Brenda Blethyn bids emotional farewell to Vera at London event as ITV drama concludes

The renowned British Film Institute was the setting on Tuesday night for the goodbye of ITV's Vera as fans, press and some of Brenda Blethyn's co-stars were in attendance.

The BAFTA-winning actress first wore the now-famous fishing hat and trench coat outfit for her on-screen character back in 2011.

She shared the screen with original partner David Leon in the pilot episode Hidden Depths, which also saw a brief cameo from a young Sam Fender as the show's first murder victim.

Fast forward thirteen years and ITV bosses revealed earlier this year that the globally loved drama Vera would end with its 14th and final series. The last episodes were shot across the North East over the summer.

Brenda seemed genuinely touched at various moments during Tuesday night's Vera - End of an Era event, where she was accompanied by author Ann Cleeves and presenter Emma Kennedy, reports

During the 95-minute special, Brenda and Ann looked back at some of the most memorable moments from the 13 series of Vera so far.

This included Vera's debut appearance, a dramatic scene from series two where David's character bravely jumps into a lake to rescue a woman from a car that had fallen off a cliff and one of Vera's classic interrogations.

A clip from the first episode of series 6 was also shown, depicting the aftermath of Bethany's death, played by Cush Jumbo.

Brenda was visibly moved, admitting she was emotional by the wave of admiration from fans who got to quiz her and Ann.

David, Vera's trusty companion, joined by fellow actors Riley Jones and Sara Kameela Impey, was also in attendance.

He opened up about the family vibe on the Vera set and talked about his experience directing an episode after his departure as Joe Ashworth at the end of the fourth series.

Reflecting on the conclusion of the beloved series, Brenda Blethyn told ITV: "Working on Vera has been a joy from beginning to end and I'm sad to be saying Cheerio. But I am so proud of our achievements over the last fourteen years."

"I'll be forever grateful to the wonderful Ann Cleeves who created Vera, and to Elaine Collins who saw fit to cast me in the role."

"The Producers, dream cast and crew have been fabulous and I'm going to miss them, but I won't forget their huge talent, the camaraderie, laughter or kindness we shared nor the friendship of the people of the north east and our fans worldwide. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

While the air date for Vera's final series is still under wraps, there's speculation it could hit screens in 2025.

Vera is available to watch on ITVX