With ITV's hit detective drama Vera set to conclude on Thursday night, fans might be wondering what's next for Brenda Blethyn after stepping down from her role as DCI Vera Stanhope after 14 years.
In December, the 78-year-old actress told PA that she is "semi-retired", explaining that she doesn't want to sign up for projects that take her away from home for long periods.
© Helen Williams"I don't want to be doing jobs which means going away for long periods of time," said the star.
This isn't the first time Brenda has addressed retirement in recent months. Back in November, during a Q&A with Vera author Ann Cleeves at the British Film Institute, the Saving Grace star was asked if she would retire after Vera and reassured fans that she had no plans to quit acting anytime soon. "Oh no, I haven't retired," she said, adding: "I've just come south!"
Brenda went on to say that she's already shot a new film which she believes will be released in 2025.
"I was home, I hadn't even unpacked my bag and my agent called me and said, 'Oh, you've been offered a film,'" recalled the actress. "I said, 'I don't want to do a film. I haven't unpacked yet.'
© Stuart Wood"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.'"
Brenda continued: "I said, 'Oh, well, I better have a little read of it, but no, I'm not doing it, I'll have a read of it.' And I liked it, so I did it."
Vera comes to an end with the final two episodes of series 14. Teasing the last instalments, Brenda said fans can expect "trouble" with the detective's sidekick, Joe Ashworth.
"There's trouble at mill with Joe," she said. "Joe's got something going on that he doesn't want to talk about and Vera is anxious to get to the bottom of that.
"We know he came back to the area and joined Vera's team because his father was ill and his father passed away, we've already seen that, but Joe doesn't seem to have come out of that doldrum and Vera is concerned about it," she added.
© Stuart Wood/ITVThe synopsis for the final episode, which is set to be a poignant and emotional farewell to the drama, reads: "The final episode brings Vera back to a familiar place when a body is found at the foot of legendary local stones The Dark Wives with memories of childhood in the background, Vera must work hard to uncover the mystery of why a bright young student would be violently attacked and left so far from home."
