The Vera Christmas special 2023 is the perfect present for fans of the hit crime drama. Brenda Blethyn’s much-loved sleuth DCI Vera Stanhope is back for the festive episode on ITV1, called Vera: The Rising Tide, based on the Ann Cleeves novel of the same name.
The events of Vera: The Rising Tide begin in the run-up to Christmas but instead of enjoying mince pies and secret Santas, Vera is thrown headlong into an apparent suicide. And when it becomes clear the death was a murder, she and the team start to wonder if they’ll all live to see Christmas.
The special episode also features series regulars Kenny Doughty, Jon Morrison, Riley Jones, Ibinabo Jack and Sarah Kameela Impey as DS Aiden Healy, DC Kenny Lockhart, DC Mark Edwards, DC Jac Williams and pathologist Dr Paula Bennett while a host of guest stars including Lewis star Clare Holman and EastEnders star Suzette Llewellyn join the cast.
Here’s everything you need to know about ITV1's Christmas special Vera: The Rising Tide…
Vera: The Rising Tide release date
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.
And there's more exciting news for Vera fans as Vera season 13 will be coming to ITV1 and ITVX from Sunday January 7 2024.
Vera Christmas special 2023 plot
With Christmas looming fast, DCI Vera Stanhope is asked to investigate the apparent suicide of a man called Rick Kelasall on her home stomping ground, Holy Island. Vera soon works out that there’s more to the death than meets the eye and realises Rick was murdered. He was attending a reunion with old friends, a tradition built up over 40 years, when he died and Vera must determine whether one of his fellow guests is the killer, if the scandal that rocked his career could be to blame, or if something more obscure is behind the murder. And the closer she gets to the answer, the more she and her team are in danger.
Vera Christmas special 2023 cast — Brenda Blethyn as DCI Vera Stanhope
Brenda Blethyn is whip smart detective DCI Vera Stanhope, a role she’s played since 2011. The Kent-born actor was a huge hit in the Mike Leigh film Secrets and Lies back in 1996 and has since been in numerous TV series and films, such as Kate and Koji, Pride and Prejudice, War and Peace, Atonement and Little Voice.
Guest stars and regulars also starring in Vera: The Rising Tide
Vera series regulars Kenny Doughty, Jon Morrison, Riley Jones, Ibinabo Jack and Sarah Kameela Impey are back as DS Aiden Healy, DC Kenny Lockhart, DC Mark Edwards, DC Jac Williams and pathologist Dr Paula Bennett.
Lewis star Claire Holman plays Annie Laidlore, who comes under scrutiny when her childhood friend Rick Kelsall is found hanged at a reunion.
Clare Holman told us: "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."
There's a long line-up of guests stars in Vera: The Rising Tide including Suzette Llewellyn (EastEnders) as Louisa Hampton, Cora Kirk (Your Christmas Or Mine) as Eliza Wilmore, Jake Ashton-Nelson as PC Billington, Adrian Mills as murder victim Rick Kelsall, Brian Bovell as Sam Hampton, Orlessa Altass as Yaz Kaur, Phil Cornwell as Phillip Robsob, Adrian Rawlins as Daniel Rede, Kate Isitt as Charlotte Thomas, Felicity Dean as Cecilia, Natasha Patel as Pamela, Sara Powell as Katherine Willmore, Martin Turner as Gordon Stanwick, Eric Richard as Isiah Thomas, Phillippa Wilson as Ellie Thomas, Liz Crowther as Judith Sinclair, Sam Halfpenny as Superintendent Watkins and Peter Peverley as Jacob.
INTERVIEW: Brenda Blethyn on Vera: The Rising Tide
Are you excited about this first Vera Christmas special called Vera: The Rising Tide?
Brenda Blethyn says: "Yes, I’ve always wanted to have one, and this adaptation of Ann Cleeves’ book The Rising Tide is set against the backdrop to the run-up to Christmas. So there are quite a lot of Christmas trees and festive decorations in the show. There was a really jolly feeling filming it, too!"
Is Vera is a fan of Christmas?
Brenda says: "At the start of this episode she has to organise a Secret Santa in the office and she can’t stand any of that! But she knows her team like it so she tolerates the festivities. In the end she ropes in DC Kenny Lockhart [Jon Morrison] to organise the Secret Santa and her contribution is restricted to bringing along a Father Christmas hat. That’s about her limit when it comes to Christmas!"
Tell us about the murder mystery…
Brenda reveals: "Vera and her team are gearing up to having time off over Christmas when a call comes in about a television celebrity who has been found dead on Holy Island. It turns he was with a group of friends who first visited the island together in 1977 and have been returning for a reunion ever since. Vera is intrigued by them and finally concludes that the death is a case of murder!"
And she finds herself at risk, doesn’t she?
Brenda says: "She does! But she isn’t afraid to put herself in danger. She knows that if she confronts someone on her own she’s more likely to get a confession!"
This is Kenny Doughty’s swansong as DS Aiden Healy. Are you sad to see him go?
Brenda says: "Yes, he’s my mate! We’ve filmed eight series together and I’ve never laughed so hard as I have with him. We’ve kept each other company between scenes during long days, weeks and months of filming. I’ll miss him! But there’s a special moment for him in the farewell episode because he gets to drive Vera’s Land Rover on his own! Not many people get to drive her car. Mind you, Vera is very keen that he doesn’t scratch her motor… although I’m not sure you’d really notice if he did!"
What was it like filming on Holy Island?
Brenda says: "It was lovely but we filmed in winter last year and it was very cold and windy! We had to use a crafty bit of elastic under the chin of Vera’s hat to make sure it didn’t blow off into the North Sea!"
There’s yet another top guest cast in the film. What did they bring to the episode
Brenda says: "There’s one scene featuring Eric Richard, who I remember as Sergeant Bob Cryer in The Bill, and he’s terrific. And I’ve always been a huge fan of Clare Holman, too. It’s also lovely to return to work with the regular cast, including Riley Jones [DC Mark Edwards] and Jon Morrison as Kenny. Vera’s always getting at Kenny and that continues!"
How will you be spending Christmas Day?
Brenda says: "We’ll walk first thing with the dog, and the rest of the day is just about relaxing and watching television! I’ll certainly be watching Vera with my husband [Michael Mayhew], although he gets annoyed if I tell him anything about it beforehand, so I won’t say a word!"
Would Vera be excited by Christmas?
Brenda says: "Vera’s childhood Christmases would have been pretty sparse. When her mum was there, she would have made the best of things. But ,after she died Vera would have had to do most of the cooking and cleaning after a fashion. Her dad wasn’t always nurturing. She sort of brought herself up. Christmas is a time for family which Vera hasn’t got. Her team at work are her family now. Her colleagues"
INTERVIEW: Kenny Doughty on saying goodbye to DS Aiden Healy
Since landing the role of DS Aiden Healy in Vera nine years ago, Kenny Doughty has become as much part of the show as Vera’s khaki mac! However, this Christmas special will be his last as Vera’s right-hand man, and his send-off has been emotional!
"It was a really difficult decision to leave because I’ve loved the job and working with everybody on the Vera team," says Kenny, 48. "Brenda and I have spent so much time together. We’ve both got the same silly sense of humour and I’m not sure I’d have done nine years of Vera if it wasn’t for our off-screen relationship!
“Trust became a big thing for both Vera and Aiden. And also off screen as well. Once that first series with Aiden was screened everybody at ITV was happy the Vera ship was still sailing. There’s always going to be a pressure when you go into an established show after someone has left. But as soon as it airs and they get the numbers and the reviews then people relax. That gave me confidence to go in as an actor to make some more decisions about Aiden.
“The journey for Aiden was to understand that it could be a partnership with his boss. But she was still in charge. Aiden is protective of Vera. And as the series went on their decision making became much more instinctive. They were on the same page a lot more rather than clashing. We developed a natural rhythm. Almost like when you’ve got a piece of music with the front person and lead guitar. It felt a bit like that.
“There’s never any disrespect from Aiden to who Vera is. Things like putting on her blue overshoes is the respectful thing to do. Out of respect, Aiden would always lift the police tape for his boss so she could go under it. Or he’d open a door and let her go through first. They are acts of respect. But out of that respect there is a genuine love for Vera. And the way she conducts herself and carries out each investigation. Aiden loves her."
Kenny will be saying his own goodbye to the show on Boxing Day. "I’ll definitely be watching, eating a turkey sandwich, and I hope viewers will make a toast to Aiden’s farewell. It’s a very special episode!"
Is there a trailer for Vera: The Rising TIde?
There's no trailer yet available for Vera: The Rising Tide but if ITV does release one before Christmas we'll be posting it on here.
