Brenda Blethyn discusses the appeal of her character Vera

Kenny Doughty shocked Vera fans earlier this year by announcing he was leaving the ITV series after eight years.

The actor, who played Aiden Healy, originally replaced Joe Ashworth (played by David Leon), who will be making a return in series 13 as Vera’s (Brenda Blethyn) sidekick.

Ibinabo Jack, who played DC Jac Williams, also confirmed she would not be returning to the cop drama.

It has since been announced that Hollyoaks actress, Rhiannon Clements, would be replacing Jac as the new and ambitious DC Steph Duncan.

Joining David, Brenda and Rhiannon in the upcoming series will be Jon Morrison as DC Kenny Lockhart, Riley Jones as DC Mark Edwards, and Sarah Kameela Impey as Pathologist Dr. Paula Bennett.

The first episode of Vera, which is titled Fast love, will see the detective and Joe investigating the death of a man who was involved in a car crash.

As the investigation gets underway, DCI Stanhope quickly learns this cheeky chappy was a complex character.

Antagonistic, arrogant and able to get what he wanted, but did all of this come at a price?

Vera is thrilled to have Joe back by her side, but she is unsure of his motives about his sudden comeback.

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When speaking about her return as the iconic detective, Brenda shared: “Stepping back into Vera’s shoes for the thirteenth series feels like coming home again.

“The support from the locals in the North East is truly heart-warming and reuniting with the talented David Leon and the rest of our exceptional team is an absolute delight.

“Together, we embark on this new chapter with a terrific script crafted by the brilliant Paul Matthew Thompson.”

David added: “I’m thrilled to be returning to Vera.

“It’s fantastic to be back in the North East and reunited with Brenda and the crew for the new series.

“I’m looking forward to exploring the relationship between Joe and Vera as they make up for lost time.”

Vera is expected to return nexy year on ITV.

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