Filming Underway For 'VERA' Series Nine

Filming is underway for series nine of ITV's popular crime drama 'VERA'.

Brenda Blethyn will reprise the title role of Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope in four chilling feature length episodes set against the backdrop of the North East.

Ms Blethyn is joined by an ensemble cast which includes Peter Davison ('Toast of London', 'Doctor Who'), James Atherton ('Coronation Street', 'Porters'), Jodie McNee ('Britannia', 'Little Boy Blue'), Adrian Lukis ('Collateral', 'The Crown') and Paul Kaye ('Game of Thrones', 'Three Girls').

In the first episode, 'Blind Spot' written by Paul Logue, the body of newly qualified HMP forensic psychologist Joanne Caswell is found dumped on a landfill site far from home. Vera alights on the fact that Joanne had been looking into the crime of a former patient who had recently committed suicide. Vera must follow the trail that Joanne has left behind to uncover who might have had a motive to kill her.
 
Kenny Doughty returns as Detective Sergeant Aiden Healy, who over the years has proved himself to be a strong and reliable partner to DCI Stanhope. Completing Vera's team is Jon Morrison who plays DC Kenny Lockhart, Riley Jones who plays DC Mark Edwards and television newcomer Ibinabo Jack who plays Vera's newest recruit, DC Jacqueline Williams, who transferred from the Fraud Squad in series eight.
 
The episodes are inspired by characters created by acclaimed crime writer Ann Cleeves.
 
Made by Silverprint Pictures for ITV, series nine will be produced by Will Nicholson and directed by Paul Gay, Lawrence Gough, Carolina Giammetta and Declan O’Dwyer. Regular series writers Paul Matthew Thompson and Martha Hillier also return to the production.
 
Silverprint Pictures Executive Producer, Phil Hunter, returns for his third consecutive series.