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Cast changes as Vera is renewed

Brenda Blethyn welcomes back David Leon for a 13th series, but others will depart UK drama.

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It’s official. Vera is getting its 13th mystery season of three new feature length films.

Brenda Blethyn will officially return for a 13th series as DCI Vera Stanhope, alongside actor and director David Leon who makes a return as Joe Ashworth.

Cast returning include Jon Morrison, who plays DC Kenny Lockhart and Riley Jones, who plays DC Mark Edwards.

Actor Kenny Doughty, who played DS Aidan Healey since 2015, recently announced his departure from the drama. Actress Ibinabo Jack, who has played DC Jacqueline ‘Jac’ Williams since 2018, will not be returning for the thirteenth series due to her theatre commitments.

The Rising Tide, a feature-length episode based on the eleventh Vera novel written by Ann Cleeves, will be Kenny and Ibinabo’s final appearance in the series.

“It’s been such a pleasure to work alongside Kenny and Ibinabo,” said Blethyn. “They’ve both been terrific members of the Vera team, and I’ll miss them. I’m absolutely over the moon to welcome David back to the show and can’t wait to get started.”

Further castings and information about the new series will be announced when filming commences.

Vera screens in Australia on ABC.

6 Responses

  2. I’ll miss the Aiden character too, but the real news is the return of David Leon as Joe Ashworth, he and Brenda Blethyn have terrific on screen chemistry, in a “mother and surrogate son mode”. Joe is still Vera’s 2nd in command in the recent Ann Cleeves Vera novels.
    Looking forward to the Vera and Joe reunion(presumably he is now is DI Ashworth)

    1. Agree, Joe Ashworth would get into little verbal tussles with Vera, a bit more so than Aiden. Wonder how they’ll work Joe’s family in (with his kids being a lot older), or perhaps separated/estranged – like a lot of police folk are portrayed as they go up the ranks.

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