Vera star David Leon says it was an "honour" returning to direct episode
The crime drama's 14th and final season arrives soon.
David Leon has revealed it was a "privilege and honour" to return and direct an episode of Vera.
The actor appeared on the long-running ITV series as DI Joe Ashworth, the mentee and close friend of Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn), for four seasons.
In 2014, Leon exited the popular series, but this wasn’t the end for his involvement in the show, as three years later he returned to direct one episode in season 8 titled Black Ice.
During a Q&A at the British Film Institute titled Vera: The End of an Era, Brenda Blethyn and Vera author Ann Cleeves discussed the evolution of the series since it debuted in 2011.
Blethyn was joined by many of her crew and co-stars in the audience including Leon, Riley Jones, who plays DC Mark Edwards, and Sarah Kameela Impey, who stars as pathologist Dr Paula Bennett.
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After discussing Blethyn’s time on the show, Leon opened up about his return to the series first as a director, before rejoining the cast for seasons 13 and 14.
When asked about whether this experience was different to being on the show, he replied: "It's obviously very, very different. But I was very, very lucky because Brenda and the team, the crew, everyone you don't see behind the scenes were just so incredibly supportive.
"I mean, people talk about it being the Vera family, and that's generally the case. I think there are people who have been part of Vera since its inception and just really understand the fabric of the show."
He also took a moment to praise his co-star Blethyn and credited her with the positive and welcoming atmosphere on set.
"But I think more importantly, the culture of the show, which really is set from the top by Brenda and filters all the way down," he added. "It was a great experience and it was a real privilege and honour, really, to be able to steer that ship."
Leon will return with Blethyn for the final two-part feature length episodes in season 14.
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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.
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