Vera stars now – untimely death, famous wife and huge return hint for finale (2024)

ITV Vera has been on screens for an impressive 13 series (Image: ITV)

Vera has seen a growing list of stars join its cast over the last 13 series. While leading lady Brenda Blethyn will be returning to film the final series, others have moved on, including one making a surprising return for the new series.

Since its debut in 2011, Vera has established itself as a national favourite drama, with BAFTA winner and Oscar nominee Brenda at the helm as the straight-talking detective DCI Stanhope. There have been 13 series on ITV, and it was announced last month that the upcoming two episodes will be the finale, with Vera concluding in early 2025.

The start of Vera's 13th series was marked with some melancholy, as it was revealed that stars Kenny Doughty and Ibinabo Jack would not be part of it; both choosing to leave the Sunday night drama.

Both made their exits in the recent Vera Christmas special, The Rising Tide. Their departures are not the first to shake up Vera and here we explore what happened to some of the show's stars who've left, one of whom made a shocking on-screen comeback this year.

Vera's Paul Kaye and Brenda Blethyn were fan favourites on the show before his death (Image: ITV)

David Leon - DS Joe Ashworth

Beginning with the actor who is making a comeback to Vera, reprising his role as Joe Ashworth; eight years after leaving leading lady Brenda 'heartbroken' with his departure.

After featuring in shows like BBC drama Cutting It, David became Vera's original sidekick, with millions of ITV viewers cherishing the camaraderie between him and Brenda.

Brenda and Vera fans were taken aback when David exited the show after series four. His character Joe wasn't even given a proper farewell on screen, with DCI Stanhope briefly mentioning that he'd moved away after receiving a 'big promotion'.

Paul Ritter - Dr Billy Cartwright

The late actor Paul portrayed Dr Billy Cartwright in Vera from 2011-13, before achieving global fame in the cast of Friday Night Dinner.

Paul Ritter tragically passed away in 2021 at the age of 54, following a courageous fight against a brain tumour. The distinguished Brenda Blethyn honoured his memory on X (Twitter), expressing: "RIP Paul Ritter, the very finest of actors and a gentleman.

"He will be so sorely missed and I send my heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. What very sad news."

Kenny Doughty - Aiden Healy

Kenny subtly hinted at his departure from 'Vera' through a series of behind-the-scenes snaps shared with his fellow cast, captioning them with a wistful 'Thanks for the memories. ' This sparked concern among followers and their suspicions were confirmed when Doughty took to social media to announce that he was stepping down from his near decade-long role as Vera's right-hand man.

Doughty has revealed that his decision to leave was made prior to the filming of series 12, but he was persuaded to feature in one last Christmas special. Although he hasn't disclosed his future career plans, Doughty did catch the spotlight in November after tying the knot with 'Extras' and 'Nativity' actor Ashley Jensen.

The newlyweds made headlines again when they ventured to Shetland as Jensen joined the BBC drama by the same name, which is also penned by 'Vera' writer Ann Cleeves.

Lately, theres been buzz around Kenny Doughty possibly making a return to 'Vera', or even 'replacing' Brenda if whispered speculations of a spin-off become a reality.

Kingsley Ben-Adir was in Vera with Brenda Blethyn for series four to six (Image: ITV)

Kingsley Ben-Adir - Dr Marcus Sumner

Kingsley, known for his role as pathologist Dr Marcus in series 4-6, returned to the show after a few years. Since leaving, he has starred in the Oscar-nominated film One Night in Miami and played a Ken Doll in the highly publicised Greta Gerwig film Barbie, which was released in the summer and became 2023's biggest film.

In Barbie, Kingsley shared the screen with leading actors Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie. The film, inspired by the iconic doll, also featured other famous faces such as Will Ferrell, Ugly Betty actress America Ferrera, and New Rules singer Dua Lipa.

Recently, Kingsley took on the lead role in a biopic of music legend Bob Marley, where he was photographed on set with co-stars like Happy Valley's James Norton.

David Leon and Brenda Blethyn in Vera (Image: ITV)

Cush Jumbo - DC Bethany Whelan

Cush rose to fam in series two and five, made her final appearance in Vera's sixth series when her character was tragically killed off.

Following her departure from Vera, Cush became a regular cast member in the 20152016 season of the globally renowned CBS series The Good Wife and its spin-off, The Good Fight.

In the previous year, she received an Olivier nomination for her stellar performance in Hamlet and served as a guest judge on BBC's RuPaul's Drag Race UK season 5 in the autumn. She made her comeback to British TV drama in 2024, starring alongside Peter Capaldi in Criminal Record and ITV revenge thriller The Beast Must Die.

Sonya Cassidy stole the show as Diane Barnwell (Image: ITV STUDIOS)

Wunmi Mosaku - DC Holly Lawson

The talented Wunmi Mosaku reminisced about her 2011 debut as DC Holly Lawson in Vera, sharing fond memories of working with Brenda Blethyn. In the heat of discussion, she revealed a pivotal moment: "The thing I remember most fondly and I think this changed me as an actor was I watched her and you get taught to ignore the camera in drama school, but when I was watching her, I realised she wasn't ignoring the camera."

"The camera was the audience and she was making sure the audience knew what was going on. If she turned away from me, she was never turning away from the audience."

Wunmi's career has blossomed following her time on Vera; her credits now include Luther, Kiri, the emotionally charged Damilola, Our Beloved Boy and the lead in ITV's controversial Passenger.

Passenger's Wunmi Mosaku has gone onto find fame on TV (Image: ITV)

Clare Calbraith - DS Rebecca Shephard

Clare Calbraith, who played DS Rebecca 'Shep' Shephard in series three and four of Vera, went on to star in major ITV dramas such as Unforgotten, Downton Abbey, Grace and Baptiste after her departure from the show.

Vera fans were left disappointed when Paul Kaye's character, Dr Malcolm Donahue, exited the series at the start of season 12. His departure was confirmed by Brenda Blethyn before the show returned in 2023, with both her and co-star Riley Jones expressing their sadness at his leaving.

Paul has since appeared in the Olivier Award-winning play The Pillowman, alongside Lily Allen and Benidorm and League of Gentlemen star Steve Pemberton. The play premiered at the Duke of York theatre in London's West End in June, featuring Lily Allen as a writer in a police state being interrogated about the content of her short stories and their similarities to several town murders.