Ann worked as a probation officer, bird observatory cook, and auxiliary coastguard before she started writing. She is a member of "Murder Squad," working with other British northern writers to promote crime fiction. Ann is also a passionate champion for libraries and was a National Libraries Day Ambassador in 2016. Ann lives in North Tyneside near where the Vera ... Filming for that had been first noticed in Tynemouth in September 2020 where Blethyn - masked up between scenes - was seen, together with Vera's familiar Land Rover, in Beach Road and Broadway. In the opening episode, called Witness, the story started with the finding of a body at the base of Collingwood Monument.

Just days after filming in Tynemouth, Blethyn and co-star Doughty had moved on to shoot scenes near some flats in Gateshead then next in South Shields. Sabrina Pace Humphreys took on the Marathon des Sables at 40 after starting trail running in a period of intense post-natal depression, here she tells us how it happenedThen came the visit by Vera to Tanfield School in Stanley - which featured in episode one of series 10, along with Ridley Park and the Tan Hill Inn at Swaledale in North Yorkshire, which is the highest pub in Britain. She added: "There is such a variety of locations in the area. From places like Corbridge in the Tyne Valley to the Northumberland coastline and many other varied locations. I also like working in the vibrant city of Newcastle which was the main venue for Sally Abbot’s “For The Grace of God”. Series 11 locations And Brenda has since revealed that scenes were also shot on Holy Island, with popular pub The Ship Inn changing its name to play a key role in the plot. Brenda Blethyn and co-star Kenny Doughty being protected from the elements on Tynemouth beach (Image: Owen Humphreys/PA Media) There were snatched pictures too of a mannequin presumably being used to mark the filming position for a body on the beach, apparently washed up not far from Tynemouth Priory.

Actress Brenda Blethyn filming the latest series of the ITV drama Vera on Whitley Bay beach in North Tyneside (Image: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire) Series 8 With huge swathes of Northumberland already aired on-screen during the drama's lengthy run, filming expanded over the years across the region, with more spots around Durham and Newcastle have been playing a role. Discussing this previously with ITV, as per RadioTimes.com, Vera’s actor Brenda Blethyn revealed that “later in the year” viewers can enjoy The Rising Tide. Vera star Brenda Blethyn enjoys an ice cream treat during a break in filming in Station Road, Corbridge (Image: TimMcGuinness/ChronicleLive)The final episode of the series, The Darkest Evening, airs on Sunday, 19 February 2022 at 8PM. Vera cast – The Darkest Evening Filming of the first episode of series 10 had finished by May 31 then by July they were halfway through the whole series and other locations since then included Port of Tyne international passenger terminal in North Shields which, eagle-eyed viewers might recall, featured in a previous episode of Vera in 2017. In the show, Lorna isn’t the only murder victim as a man called Ronnie Browne is also killed during the course of the episode. However, in the Vera The Darkest Evening book the second victim is local teacher Constance Browne. She had given the killer - Nial Heslop - the benefit of the doubt after suspecting them and had been murdered to prevent her telling anyone that he was the father of Thomas. Over the past year, the Vera cast and crew have been spotted on location at a variety of different places all over the region. Almost as it was confirmed that production had started on series 12, eagle eyed fans spotted filming taking place at Amble at outside of Morpeth larder. Those two stories - Vital Signs and Where The Wind Blows, were the first to air Vera's return, each lasting two hours; before the action then moves to series 12, which will bring with it a replacement for Paul Kaye as his character, pathologist Malcolm leaves the show.

The Darkest Evening, with a script by Colette Kane, and starring - of course! - Brenda Blethyn as DVI Vera Stanhope, was broadcast on 19th February 2023, as the 50th episode of ITV's popular crime drama. It is available to watch again on ITVx. On the last day of that month, the River Tyne at North Shields was all go with a number of boats seen on the water indicating a possible search. The “Vera effect” - credited with the sharp rise of tourists following the airing of each series - has also led to local residents proving keen to reacquaint themselves with their home turf. The second episode of series 12 is called For the Grace of God and sees the action switch to Newcastle, as a decorated soldier finds himself sleeping rough on the streets of the city centre, with the area in and around the Quayside seen in teaser shots for the episode, which will air on ITV1 on Sunday, February 5. Other locations in the episode includes the Staithes estate in Dunston and Newcastle's famous Lit and Phil library.The final scenes showed Vera visiting Thomas at his maternal grandparents and learning that her distant Stanhope relatives had sold the cottage to them rather than evicting them. She then told the Stanhopes about Nial's arrest and was invited to stay for tea, though she politely declined, leaving their grand house to return to her life of crime-solving solitude.