Why is Vera ending? Everything Brenda Blethyn has said about ITV finale

• ITV’s beloved crime drama Vera will end for good tonight.
• The final feature-length episode will air on January 2.
• It was announced the show would be ending after 14 years.

Vera star Brenda Blethyn has explained the reason why she decided to leave the beloved ITV show after 14 years. The final ever episode of the crime drama will air in just a few hours.

Fans might be wondering why the series is coming to an end after more than a decade on the air. The announcement last year that the 14th season would be the show’s last came as a surprise to viewers.

ITV has confirmed the timings for the last episode of Vera - find out more here. And ahead of the conclusion of the series, Brenda Blethyn has discussed the ending.

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Why is Vera ending after 14 years?

It was announced last year (2024) that the long-running ITV crime drama would be coming to an end after more than a decade. It came as star Brenda Blethyn, who plays Vera, revealed that she was leaving the show after 14 years in the role.

The Manchester Evening News reports that the star made her decision to hang up the green bucket hat and coat while filming in 2023. She explained: “It was a lovely summer back in 2023. And I came to realise I hadn’t had a summer with my husband for 14 years.

“Naturally I missed my family. And my dog Jack, although he was with me in the North East, but I didn’t see him much because I was working all day. I love my Vera family but I love my other family too. And when you consider I was already thinking about packing work in when I was offered the job back in 2010, 14 series of working on Vera is pretty good going."

Vera star originally planned not to return for series 14

The final two episodes of the ITV drama - which make up season 14 of the show - air on back-to-back nights to start out 2025 (January 1 and January 2). However, Brenda Blethyn has revealed that she almost didn’t come back for them.

Originally, after making her decision to leave the show back in the summer of 2024, the star didn’t plan to film any further episodes. It would have meant the show would have ended after season 13, which aired early last year (2024).

But she was convinced to come back for two last episodes to wrap it all up. The final episode - The Dark Wives - will air on ITV at 8pm tonight.

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