CRIME OF YOUR LIFE
BRENDA BLETHYN AND KENNY DOUGHTY ARE CELEBRATING AS THE DETECTIVE DRAMA RETURNS…
As a new series begins this Sunday, DCI Vera Stanhope and DS Aiden Healy have a complex case to unravel, when the dead body of an entrepreneur is found. It might just be another day at work for the pair, but it’s a little bit more special in real life for actors
Brenda Blethyn and Kenny Doughty, as this is the 10th series of Vera. Inside TV caught up with them to find out how they felt about reaching this milestone…
Brenda, did you ever think the show would be around this long when you made the pilot episode?
Brenda No! When we did the pilot I was praying they’d make the series. And when that got recommissioned, I thought, ‘Oh, I’ve won the pools!’ Normally they wait until the show’s aired to see what the ratings are before recommissioning, then they started doing it before the series was shown, so they were pretty confident it had met the audience’s approval – that was lovely. Of course, the ratings shot up when Kenny came into it!
Why do you think the show remains so popular?
Kenny I love bigging Brenda up, and I’ve said this before – I think Brenda has created such a wonderful, authentic character that everyone loves. Brenda is the standard-bearer for the show, and as that standard is so high, we all come back with passion and vigour to start again. It’s 100 per cent Brenda.
Brenda Also, I think it’s family viewing – we have loads of people come to watch us filming, and increasingly kids. Kenny They make all these cards for us. I’ve noticed that they always make Vera stand over Aiden – they say, “I love it when Vera tells Aiden off!”
How has Vera and Aiden’s relationship developed since he first arrived during series five?
Brenda They make a good team; they can read each other’s minds.
Kenny They understand each other – Aiden can be quietly thoughtful, but he’s very protective. I like it when they’re grumpy with each other! There are a few moments this year where he’s trying to be kind and buys her something to eat, and she throws it back in his face – literally! But they love each other in their own way, and have a mutual understanding of each other’s uniqueness. It seems to work really well.