---
title: "Vera"
year: 2011
kind: "series"
canonical: "https://film.one/tv/vera"
fi1m_score: 72
critics_score: 66
critics_reviews: 5
published: "2026-09-17T15:21:49.124419+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-17T15:21:49.817925+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Vera (2011)

Created by Ann Cleeves · Crime, Drama, Mystery

**Fi1m score: 72** · Critics 66 (early) from 5 reviews

*In a sentence:* Brenda Blethyn makes a difficult colleague good company, even when the investigation takes its time

> Brenda Blethyn makes *Vera* worth an evening for anyone who likes a detective with awkward manners. The mysteries can be slow and strained, and the supporting cast deserves more to do, but her company is the reason to stay.

## Synopsis

In the north-east, DCI Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) investigates murder with a sharp mind and little concern for appearances. Her police colleagues include DC Kenny Lockhart (Jon Morrison) and DC Holly Lawson (Wunmi Mosaku). Dishevelled, blunt and often self-absorbed, Vera is an outsider as well as an authority figure. She wants to find a killer, bringing her own idiosyncratic manner to the investigation. Her working relationship with her sidekick is central to a police drama concerned with the detective’s personality as well as the case she must untangle.

## Review

*Vera* is a good choice for an evening with a familiar sort of detective, provided an intricate puzzle is not the chief requirement. Brenda Blethyn gives DCI Vera Stanhope enough warmth and awkwardness to make the police work worth following. The plots are less dependable, sometimes slow and sometimes asking for more belief than they earn. Created by Ann Cleeves, the series puts considerable faith in its central character. For the most part, that faith is justified.

The performance works because Vera’s intelligence never depends on her looking impressive. Her untidy appearance and blunt manner make sense together; we believe this woman has other priorities than making a favourable impression. There is self-absorption here, too, and Brenda Blethyn allows it to remain an unattractive quality. We warmed to her sooner than we expected, because the dishevelment and sharpness make her seem human without making her harmless. The abrasive manner remains part of her behaviour even after we have begun to like her.

The working partnership matters: having someone beside Vera gives her eccentricity a human response. Jon Morrison plays DC Kenny Lockhart, while Wunmi Mosaku plays DC Holly Lawson, among a police ensemble that deserves more attention from the writing. Too often, the supporting roles seem to have been allotted only enough space to help the investigation along. Their professional purpose is clear, but their separate personalities receive less care. That restricts the programme whenever we want to become interested in somebody other than its lead.

The cases are the more persistent reservation, and their weaknesses are not all matters of taste. A slow investigation can be absorbing when it deepens our understanding of the people involved, so speed alone is hardly the test. Here, the plotting can drag, and the opening murder story asks us to accept too much improbability. The writing credits include Gaby Chiappe and Paul Rutman, although these recurring limitations cannot fairly be assigned to an individual from the credits alone. There are stretches when the case needs considerably more persuasion than the central performance does.

The north-east scenery is a substantial pleasure, with a melancholy that suits the programme’s unpolished detective. Those views help prevent its cosy appeal from becoming too cheerful, and give us something to attend to when the investigation slows. Ben Bartlett supplies the music, though the scenery makes the clearer impression on us. The atmosphere is patient enough to accommodate Vera’s awkwardness without treating it as a constant joke. It also sustains some passages in which the supporting characters have too little to contribute.

There is nothing discreditable about a detective series offering the pleasure of familiar company. *Vera* earns that pleasure through a central performance that makes intelligence, vanity and warmth believable in the same person. We would still like firmer plots and colleagues who are allowed fuller lives; those shortcomings matter, particularly when a case takes its time. For viewers who enjoy an eccentric investigator and a melancholy setting, there is enough here to recommend. Choose something brisker if patience with a detective’s habits is already in short supply.

*Fi1m score 72, published 17 September 2026.*

### Reviews we read (5)

- **The Telegraph**, John Preston (80/100, inferred): The critic highlights Brenda Blethyn's inspired casting as the shambolic, flinty Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope, likening her to a female Columbo in a mac, and notes the engaging performance despite some physical comedy in the chase scenes. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8498728/Exile-BBC-One-The-Shadow-Line-BBC-Two-Vera-ITV1-review.html)
- **Radio Times**, David Brown (70/100, inferred): The critic notes that Vera debuted in 2011 as a seeming replacement for Frost but became a hit thanks to Brenda Blethyn's star power and the character's warmth as a misfit detective. The review highlights the enduring appeal of the series and suggests there is scope for more exploration of Vera's backstory even after its conclusion. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-xqr5pf/vera-farewell-pet/)
- **The Guardian** (70/100, inferred): The critic praises Brenda Blethyn's excellent performance as the sharp-witted but narcissistic oddball sleuth Vera and the strong dynamic with her sidekick, creating believable characters that make the show more than watchable. However, the review complains that the central murder plot is stupid and improbable. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/may/01/tv-review-vera-exile)
- **The i Paper**, Rachael Sigee (60/100, inferred): The review finds Vera solid and beloved but not in the same league as stronger crime dramas like Happy Valley. It praises Blethyn's unpolished but effective portrayal of the no-nonsense detective while noting the show's cosy appeal. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/vera-itv1-review-inherent-cosiness-is-ruined-by-darker-storylines-2085927)
- **The Times**, Andrew Billen (★★★☆☆): The critic praises Brenda Blethyn's performance as Vera but notes the series' faults including slow plots and underwritten supporting characters. The northeast scenery is highlighted as a strength that fits the melancholy tone. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/business/companies-markets/article/vera-james-mays-cars-of-the-people-tbn6rps5s)

## Details

- **Created by:** Ann Cleeves
- **Creator:** Ann Cleeves
- **Director:** Paul Whittington, Peter Hoar, Paul Gay, Julian Holmes, Adrian Shergold, Edward Bazalgette, Farren Blackburn, Thaddeus O'Sullivan, Jamie Childs, Rob Evans, Marek Losey, Claire Winyard, Daikin Marsh, William Sinclair, Lee Haven-Jones, John Hayes, Delyth Thomas, Christiana Ebohon-Green, Chris Foggin, Lawrence Gough, Will Sinclair, Jermain Julien, Dušan Lazarević, Waris Islam, Stewart Svaasand, Jill Robertson, Carolina Giammetta, David Richards, Khurrum M. Sultan, Paul Cotter
- **Screenplay:** Stephen Brady
- **Writer:** Paul Rutman, Martha Hillier, Gaby Chiappe, Colin Teevan, Paul Matthew Thompson, Paul Logue, Colette Kane, Sally Abbott, Phil Mulryne, Glen Laker, Marston Bloom, Steve Coombes, Lucia Haynes, Helen Jenkins
- **Music:** Ben Bartlett
- **Producer:** Elaine Collins, Will Nicholson, Elwen Rowlands
- **Cast:** Brenda Blethyn as DCI Vera Stanhope; Jon Morrison as DC Kenny Lockhart; Cush Jumbo as DC Bethany Whelan; Kenny Doughty as DS Aiden Healy; Wunmi Mosaku as DC Holly Lawson; Lisa Hammond as Helen Milton; Kingsley Ben-Adir as Dr Marcus Summer; Sarah Kameela Impey as Dr Paula Bennett
- **Release (the US):** 1 May 2011
- **Genres:** Crime, Drama, Mystery

## Where to watch in the US

- BritBox: streaming, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on
- Apple TV: add-on, hd
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Apple TV: buy, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy, sd

*Checked 2026-09-17.*

Also available in: AT, AU, CA, CL, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IT, NO, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Inspector Morse* (1987): Another prickly detective whose company matters as much as the case.
- *Maigret Sets a Trap* (1958): Patient questioning and a stubborn investigator, with a sterner Parisian manner.
- *The Brokenwood Mysteries* (2014): Rural investigations that leave room for awkward personalities and dry humour.
- *Memories of Murder* (2003): A much harsher investigation, with fallible detectives and little comforting certainty. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/memories-of-murder.md)
- *Happy Valley* (2014): A tougher police drama that gives its supporting characters fuller lives.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/vera