Why we love Vera Stanhope

We love ITV's Vera, starring Brenda Blethyn as Vera Stanhope. Here's just a few of our favourite things about Ann Cleeves' unconventional detective.

DCI Vera Stanhope returns to our screens in the eighth series of ITV's detective drama Vera, starring Brenda Blethyn. Here are just a few of our favourite things about Ann Cleeves' unconventional detective.

She's resolutely unglamorous

The permanently dishevelled DCI Stanhope is a breath of fresh air next to the glossy telly detectives such as The Fall's Stella Gibson. Forget designer silk shirts and leather trousers, Vera is much more likely to be found wearing her trusty oversized rain coat with pockets filled with tissues. Who has time for lipstick when you're tramping around the Northumberland moors?

She's quick-witted

Vera's black humour in the incident room provides light relief in both the novels and the tv series.

Her fondness for fish and chips

Whilst most detectives are rarely seen without a cup of strong black coffee, our Vera has a hearty appetite. We can relate...and would happily share her chips.

She's supremely intuitive

We love watching her deftly unpick complex mysteries, whilst being intensely sympathetic to the victims of crime.

Brenda Bleythn wants to be her friend

In a recent interview she said:

"I love Vera. I'd like to have her as a mate. I'd love to go and visit her at home. What would we do? I'd ask her where the whisky was and we'd go for a long walk together along the shore."


The Crow Trap

by Ann Cleeves

Book cover for The Crow Trap

Ann Cleeves is the creator of the Vera and Shetland series of books, both of which have been turned into TV drama series. Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope makes her first appearance in The Crow Trap, and – with her unconventional ways – she’s a character you’ll want to keep coming back to.