Encore Thursdays, Dec. 1 - 22, 2022 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV / Season 9 will follow on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV
Led by BAFTA and Golden Globe award-winning actress Brenda Blethyn as the unorthodox but brilliant DCI Vera Stanhope, ITV’s top-rating crime drama returns for Season 8.
Based on the bestselling Inspector Stanhope novels by 2017 CWA Diamond Dagger recipient, Ann Cleeves, Vera and her team are drawn into four more compelling cases: the body of a police officer discovered in an abattoir incinerator, a mysterious car crash, a suburban back-garden murder, and the circumstances that led to the death of a teenage boy. Set around Newcastle and the stunning Northumberland countryside, VERA features complex and intriguing cases, atmospherically-shot landscapes and captivating performances.
Brenda is joined by co-stars Kenny Doughty, Jon Morrison, Ibinabo Jack, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Riley Jones. Other actors joining them across four new stand-alone films include Ben Batt, Vincent Regan, Ben Crompton, Ian Puleston-Davies, Steve Evets and Rita Tushingham.
EPISODE GUIDE:
Episode 1: “Blood And Bone” encore Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV - DCI Vera Stanhope is called to a chilling murder scene when the charred remains of a body are discovered in an abattoir incinerator. With limited forensic evidence, she is disturbed to identify the body as DC Harry Fenton, a respected police officer from the Northumberland & City Fraud Unit.
A club man, Vera and Aiden (Kenny Doughty) meet Harry’s grieving family and friends in a tightly-knit fishing community who are shocked to learn of the devastating murder. Vera looks to Harry’s fraud team to try and find answers, but she begins to sense that all is not what it seems. One of Harry’s former colleagues continues to rub Vera up the wrong way by poking her nose into the investigation.
Whereas DC Jac Williams (Ibinabo Jack) gives Vera a useful tip off. And then one of Harry’s old fraud cases begins to cross over into Vera’s inquiries. Aided by DC Kenny Lockhart (Jon Morrison) and pathologist Dr. Marcus Summer (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Vera discovers a web of secrets that lead her to Harry’s killer.
Episode 2: “Black Ice” encore Thursday, Dec. 8 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV - DCI Vera Stanhope is called to the scene of a violent car crash. With her typically sharp skills of observation, Vera quickly realizes that the crash was not accidental and that another driver tried to kill victim, Faye Wakeland.
When she dies in hospital shortly after, Vera suspects that Faye’s murder might be connected to the recent suicide of a local man. She is a popular and well-loved member of a coastal community. But, Vera and Aiden find it difficult to get to the truth when everyone that they encounter seems to be protecting a secret.
Vera must continue to delve into the lives of the people that Faye lived amongst, as well as the links she had with her past. Joined by her faithful team including DC Kenny Lockhart, as well as new recruit DC Jac Williams, Vera attempts to find the missing link that will lead to Faye’s killer.
Episode 3: “Home” encore Thursday, Dec. 15 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV - Quiet life in suburbia takes a dark turn when a woman is discovered lying dead in her back garden. DCI Vera Stanhope realizes that the neighbors aren’t all that they seem. Buried secrets must be unearthed to catch the killer of murder victim and mother of two, Alison Glenn.
Vera and Aiden try to uncover the kind of woman Alison was by looking to her local community. But they are forced to expand their inquiry when Alison's long lost family come out of the woodwork and suspicions begin to mount. And then she discovers that the Glenns have secrets of their own. Vera must endeavor to identify which of the underlying conflicts in Alison’ life have prompted the crime of passion that caused her death.
Episode 4: “Darkwater” Thursday, Dec. 22 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV - DCI Vera Stanhope is confronted with a tragic mystery when the dead body of teenager Ethan Dewley is found floating in a reservoir. Vera and her team discover that Ethan had been missing for three days prior to his death.
Centered around a rural timber community, Vera and Aiden look to the locals for answers. But, few are willing to step out of line. The deeper they dig, the more complex the relationships between Ethan’s friends and family appear. Vera and her team must push their inquiry further to understand which of the underlying secrets will lead to his killer.
The series is available for purchase and to stream on Amazon Prime.
Credits:
ITV Studios. Season 8 is produced by Letitia Knight and directed by Paul Gay, David Leon, Chris Baugh and Lee Haven-Jones. Phil Hunter returns as executive producer for his second series.
