Vera

“There are great stories, and more wonderful Northumberland locations”, adds the actress enigmatically, “and that’s all I’m telling you!”

But back to the series’ namesake, who is sitting in front of me. So utterly convincing is Brenda as the gruff, permanently dishevelled DCI Vera Stanhope that seeing her in a sharp skirt suit and meticulous make-up is something of a shock to the system.

When I suggest the glam outfit is a far cry from Vera’s usual get-up she giggles, recalling the first pair of big boots her character is now famous for.

“I bought those in Birmingham in a sale, they’re kids’ boots actually, only twelve quid! I always start with the feet playing a character, so when it came to Vera, I thought, I know the very boots! They’re practical, hardwearing and they fit.”

Vera may have a good heart, but she doesn’t suffer fools. Brenda thinks she’s probably a little slower than her DCI to sharpen her tongue against somebody – “but I do let rip now and again!” she adds.

On the whole, she thinks Vera is a fair person – but understands why after the pilot people were startled at how abrasive Vera was. It took her lovable sidekick Joe Ashworth, who adored her from day one, to make viewers gradually thaw towards her.

“That happens in life”, muses Brenda. “Somebody you meet might be dour, miserable and you hate them, then you get to know them and they stop being unpleasant!

“Then the opposite happens – you meet someone that’s so handsome and full of joie de vivre, then you get to know them and think, ‘Ah, you boring sod!’”

https://www.deadgoodbooks.co.uk/vera-series-six/