The essential episodes of Vera
Watch these 15 in order and you've got Vera — each pick states its reason.
- 01
After two young people are killed in the same way - placed in water and surrounded by flowers - DCI Vera Stanhope knows that she must catch the murderer before they strike again. Aided by her team, especially her trusted right-hand man DS Joe Ashworth, she unpicks the complex and dysfunctional relationships amongst a group of bird-watching friends. As the friends' loyalty turns to betrayal, Vera finds that a small act of teenage blackmail and an illicit affair may have driven someone to kill.
- 02
DCI Vera Stanhope and DS Joe Ashworth investigate a suspicious death in an army barracks. Although the scene has been made to look like a suicide, Vera quickly establishes that Staff Sgt "Dev" Deverson was murdered. Sensing a connection to a soldier named Ollie who was killed in Afghanistan, Vera interviews Dev's loyal comrades and Ollie's grieving family, exposing a deeply concealed trauma at the heart of the crime.
- 03
DCI Vera Stanhope investigates the brutal murder of young physiotherapist, Lizzie Faulkner, gunned down at a luxury country retreat. For DS Joe Ashworth, the case brings him face to face with a part of his past he would rather forget. Local man, Robert Doran, was in the area shooting badgers at the time but denies any part in the killing, despite having a connection to Lizzie. In a story of betrayal, guilt and the need for atonement, Vera must move quickly to avoid another tragedy while Joe finally makes amends with the demons from his own past.
- 04
Teenagers Sassi and Louis Barnes discover Shane Thurgood, dead from a single gunshot wound on the moors of the Northumberland countryside. An abandoned truck is found burnt out a mile away, containing the remains of a deer. DS Joe Ashworth is convinced this is a poacher's war gone wrong but for DCI Vera Stanhope, the truth is never that straightforward.
- 05
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.
- 06
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.
- 07
When the body of 18-year-old Mia Hinkin is discovered buried on the moors, DCI Vera Stanhope is forced to delve into the life and the secrets of the victim. Vera has to deliver the terrible news of her death to her family. Mia had left home against their wishes to attend the Eastbury music festival. Vera must retrace the vulnerable young woman's footsteps from her isolated rural life and into a dark and tangled web of deceit to track down her killer.
- 08
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.
- 09
DCI Vera Stanhope investigates the murder of a trainee forensic psychologist found dead on a Northumberland landfill site.
- 10
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.
- 11
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.
- 12
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.
- 13
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?
- 14
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?
- 15
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.
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He's smart, he's good looking, and he's got a great sense of humor.
