Coronation Street star signs up to appear in emotional final episode of Vera
A CORONATION Street actress has landed a brand new part in the final ever series of Vera.
Brenda Blethyn will be saying goodbye to the iconic DCI Vera Stanhope with a fourteenth and final series.
Her final farewell will consist of two feature-length specials with a whole host of famous faces signed up to co-star in the programmes with Brenda.
One of those familiar faces who will be seen on screens is ex-Corrie star Shobna Gulati.
Shobna rose to fame for her portrayal of Sunita Alahan in the ITV soap opera.
Details about Shobna’s character and role are being kept under wraps until later in the year with the two specials expected to air over the Christmas period.
Shobna starred in the soap from 2001 until 2006 before returning once again in 2009 where she remained until her character was killed off in 2013.
Sunita died after being caught up in the horror Rovers Return fire of 2013 after her affair with Karl Munro.
Amid her life-changing injuries, Karl pulled out Sunita’s breathing apparatus in the hospital causing her to go into a cardiac arrest and die.
Months later, he was arrested for causing the fire as well as being held responsible for Sunita’s death.
The outings will be the final time that Vera is seen on-screens with Brenda having chosen to leave the role for good after completing filming the scenes.
In one of the episodes, Vera will be tasked with dealing with a case of a young man’s body who is found on the banks of the Tyne.
As investigations get underway, a tricky web of broken romances, secret love, grudges and fraud come to the surface.
Earlier this year, Brenda opened up about quitting the long-running show and admitted it was “emotional”.
Speaking to The Sun at the National Television Awards last month, she said: “Yeah, it was quite emotional.
“Hopefully it’s up to its normal standard, and I’ve not seen them yet the last two episodes.”
Brenda added: “[But] the stories are all good.”
Earlier in April this year, the actress previously confirmed that the beloved show will come to an end after the 14th series.
In a heartfelt statement, she explained: “Working on Vera has been a joy from beginning to end and I’m sad to be saying Cheerio.
“But I am so proud of our achievements over the last fourteen
years. I’ll be forever grateful to the wonderful Ann Cleeves who created Vera, and to Elaine Collins who saw fit to cast me in the role.
“The Producers, dream cast and crew have been fabulous and I’m going to miss them, but I won’t forget their huge talent, the camaraderie, laughter or kindness we shared nor the friendship of the people of the north east and our fans worldwide.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Vera's Cast Over The Last 14 Years
Since its launch back in 2011 Vera has gripped ITV viewers with its crime stories - and dozens of actors have appeared in the show, including:
- Brenda Blethyn
- David Leon
- Jon Morrison
- Riley Jones
- Wunmi Mosaku
- Paul Ritter
- Cush Jumbo
- Sonya Cassidy
- Clare Calbraith
- Kingsley Ben-Adir
- Kenny Doughty
- Lisa Hammond
- Noof McEwan
- Christopher Colquhoun
- Steve Evets
- Ibinabo Jack
- Paul Kaye
- Sarah Kameela
- Rhiannon Clements