DCI Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) found her feathers ruffled when her original right-hand-man DI Joe Ashworth (David Leon) made a surprise return to Northumberland and City Police after 10 years working away in London in the first episode of Vera season 13 on Sunday January 7.
With Joe arriving as an assessor to scrutinise whether Vera and her team were sticking to codes of professional practice, the reunion was certainly frosty.
However, even though Joe’s now moved back to Newcastle permanently in this week’s Vera episode, Tender, the icy atmosphere between them hasn’t thawed, despite them teaming up to investigate when a missing girl is found dead by a railway line.
As they try to establish the young woman’s identity and the bizarre family secrets that could have led to her death, Vera and Joe find themselves at loggerheads, not helped by the fact that Vera’s suffering from agonising toothache!
In fact, she becomes so abrasive that Joe finds himself siding with DC Kenny Lockhart (Jon Morrison) and new detective Steph Duncan (Rhiannon Clements)! So can the detective duo pull together and crack the case?
Here, David Leon gives the lowdown on everything about Joe Ashworth's return to Vera...
Interview: David Leon revrals all about Joe Ashworth's return
What’s it been like returning as Joe Ashworth after 10 years?
David Leon says: "It was something I hadn’t really considered being an option. Although it was the one question I’d probably been asked by Vera fans every day since I left at the end of series four! It actually felt a very natural kind of thing to put on Joe’s clothes, walk back on to the set and feel very much at home. And of course working with Brenda comes very naturally, too. It’s always been very enjoyable, challenging and rewarding. It does feel like jousting. I think we get the best out of each other!"
How has Joe changed since he left in 2014?
David says: "Joe’s been following his ambition working for the Metropolitan Police in London. He’s now a Detective Inspector and he turned up in the last episode to oversee Vera and her team and her ways of working. But he didn’t have any intention of sticking around and there was real conflict as a result of that. Then he gets sucked into the thrill of working alongside Vera and once again feels inspired by the maverick nature in which she works. She works very much on instinct and doesn’t play by the rules, and that’s the complete opposite of everything he’s learned in a much more rigid system in London. That lights a fire under him that he hasn’t experienced for a while!"
But this week there’s a bit of conflict between them as they investigate a new case together. What can you tell us about that?
David says: "Previously when Joe was working alongside Vera it felt like a maternal relationship on her part. Now he’s come back and demands to be seen as an equal, which doesn’t go down very well to start with, and Vera pushes back. On both sides it takes a little while to reframe the dynamic of that relationship. There’s always been conflict there, but there’s also a real mutual respect between two very different characters. Joe’s a family-driven man, while Vera is solely focused on the work and doesn’t understand when someone can’t live up to her expectations and standards. The tension in their relationship is exacerbated in that he’s come back, but is stepping on toes, and he definitely crosses a line on one or two occasions. One of the things Vera cannot abide from anyone is being told what to do!"
Joe’s going through some stresses in his family life, which is why he’s moved back to Newcastle. How does Vera support him?
David says: "I’d say Vera is emotionally cut off. She keeps her emotions very close to her chest and keeps a lid on them. One of her great strengths is also one of her weaknesses in that she always presents as being incredibly strong and in control when sometimes she’d do well to open up, talk about things and be a bit more free with her emotions. So she can see the pain and turmoil that Joe’s going through, and she can probably relate to the fact that work is a bit of a sanctuary for him. But she doesn’t really know how to help."
Does the relationship between them change this series?
David reveals: "Yes, there are some touching moments and conversations that reveal a little more about who they both are and what’s really happening under the surface of their relationship. Vera has become a bit of a surrogate mother to him and he has become a bit of a surrogate son to her."
Vera also has a new face on her team in this series, DC Steph Duncan, played by Rhiannon Clements. What’s that dynamic like?
David says: "One of the things that’s important to Joe is to help those who are next in line, and to make sure they’re given the support to fulfil their promise and potential. If Steph makes a mistake, he’ll come to her defence and try and resolve the situation. He takes his responsibility seriously. Steph is a great character and I had a lot of fun working with Rhiannon!"
What does the future hold for Joe and for the show as a whole?
David says: "Vera will continue for as long as the demand for it remains, and as long as Brenda feels like she can continue to surprise herself and be challenged by it. She puts so much into it and it’s an exhausting shoot filming three or four feature films back to back. The fans who come to watch filming are always amazed at the level of detail, craftsmanship and time each scene requires. It’s a real challenge and requires a level of energy and dedication, which means you’re just living in that Vera bubble for several months. The audiences are always left wanting more. But we’ll just have to wait and see whether there will be!"
