Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks star joining Vera series 11 in huge cast shake-up
VERA returns to ITV on Sunday, January 9, with a few soapland faces joining lead Brenda Blethyn, who plays Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope.
Brenda, 75, will star alongside a string of guest stars, with a few new names confirmed for the popular crime drama’s 11th series just days before it hits the small screen.
The network teased fans with a couple of episodes of the new series at the end of summer last year, right before a filming break due to the pandemic.
Both of those initial episodes were set in and around the Tynemouth and Northumberland national Park.
A clip dropped by ITV last week revealed that one of the much-anticipated upcoming episodes will be called Tyger Tyger.
The instalment will see DCI Stanhope try to solve the murder of a security guard during a robbery at a container port, only for the plot to thicken with the kidnap of the dead man’s son.
Last month, several guest stars – including former casualty actress Jaye Griffiths, Corrie alum Bill Ward, and ex Line of Duty star Craig Parkinson – were announced to join the show.
But who else can viewers expect to see in series 11?
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Charlie Hardwick
Charlie, 61, is perhaps best known for portraying Val Pollard in much-loved ITV soap Emmerdale between 2004-2015 and then again in 2017 – a role for which she was nominated seven times at the British Soap Awards.
However, some fans might remember her as youth leader Sian in Byker Grove, the BBC show that launched the careers of TV’s favourite double act, Ant and Dec.
The English actress has also appeared in the likes of Ackley Bridge, The Royal, and Grumpy Old Women, as well as a number of stage productions, including Cooking With Elvis alongside Frank Skinner.
Joe McGann
Joe, 63, has been on telly since 1985, starring in BBC medical drama Casualty and TV movie Prince Caspian, among other titles.
Most viewers of a certain age will recognise him as Charlie Burrows, the “housekeeper” in ITV sitcom The Upper Hand – a part he played between 1990-1996.
But younger Brits are more likely to know the Liverpool-born actor as Hollyoaks’ highly manipulative and narcissistic surgeon Edward Hutchinson.
Krissi Bohn
Krissi, 38, kicked off her TV career on Law & Order UK, before moving onto a role as Jenna Kamara on popular ITV soap Coronation Street between 2012-2014.
More recently, she appeared as Lucie Denham on the BBC’s sci-fi drama Years and Years and ITV’s anthology series Innocent.
The actress has also performed in multiple stage productions and received rave reviews for her one woman show The Bogus Woman.