Rhiannon Clements joined the cast of ITV1’s cosy crime drama Vera on Sunday January 7 (8pm) as DCI Vera Stanhope’s latest recruit, ambitious Detective Constable Steph Duncan and is now on to her third episode of Vera season 13 on Sunday January 21..
Fans of Hollyoaks may know Rhiannon best as the soap's resident schemer Summer Ranger, who finally got her comeuppance for her many crimes in 2021.
Born with a foreshortened left arm, Rhiannon, 29, has also appeared in Big Boys, Maryland and the BBC1 sitcom The Power of Parker, yet this is her first role as a cop — and Steph is certainly a far cry from her Hollyoaks character Summer!
Energetic, committed and determined to rise through the ranks, Steph’s desperate to be at the heart of every investigation and doesn’t seem to be put off or intimidated by Vera’s typically brusque manner!
While she loves being out and about, interviewing suspects and chasing new leads, she’s less keen on being sat at her desk doing day-to-day donkey work and admin, something that can cause a bit of friction between her and her no-nonsense boss.
However, Vera (Brenda Blethyn) seems to spot the potential in Steph and respects her go-getting attitude, meaning that, despite being a newbie, Steph doesn’t get anywhere near as much stick as poor DC Kenny Lockhart (Jon Morrison)!
Vera season 13 also saw the return of David Leon as Vera's former colleague Joe Ashworth.
Rhiannon admits that joining the hit crime drama has been a dream come true. "My mum’s a huge fan, so watching the show has always been a big thing in our family," she says. "My first day filming was a bit of a baptism of fire because my very first scene was with Brenda! Luckily I was more excited than nervous and she made me feel so welcome. But I still can’t believe I’m a part of such an iconic show!"
‘It’s been absolutely brilliant working with both Brenda and David. ‘They’re such lovely people and fantastic actors. I’d watch them film certain scenes and it was like a real masterclass. I have family from the North East and my mum’s also a huge Vera fan, so watching the show has always been a big thing in our family. But my first day filming was a bit of a baptism of fire because my very first scene was with Brenda.
"Luckily it was quite a quick turnaround between getting the news I’d got the job and starting filming so I didn’t have time to think about it and get too nervous, and Brenda made me feel so welcome. ‘We had a lot of fun behind the scenes, too, and nobody ever made me feel like a newbie."
Born with a foreshortened left arm, Rhiannon also says the fact Steph is portrayed without her disability being a defining characteristic is incredibly important to her.
"My disability is part of my life and part of who I am but it's not a defining factor," she says. "Similarly Steph’s a detective like everyone else on Vera’s team and just because she’s missing the lower part of her arm doesn’t mean that she’s not able to do her job!"
Vera season 13 airs on ITV1 and ITVX on Sundays at 8pm with the final episode airing on Sunday January 21.
The Vera Christmas special called Vera: The Rising tide was recently shown in the UK on Boxing Day 2023 but it's available for catch up on ITVX.
