on Tyneside, led by the amazing Brenda Blethyn.
"The love there is for 'Vera', continues to inspire and fuel the enthusiasm of everyone involved in the making of the show. Filming in the region is a joy and the wonderful thing is that there is still so much more to explore!"
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