DCI Vera Stanhope played by Brenda Blethyn

Heading up a team at Northumberland and City Police, Vera is obsessive about her work and dogged in her desire to uncover the truth at the heart of each case she leads. Unconventional and unglamorous maybe, but Vera has a wry sense of humour and faces the world with caustic wit, guile and courage.

For Vera, work is her life and her team is her family. Having been brought up by a neglectful father, she’s constantly trying to find a sense of self-worth, feeling she has to prove herself in everything she does – although she would never admit this to her colleagues. Vera demands fierce loyalty and respect from her team, which she returns with the smallest glimmer of affection. Vera really cares for her team and for the victims of the crimes she investigates.

Vera’s 2023 Christmas special will air on Boxing Day (26th December) from 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX