Brenda Blethyn gives verdict on ITV's Sunday night 'replacement' for Vera
Brenda Blethyn gives verdict on ITV's Sunday night 'replacement' for Vera
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Brenda Blethyn has publicly endorsed the show set to "replace" Vera in the Sunday night schedules. After 14 years of portraying one of television's most iconic detectives, BAFTA winner Brenda bid farewell to her role as DCI Stanhope when the final series of Vera aired on ITV at the beginning of January. Having starred alongside Auf Wiedersehen Pet legend Kevin Whately in the penultimate episode 'Inside' a night earlier, Brenda made her last appearance as Vera on January 2.
The finale saw her renowned character pack up and leave Northumberland and City Police HQ for good, turning down a promotion and leaving her detective days behind. Over 6 million viewers tuned in to witness Vera's end, leaving a gap in ITV's schedule, with each new series of Vera traditionally occupying the Sunday night 8pm slot in January/February. Since Vera concluded, both Playing Nice and Out There have debuted on Sunday evenings, with the latter scheduled to air its final two episodes this weekend.
Following the conclusion of Martin Clunes' thriller Out There, the highly-acclaimed crime drama Unforgotten is set to return for a sixth series on Sunday, February 9. The show's creator and multi-award-winning screenwriter, Chris Lang, took to X (Twitter) to share the exciting news, posting a photo of returning leads Sinéad Keenan and Sanjeev Bhaskar in character. "So this is happening #Unforgotten Playing Sundays and Mondays, for three weeks at 9pm on @ITV Very excited for you to see what we've been working on for two years. @SineadKeenan @TVSanjeev," the post's caption read.
The guest star line-up promises to be thrilling as well, with The Fall and Hollyoaks actor Emmet J. Scanlan revealing his involvement by quoting Chris's post, reports Chronicle Live. Vera star Brenda Blethyn also shared the update with her 79,000 followers, hinting that she'll be among the show's avid viewers. Speaking at a press event recently, Brenda opened up about her decision to leave Vera, citing the need to spend more time with her family in the south after spending countless summers in the North East filming the show since 2011.
