VERA

20117.4 RATING14 SEASONS56 EPISODESCRIME

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.

PRINCIPAL CAST

BRENDA BLETHYNDCI Vera Stanhope

JON MORRISONDC Kenny Lockhart

RILEY JONESDC Mark Edwards

SARAH KAMEELA IMPEYDr Paula Bennett

RHIANNON CLEMENTSDC Stephanie 'Steph' Duncan

SERIES GUIDE

SEASONS & EPISODES

SEASON

PLAY S01 E01

S01 E01

2011-05-01 / 90 MIN

HIDDEN DEPTHS

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.

PLAY EPISODE

S01 E02

2011-05-08 / 90 MIN

TELLING TALES

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?

PLAY EPISODE

S01 E03

2011-05-15 / 90 MIN

THE CROW TRAP

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.

PLAY EPISODE

S01 E04

2011-05-22 / 90 MIN

LITTLE LAZARUS

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.

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