Vera star Brenda Blethyn has admitted she may end up regretting her decision to step away from the show after its 14th and final series. The crime drama is coming to an end after the actress said she wanted to spend more time with her family, agreeing only to two more episodes to bring the show to a neat conclusion.

The 78-year-old from Ramsgate is hanging up the signature hat and coat of the dowdy detective after 14 years. She even admitted she had planned to quit after the previous series aired at the start of 2024 but was persuaded to do one more to tie up loose ends.

But, even now, Brenda says she had regrets as filming wrapped on Series 14 and teased viewers with a not-so-final: "Never say never." She says the overriding factor in bringing Vera to an end was wanting to spend more time with her husband at home in Ramsgate, rather than being 300 miles away in the North East filming the show for six months every year.

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She says she hasn't retired from acting but is still taking on work and since the cameras stopped rolling on Vera she has already managed to fit in a film. Ironically, that was also far away from home as production on the project took place in Yorkshire.

Blethyn said: "Since finishing Vera in July I've already completed a film written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams. I had no intention of embarking on something else so soon. But the filming in Yorkshire with Paul and costarring Andrea Riseborough was imminent and irresistible.

"Apparently, another actress had dropped out for personal reasons and they needed someone to replace her right away. So, in the spirit of helping out, I said 'Oh, let's have a read of it.' And I liked it."

So, is there any chance of a return for DCI Vera Stanhope? Brenda refuses to rule anything out but says the decision she made to bow out feels like the right one at this time.

"So I'm not retiring. Maybe semi-retired," she explains. "I don't want to be doing jobs which means going away for long periods of time. I've done that for the last 14 years. But, there again, never say never.

"On that last day of filming for Vera I couldn't help thinking 'Oh, I’m making a mistake here. Why oh why, Brenda?' Come March, when I would normally be packing my bag to go back up north to film another series of Vera, I'll probably be regretting my decision. But right here and right now, it’s the right one for me and my family."

Vera Series 14 airs on ITV1 and STV at 8pm on January 1 and 2, followed by the companion documentary Vera: Farewell Pet on January 3 at 9pm. Vera Series 1 to 13 are available on the channel's streaming app ITVX.