Brenda Blethyn, the star of ITV's hit crime series Vera, has opened up about her heartache while filming the show's final episodes. The beloved drama is set to conclude with a two-part special this New Year after a successful 14-year run.
In an emotional chat with RadioTimes, Blethyn revealed that one particular scene with Jon Morrison, who plays DC Kenny Lockhart, was especially poignant. "One scene involved Vera and DC Kenny Lockhart, played by Jon Morrison. It broke my heart when I read the script and it was emotional to film," she shared.
Morrison himself reached out to Blethyn after filming ended, expressing his gratitude for the years of work. "Jon rang me up after it was all over. And he said, 'I just wanted to thank you for giving us 14 years of work.' What a gentleman. But I thanked him and told him I certainly wasn't going to do any episodes without him which is true."
The gripping finale, airing on January 1 and 2, will see Detective Vera called to investigate a body found by the Tyne, entangling her in a case of "a broken relationship, secret love, grudges, regret and fraud".
As Vera's journey comes to a close, Blethyn will be joined by David Leon as Joe Ashworth, Rhiannon Clements as Detective Steph Duncan, and Shobna Gulati, known for her role in Coronation Street, as Chief Superintendent Khalon, reports Chronicle Live.
In addition to the main cast, Riley Jones is set to return as DC Mark Edwards alongside Sarah Kameela Impey as Dr Paula Bennett, and, of course, Jon Morrison reprising his role as DC Kenny Lockhart.
Speaking on her decision to hang up her hat earlier this month, Blethyn admitted: "It was a hard decision and come March when I would normally be getting ready to go back up there, I'll probably be crying."
She further reflected: "As much as I loved all that, I've got a family at home and I realised I hadn't had a summer for 14 years with my family. So I still did another series because I couldn't drag myself away," and concluded matter-of-factly, "But anyway it was time, that's all."
The final episodes of Vera air on ITV1 on January 1 and January 2.