As the end of the 14th and final series of the ITV crime drama Vera approaches, we'll finally have to say 'farewell, pet' to the unconventional yet beloved detective on our screens.
The final episode airs tonight, 2 January 2025, on ITV1 at 8pm.
An accompanying documentary Vera, Farewell Pet, will air on 3 January, on ITV1 at 10pm to celebrate the drama. It features exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the final series, as well as interviews with the cast.
But after 11 chart-topping books, is DI Vera Stanhope really set to disappear entirely? BBC Countryfile Magazine caught up with crime writer and Vera creator Anne Cleeves to chat about the future of the detective, as well as Cleeves' inspiration in the landscapes of the north.
You grew up in North Devon – what drew you to settle in the north-east?
We moved there in the mid-80s because of my husband’s work. He was a conservation officer for the RSPB based in Newcastle. We lived first in the village of Holywell, close to Holywell Pond, a birding site, and a walk away from Seaton Sluice with its sea-watching hide. Birds played a very important role throughout our marriage! I met Tim when I was cooking in the observatory on Fair Isle, and we began our married life as the only residents of Hilbre Island’s nature reserve.
How do place and landscapes influence and shape your storylines?
I always start with place and landscape. Character and plot grow out of the places that formed them. I can’t imagine Vera Stanhope being brought up anywhere other than the Northumberland hills. I wouldn’t be able to set a novel in a place that I don’t know well; I need to understand people’s preoccupations and to have a sense of the different communities.
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Do you have a favourite location used in the Vera TV series?
I live in Whitley Bay and a number of episodes have been filmed here. The place has changed a lot since we first moved nearly 20 years ago. In the past, it had the reputation as a party town. Now, it’s a place where families want to make their home. It’s rather arty, with a great bookshop and an independent cinema. We even have our own crime-writing festival, Bay Tales.
Where do you prefer to write?
When my husband died, I bought a cottage in the Tyne Valley. There are no streetlights so on clear nights the sky is full of stars. I love writing in the kitchen, and it’s especially inspirational for the Vera books. I wrote most of The Darkest Evening at the cottage. That said, I’m more drawn to the sea. It’s something about having a long horizon. Inland can be too claustrophobic.
Series 14 is the last of Vera to be filmed, but will there be more books?
There’ll be at least one more book. I’m lucky that she hasn’t aged in real time – it’s 25 years since the first Vera novel was published. Northumberland is one of the most diverse landscapes in the UK, with wide beaches, former pit villages and feudal estates. They can feed into stories. I’ll have to wait for the last episode before writing, though. I don’t know what ITV has planned for Vera!
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