The best episodes of Vera
Ranked by viewer rating, highs first. Vote on a placement to back it or contest it.
- 01
The final episode brings Vera back to a familiar place when a body is found at the foot of legendary local stones The Dark Wives - with memories of childhood in the background, Vera must work hard to uncover the mystery of why a bright young student would be violently attacked and left so far from home. This poignant episode weaves together past and present and makes for a compelling and emotional farewell.
- 02
DCI Vera Stanhope is called to the banks of the Tyne where the body of a young man has been discovered by some anglers. A tangled web of a broken relationship, secret love, grudges, regret, and fraud begins to emerge - has our former inmate been served cold justice, or does his death run deeper?
- 03
DCI Vera Stanhope investigates when the body of the co-owner of a chip shop is found in his own freezer. A seemingly successful entrepreneur and dedicated family man, Vera uncovers secrets, lies and some unforgivable behaviour as she tries to unwrap the case. Once the investigation begins, it soon becomes apparent that our enigmatic entrepreneur has left behind debts, broken promises, ruined lives and seriously interfered in family business that was not his own. Who is responsible for this unsavoury chip shop assault and battery?
- 04
DCI Vera Stanhope is called to a quiet country lane where a young man has been found dead following a collision with a car. On closer inspection, it becomes clear that this is not an accident and is way more than a hit and run. Vera discovers that the victim is a popular market trader so heads down to his pitch to start to put together an idea of who our man is and ascertain why anyone would want him dead.As the investigation gathers pace, Vera learns that our cheeky chappy was a complex character. Antagonistic, arrogant and able to get what he wants, but did all of this come at a price? Secrets. Lies. Betrayal. Fractious relationships and intense rivalries but who would want our barrow boy buried.
- 05
Struggling to adapt to civilian life, a decorated soldier attempts to get his life back on track. But a dark secret from his past, and betrayal in the present, left his future looking uncertain and deadly.
- 06
DCI Vera Stanhope is on track to uncover an intriguing yet puzzling case when the body of a sickly young girl is discovered in a railway siding.Found in the middle of nowhere she could be anyone but the investigation soon turns up twists and turns that makes Vera question who this girl actually was. A vulnerable young person with a serious health condition, has her weakened state allowed someone to take advantage of her? And how does the family dynamic work when she's not truly part of the family? A tale of intrigue, betrayal and blurred lines, Vera's investigation questions the meaning of family, care and accountability. And with eroding trust, does care come at a cost?
- 07
Vera is called to a remote lighthouse where a body of a local council enforcement officer has been discovered lashed to a sailboat.
- 08
When wealthy betting shop magnate Alun Wilmott is shot and killed after returning home early amid a terrifying home invasion, it's assumed that he is the unlucky victim of a burglary gone wrong. The culprits abscond with a huge amount of cash from Alun's personal safe, leaving his wife and daughter traumatised in their wake. Vera suspects an inside job and immediately targets the affluent neighbourhood's shady head of private security, Ciaran Duggan, whose history of violent crime calls his reformed character into question.
- 09
Primary school teacher Lizzy Swann is found dead at the bottom of a cliffside coastal walkway, but what appears at first to be a terrible accident, quickly becomes a murder investigation as Vera discovers evidence the body has been tampered with. Interviews with those who knew Lizzy paint a troubling picture of a guarded and paranoid woman who seemed to be burning bridges with friends and family alike in the days leading up to her death.
- 10
During a massive storm, Vera comes across an abandoned car with a baby inside. With no cell signal and blocked roads at every turn, Vera is forced to seek refuge somewhere she'd rather not be.
- 11
When security foreman Gary Mallon is fatally wounded during a robbery at a Blyth container port the evidence points to an audacious heist that went awry. Vera begins to suspect an inside job. But the investigation takes an unexpected turn when Gary's ex-wife contacts police with the news that their 13-year-old son is missing.Gary Mallon was acting under duress - the victim of a tiger kidnapping. His son was being held as collateral - but where is he now?
- 12
DCI Vera Stanhope must unravel a tangled web of deceit between two wildly different families when the body of a teenage boy is discovered floating near a Northumberland salmon farm.
- 13
When the body of well-respected local builder, Jim Tullman, is found beaten to death on the steps of the Collingwood Monument, DCI Vera Stanhope questions how such a seemingly beloved and imposing figure could be attacked so viciously.
- 14
The discovery of a deceased addiction support worker sets Vera the challenge of investigating a deeply private woman's life.
- 15
When a respected officer is found dead, floating in a park lake, Vera finds herself investigating both sides of the thin blue line in order to find his killer.
- 16
A mysterious death of a fisherman is investigated by Vera. The fisherman's sons believe the answer may lie within a long-running feud between their Dad and the owner of a local fish market.
- 17
When charred remains are discovered in an abattoir furnace, DCI Vera Stanhope is called to investigate the horrific circumstances and uncover the mystery that led to the murder.
- 18
DCI Vera Stanhope investigates the murder of a trainee forensic psychologist found dead on a Northumberland landfill site.
- 19
Based on the eighth novel in Ann Cleeves' DCI Stanhope series, The Seagull sees Vera (Brenda Blethyn) opening up a cold case when a skeleton is discovered buried in Whitley Bay. Robbie Marshburn was a notorious criminal who went missing over 20 years ago never to be seen again.But this isn't a typical case for Vera as Robbie, and those connected to him, were friends of her father. And to make matters worse, Robbie's remains are found underneath the burnt-out site of the infamous nightclub where they all used to meet. But, just as Robbie's remains are identified, the team come across another murder nearby. Vera investigates the possibility of the victim's connections to a local crime family and whether this led to the brutal killing. Elaine and Leonard Sidden (Claire Higgins and Michael Feast) ran The Seagull in its heyday and Vera learns that they haven't quite severed ties with the past as their son Alec (Daniel Ryan) is now developing the site where the burnt-out nightclub stands.In a case that's often too close to home, Vera must uncover a web of secrets and corruption to understand the circumstances that led to both murders.
- 20
Vera has to unravel the circumstances of self-styled entrepreneur Freddie Gill's death when his body is found by bailiffs attempting to repossess his house.
- 21
Vera is called out to the grim scene of a body found in the back of a burned out car. When identified as a popular local GP, we enter a world of intrigue, betrayal, and lust.
- 22
The body of a young woman has been washed up on the banks of the River Tyne. Although she was a popular colleague, loyal friend, and loving mother and wife, we uncover a web of intrigue, betrayal, and lost promises.
- 23
Vera is confronted with the tragic scene of a teenage boy's murder. His body is found in a shipyard in the sleepy coastal town of Peyton-by-the-Sea. As he isn't recognised locally, it's not immediately apparent who he is. Eventually, Missing Persons records reveal that troubled Caden Lennon had absconded from the care of his support worker six weeks previously. With few leads thrown up by the Newcastle estate where Caden came from, Vera looks to the Peyton locals to throw some light on the investigation. Beneath the quaint facade she discovers that there is a growing drugs problem. But, with local dealer Tony Briggs now apparently going straight, it's not clear why. Vera begins to question whether Caden's connections to Newcastle and Peyton run deeper, and whether the lack of leads points to a ring of silence with darker forces at play. Vera must uncover the missing link to find Caden's ruthless killer.
- 24
Successful business-woman Lisa Varsey throws a lavish boat party for her family and friends on the River Tyne. But it goes horribly wrong when her sister Dani is found dead in the water. Lisa has an empire of beauty salons in Newcastle and a caring family in husband, Ross, and sister Sadie. At first the family believe that Dani's death was an accident but DCI Vera Stanhope and pathologist Malcolm Donahue (Paul Kaye) know that the forensics point to murder. Vera and the team alight on concerning rumours that Dani could have been in an abusive relationship and questions whether this could have led to her death. But, the investigation takes a turn when evidence points to the fact that something was rotten in another area of Dani's life. Vera begins to believe that Dani was going to expose an unpalatable truth. Vera must unpick the tightly-woven threads that hold the family together to discover who killed an innocent woman.
- 25
The discovery of skeletal remains in Hollowthorp Woods leads to Vera re-opening the case of a seventeen-year-old school girl, Carrie Telling, who went missing some thirty years earlier. Found with the body's remains were a camera, a company credit card, and a telephone number for an abortion clinic. When another murder occurs, it becomes apparent to Vera that the killer is somebody who had something to hide thirty years ago, and is still prepared to kill to ensure their secret stays safe.
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He's smart, he's good looking, and he's got a great sense of humor.
