Brenda Blethyn is a national treasure, so it's no wonder that viewers were delighted to see the actress reprise her role as the beloved DCI Vera Stanhope for the highly-anticipated 11th series of ITV's Vera in recent weeks.
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But with elation from the audience came disappointment, as it was revealed only the first two episodes from series 11 would be airing this year. A typical series of the crime drama consists of six episodes – so where are the remaining four? Here's everything we know...
WATCH: See the trailer for Vera series 11
Why was Vera series 11 delayed?
When series 11 was announced, it was reported that the drama had faced many setbacks as a result of filming during the coronavirus pandemic.
The cast and crew, like many TV productions, were faced with tough restrictions to work around. This meant that the subsequent filming and release of series 11 was affected.
When is the rest of Vera series 11 out?
There's no exact return date for the remaining four episodes of series 11. However, there's good news! The previous three series of Vera have aired in January. In addition, ITV announced in a statement that the rest of series 11 would air in "early 2022".
So with this in mind, it's certainly possible that the rest of the season will return in the first couple of months of the year. We'll keep you posted and, in the meantime, we're keeping our fingers crossed…
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© Photo: ITVVera series 11 only aired two episodes this year
What have the stars said about Vera series 11?
Brenda has opened up about the difficulties the show faced as a result of the pandemic before. She told ITV: "On the first day back filming I think everyone felt a huge sense of pride that we had all come together, we were all putting our best foot forward to try and get this done. We all knew it would be difficult with all the restrictions."
She added in another statement: "The safety of all personnel is always at the forefront of production, and with all the extra COVID precautions in place we will relish creating and delivering six cracking new episodes."
© Photo: ITVAre you a fan of Vera?
What do the fans make of Vera series 11?
The first two episodes of Vera did not disappoint. Plenty of fans shared their reactions on social media with many hailing the new series the "best ever."
One person summed it up on Twitter: "Just watched Sunday night's first episode of the new series of Vera. This was one of the best episodes I've seen. A superbly constructed, brisk narrative that twists in several unexpected directions. A fully satisfying mystery. Highly recommended. #Vera."
Another echoed this, tweeting: "OMG Vera, I'm telling you, seriously one of the best ever episodes to kick off series 11. I got the murderer but not the motive. Go watch it now."
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