Since long-running drama Lewis came to an end Clare Holman, who played popular pathologist Dr Robson, has enjoyed roles in The Crown, Sherwood and Netflix’s Treason. But now she’s implicated as a suspect in the Vera Christmas special 2023!
Clare plays Annie Laidlore in the first ever festive episode of the Northumberland-set murder mystery, who comes under scrutiny when her childhood friend Rick Kelsall is found dead in a staged suicide at an annual reunion on Holy Island.
But the whodunit takes a menacing turn when Vera (Brenda Blethyn) puts her life on the line to unmask the killer!
Here, in an exclusive interview, Clare talks about swimming in the freezing North Sea for the episode and reuniting with her former drama school trainee Kenny Doughty (aka DS Aiden Healy)…
Tell us about your character, Annie. Is she a suspect?
Clare Holman: "She’s quite interesting. She’s a bit of an old hippie and she’s kind of been through a tragedy but has come through it. She’s part of this group of friends who go back to a cottage on Holy Island every year for Christmas. The episode starts with what appears to be the suicide of one of the friends, but of course it all kind of unravels. It’s quite interesting because you really don’t know where it’s going to go and who the killer is! I think it will keep viewers guessing!"
What made you keen to appear in this episode of Vera?
Clare: "Basically I wanted to work with Brenda and Kenny! Also I love dramas that champion older actors, and what’s really good about this is that the cast of suspects are all over 50! They were a great group!"
Did you know Kenny and Brenda beforehand?
Clare: "Yes I know Kenny. I was his mentor a long time ago when he was at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama but I haven’t seen him for years. I hadn’t met Brenda before but I have always been a big admirer of hers. She’s amazing and I loved working with her. She’s very funny and very skilled. You’ve kind of got to be on your mettle in scenes because she’s just bang in there. She’s knocking out big pages of stuff and she doesn’t miss a line. It’s very impressive! But she’s also got this amazing skill of switching off, which is really nice — I’ve probably laughed more with her than I have with anybody on a job!"
And was it lovely meeting up with Kenny again?
Clare: "Yeah, it was really lovely to catch up, although it made me feel a bit old! He’s a sweetheart and he is very talented as well. It’s his last episode of Vera, so it was also lovely to be in it with him. I’m really looking forward to seeing what he does next!"
There’s a very chilly scene where you take a dip in the freezing North Sea. How was that to film?
Clare: "There was a big discussion about it because it was cold, it was winter, it was the North Sea and I certainly wasn’t interested in getting hypothermia! As an actor when you’re younger and they go, can you ride a horse? You’re like, yeah I’ll do that! Can you fly a plane? Yeah, why not! But when you get older and they say, can you swim in the North Sea in the middle of winter? Well, that’s a different story! Luckily I only went up to my waist but some of the others went right in — and one of the actors had to get his kecks off! It was all good fun!"
How are you spending Christmas and will you be watching Vera?
Clare: "I’m with my stepdaughters and grandchildren in London and I’d love to watch it, but I don’t want to force it on them if they don’t want to! Hopefully we’ll all gather round the TV on Boxing Day, though. People love Vera so I think it’s perfect Christmas viewing, especially as it’s Kenny’s farewell episode!"
What does 2024 hold for you?
Clare: "I’ve got some exciting things coming out. One of them is quite a small part playing Liam Neeson’s wife in a film called Cold Storage. I’m also in an Amazon film called Killer Heat, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt [500 Days of Summer] and Shailene Woodley [Big Little Lies] where I play Richard Madden’s mother! I’ve also been writing a series and we’re just waiting to hear on that, so fingers crossed!"
Vera: The Rising Tide will be shown on ITV1 on Boxing Day 2023, aka Tuesday December 26 at 8pm. It will also be available on ITVX for the rest of 2023 and into 2024.
