VERA DVD

Introducing this major new detective franchise Vera starring Academy Award nominee and BAFTA winner Brenda Blethyn (Secrets and Lies; Atonement) as Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope.

Based on the character created by Ann Cleeves, middle-aged Vera is an experienced, not to mention brilliant, murder detective. Kind-hearted but a loner, she freely admits she can become obsessed with her job.

The Pilot: Hidden Depths
In this feature-length debut, Vera takes on her first murder case since the death of her father. A handsome young man, a coquettish student teacher, nothing in common between them - except that both were murdered and left with their bodies meticulously posed.

Telling Tales
Vera must put together the pieces of a 11-year-old murder and stop a ruthless killer before he or she strikes again.

The Crow Trap
As groundbreaking begins on a rock quarry in the moorlands, a local woman who had opposed the construction is found murdered.

Little Lazarus
Vera finds herself acting as caretaker for a boy whose mother was murdered in front of his eyes.

Few would suggest that television is crying out for a new detective to solve the crimes of Britain, and thus the original announcement of Vera hardly set tongues wagging. But this is a show that has a special weapon in its midst, namely Brenda Blethyn.

Blethyn is a terrific actress, and here, in the title role, she gets to play an obsessive murder detective. Vera is based on the novels of Ann Cleeves, and in truth, the stories themselves are hardly radical additions to the genre. But they are intriguing ones, and the cases in this maiden series are significantly lifted by Blethyn’s investment in the title character.

Vera, inevitably, doesn’t have life very easy. And working in tandem with Sergeant Joe Ashworth, she battles not only the crime in front of her, but the challenges in her own life.

Boasting good quality production values, a strong cast, and cases that hold the attention, Vera is a fine piece of television drama. But the main reason to watch it? That’d be its exceptional leading lady. Just watching Blethyn take on such a meaty role is worth the time and financial investment in itself. --Jon Foster