Brenda Blethyn reveals new movie after Vera: 'I'm not retiring'

Over a decade later, the 78-year-old reflected on the hit ITV show with Vera author Ann Cleeves in conversation at the British Film Institute in Vera: End of an Era.

When asked if she was retiring from acting after hanging up her mac, she replied: "Oh no, I haven't retired. I've just come south!"

Read more:

• Vera reveals synopsis for poignant final episode ahead of Brenda Blethyn's farewell
• Brenda Blethyn says it's 'going to be hard' saying goodbye to Vera as she gets ready for final season

The cast and crew filmed two feature-length final episodes over the summer, and only a week later Blethyn went on to shoot a new movie, which she believes will be released in 2025.

"I was home, I hadn't even unpacked my bag," she recalled, "and my agent called me and said, 'Oh, you've been offered a film.' I said, 'I don't want to do a film. I haven't unpacked yet.'

"She said, 'Oh, it is with Andrea Riseborough.' I said, 'Oh, is it?' And she said, 'And it starts next week because somebody had dropped out and it's written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams.'

"I said, 'Oh, well, I better have a little read of it just to... but no, I'm not doing it, but I'll have a read of it.' And I liked it, so I did it."

Blethyn believes the project is called Dragonfly after the name changed several times, and joked she would be "the last to know" about the confirmed release date.

The veteran also opened up about her reason for exiting the much-loved series, as she wanted to spend more time with her family, after spending the last 14 summers filming in the North East without them.

"While, through Vera, I have my Newcastle family who I love so much, I also have a family of my own back at home who I haven't been able to see as much as I'd like, because of filming," she said.

Blethyn also said she was "really proud" of offering a new representation of an older woman on-screen as Detective Stanhope, and that ITV wanted her to continue the series.

"I don't know what the retiring age of a policeman/woman is, but ITV were, I think, happy for me to carry on," she explained. "I’d have been on a Zimmer. I'm 78.

"I mean, you see more and more of older women nowadays, and I applaud it. It's brilliant."

Blethyn revealed that season 14 of Vera is scheduled to be released over the New Year.

Vera season 14 will arrive soon. Previous episodes are available to watch on ITVX.

You can also purchase instalments from any series on Amazon Prime Video. You can buy the first of Ann Cleeves's Vera novels now.

To find out what else is on, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our dedicated Drama hub. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.