best episodes of Vera poster

A sharp detective with a messy life, DCI Vera Stanhope patrols her “patch” of northeast England, pursuing the truth in cases of murder, kidnapping, and blackmail. Vera is obsessive about her work and faces the world with caustic wit, guile and courage.

14 Seasons
56 Episodes
Ended
Crime Drama Mystery
Cast & Characters
episode image Dark Road
8.6/10 (3660 votes)

#1 Dark Road

S6:E1

The body of a woman is found on the bleak Northumberland moors.

episode image The Seagull
8.3/10 (614 votes)

#2 The Seagull

S9:E4

DCI Stanhope must open up a familiar cold case to find the connection with a present-day murder.

episode image Little Lazarus
8.1/10 (767 votes)

#3 Little Lazarus

S1:E4

Last in the series of the detective drama based on the novels by Ann Cleeves. DI Vera Stanhope rescues a young boy from a freezing pond after he escapes from a violent attack which left his mother dead. As Vera and her team investigate what happened to the child, they unravel a web of deadly secrets and discover a murderous sequence of events set in motion by power, money and a mother's love. Although she is usually awkward and uninterested around children, Vera finds a kindred spirit in the boy, and begins to realise that the key to the investigation may lie hidden in his memory.

episode image Silent Voices
8.1/10 (757 votes)

#4 Silent Voices

S2:E2

Vera investigates the case of a murdered social worked named Jenny Lister, who was universally considered to have been principled and popular. However, in an overworked and understaffed social work system, a notorious case involving the death of a child seems to hold the key to solving the killing. As Vera pursues the truth, she discovers the real secret at the heart of Jenny's death - and the killer who will stop at nothing to keep it hidden

episode image Home
8.1/10 (640 votes)

#5 Home

S8:E3

Quiet life in suburbia takes a dark turn when a woman is discovered murdered, found lying dead in her back garden. When DCI Vera Stanhope discovers that the neighbours aren’t all that they seem, buried secrets must be unearthed in order to catch the killer.

episode image Blue
8.1/10 (491 votes)

#6 Blue

S12:E3

Joel Kingston is a copper’s copper from a respected and notable police family but when he is found dead, floating in a park lake, DCI Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) finds herself investigating both sides of the thin blue line in order to find his killer. A complex family dynamic, tensions at work, and brushes with the underworld, paint a dark and complex picture. Joel was there to serve and protect but did his stubborn commitment to justice at any price lead to his death? Or, was he killed to stop him revealing a secret that would destroy someone’s life? Vera steps on toes and ruffles a few police feathers as she searches for answers as to why PC Joel Kingston is no longer on the beat.

episode image The Darkest Evening
8.1/10 (546 votes)

#7 The Darkest Evening

S12:E4

On the night of a massive storm, trying to get home, DCI Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) comes across an abandoned car with a baby inside. With no mobile signal and blocked roads at every turn, Vera is forced to seek refuge somewhere she’d rather not be, Brockburn House, the Stanhope’s ancestral pile. Vera doesn’t exactly receive a warm welcome from her estranged family as there’s a function in full swing and her turning up with a baby isn’t a great look. Things start to look even worse and take a far sinister turn when a body is found on the track leading to Brockburn House.

episode image Young Gods
8.0/10 (682 votes)

#8 Young Gods

S3:E3

DCI Vera Stanhope delves into the tangled past of extreme sports fanatic, Gideon Frane, when he plunges from a Northumberland cliff top in a ball of flames.

episode image Old Wounds
8.0/10 (663 votes)

#9 Old Wounds

S5:E2

Following the discovery of the remains of a teenage girl half-buried in a Northumberland wood, Vera and her team end up looking into a thirty-year old mystery.

episode image Blood and Bone
8.0/10 (654 votes)

#10 Blood and Bone

S8:E1

DCI Vera Stanhope is called to a chilling murder scene when the charred remains of a body are discovered in an abattoir incinerator. With limited forensic evidence, she is disturbed to identify the body as DC Harry Fenton, a respected police officer from the Northumberland & City Fraud Unit.

episode image Cold River
8.0/10 (600 votes)

#11 Cold River

S9:E3

A beauty empire is shaken to the ground when one of three sisters is found dead in the River Tyne. DCI Vera Stanthorpe investigates.

episode image Dirty
8.0/10 (549 votes)

#12 Dirty

S10:E3

Cleaner Luke Sumner's body is discovered close to his flat in Newcastle, but pathology concludes that the killing blow could have occurred several hours before he succumbed to his injuries, prompting Vera to piece together the victim's final hours in order to investigate his murder.

episode image Recovery
8.0/10 (659 votes)

#13 Recovery

S11:E2

DCI Vera Stanhope is called to the scene when the body of addiction support worker Angela Konan is found hidden among the bleak woodlands of Northumberland National Park. Vera and her team must peel back the layers of the introverted victim 's life to uncover her closely guarded secrets and surprising depths. as It appears an increasingly erratic Angela clashed with two clients in the week before she died.

episode image Fast Love
8.0/10 (575 votes)

#14 Fast Love

S13:E1

Vera is brought to market when a lovable rogue trader is found dead in a lane following a suspected hit-and-run, and a familiar face is back on the scene.

episode image The Ghost Position
7.9/10 (782 votes)

#15 The Ghost Position

S2:E1

Vera's reunion with her first-ever sergeant, Stuart Macken, occurs under tragic circumstances when his house is petrol-bombed. Stuart is badly burned by the attack and his 18-year-old daughter Stella is left fighting for her life in intensive care. Vera is shocked to see that Stuart is a shadow of the man she knew 20 years before and, when her investigation uncovers unpleasant revelations about his personal life, she is faced with some long-buried memories of her own.

episode image A Certain Samaritan
7.9/10 (664 votes)

#16 A Certain Samaritan

S2:E3

DCI Vera Stanhope investigates the murder of 29-year-old Niall Coulter. With those closest to Niall intent upon obscuring the truth, it is not until the body of a drug dealer is found washed up on a Northumberland beach that the dreadful truth begins to emerge about Niall's past. While coping with revelations from her own past, Vera sifts through evidence of the grief, love and addiction that characterised Niall's life and deduces that his murderer acted through selfless and unrequited love.

episode image Poster Child
7.9/10 (650 votes)

#17 Poster Child

S3:E2

DCI Vera Stanhope and her team must race against time to track down the killer of a respected surgeon and save his abducted teenage daughters.

episode image Prodigal Son
7.9/10 (648 votes)

#18 Prodigal Son

S3:E4

Vera and her team investigate the fatal stabbing of an ex-Met police officer outside a busy Newcastle nightclub.

episode image On Harbour Street
7.9/10 (699 votes)

#19 On Harbour Street

S4:E1

Investigating a mysterious death, DCI Vera Stanhope finds herself in a quiet coastal town with clues that keep revolving around one street.

episode image Protected
7.9/10 (640 votes)

#20 Protected

S4:E2

Vera unearths a 30-year-old mystery when the son of a prominent local family is found brutally murdered on the sands of a seaside resort.

episode image Death of a Family Man
7.9/10 (665 votes)

#21 Death of a Family Man

S4:E4

DCI Vera Stanhope investigates the mysterious death of a businessman found floating in the water under the Gateshead Millennium Bridge.

episode image Muddy Waters
7.9/10 (713 votes)

#22 Muddy Waters

S5:E3

Vera investigates the death of an unidentified man dredged up from a slurry pit on a remote Northumberland farm.

episode image Shadows in the Sky
7.9/10 (1024 votes)

#23 Shadows in the Sky

S5:E4

A dock worker plunges from the roof of a multistory car park whilst picking up daughter from her school prom and everything points to foul play.

episode image Tuesday's Child
7.9/10 (2339 votes)

#24 Tuesday's Child

S6:E2

The detective investigates the discovery of a young man's body in an area notorious for illicit teenage gatherings, the corpse wrapped in plastic sheeting and having received a blow to the head.

episode image Dark Angel
7.9/10 (646 votes)

#25 Dark Angel

S7:E2

The body of a young man is discovered face down in a river by Thrunton Woods. But tracing the victim's identity proves difficult for Vera and her team.

episode image Broken Promise
7.9/10 (552 votes)

#26 Broken Promise

S7:E3

Vera is called to Northumberland University when a student plummets to his death from the top of a disused faculty building.

episode image The Blanket Mire
7.9/10 (545 votes)

#27 The Blanket Mire

S7:E4

When the body of a missing teenager is discovered buried on the moors, Vera is forced to delve into the life and the secrets of the victim.

episode image Blind Spot
7.9/10 (641 votes)

#28 Blind Spot

S9:E1

DCI Vera Stanhope investigates the murder of a trainee forensic psychologist found dead on a Northumberland landfill site.

episode image Witness
7.9/10 (617 votes)

#29 Witness

S11:E1

DCI Vera Stanhope must unravel the mystery when well-respected local builder and family man Jim Tullman is found beaten to death on the steps of the Collingwood Monument the day before he was due to testify in court as the key witness in a violent assault case.

episode image As the Crow Flies
7.9/10 (534 votes)

#30 As the Crow Flies

S11:E4

Primary school teacher Lizzy Swann is found dead at the bottom of a cliffside coastal walkway, but what appears at first to be a terrible accident, quickly becomes a murder investigation as Vera discovers evidence the body has been tampered with. Interviews with those who knew Lizzy paint a troubling picture of a guarded and paranoid woman who seemed to be burning bridges with friends and family alike in the days leading up to her death.

episode image Vital Signs
7.9/10 (471 votes)

#31 Vital Signs

S11:E5

Vera is called out to the grim scene of a body found in the back of a burned out car. When identified as a popular local GP, we enter a world of intrigue, betrayal, and lust.

episode image The Way the Wind Blows
7.9/10 (436 votes)

#32 The Way the Wind Blows

S11:E6

The body of a young woman has been washed up on the banks of the River Tyne. Although she was a popular colleague, loyal friend, and loving mother and wife, we uncover a web of intrigue, betrayal, and lost promises.

episode image Tender
7.9/10 (485 votes)

#33 Tender

S13:E2

DCI Vera Stanhope is on track to uncover an intriguing yet puzzling case when the body of a sickly young girl is discovered in a railway siding. Found in the middle of nowhere she could be anyone but the investigation soon turns up twists and turns that makes Vera question who this girl actually was. A vulnerable young person with a serious health condition, has her weakened state allowed someone to take advantage of her? And how does the family dynamic work when she’s not truly part of the family? A tale of intrigue, betrayal and blurred lines, Vera’s investigation questions the meaning of family, care and accountability. And with eroding trust, does care come at a cost?

episode image Castles in the Air
7.8/10 (689 votes)

#34 Castles in the Air

S3:E1

DCI Vera Stanhope investigates the brutal murder of a young physiotherapist gunned down at a luxury country retreat.

episode image Black Ice
7.8/10 (597 votes)

#35 Black Ice

S8:E2

When a seemingly beloved resident of a coastal community is fatally driven off the road, DCI Vera digs up the victim's past in the hope of unmasking the killer.

episode image Blood Will Tell
7.8/10 (580 votes)

#36 Blood Will Tell

S10:E1

DCI Vera Stanhope must unravel the circumstances of self-styled entrepreneur Freddie Gill's death when his body is found by bailiffs, attempting to repossess his house.

episode image The Escape Turn
7.8/10 (514 votes)

#37 The Escape Turn

S10:E4

Wealthy betting shop tycoon Alun Wilmott is shot and killed during a home invasion, leaving his wife and daughter traumatized - with large amounts of cash missing from his personal safe, it is assumed he is the unlucky victim of a burglary.

episode image Tyger Tyger
7.8/10 (553 votes)

#38 Tyger Tyger

S11:E3

When security foreman Gary Mallon is fatally wounded during a robbery at a Blyth container port the evidence points to an audacious heist that went awry. Vera begins to suspect an inside job. But the investigation takes an unexpected turn when Gary’s ex-wife contacts police with the news that their 13-year-old son is missing. Gary Mallon was acting under duress - the victim of a tiger kidnapping. His son was being held as collateral - but where is he now? In order to rescue the missing boy, Vera first needs to work out who was behind the robbery. Further complications ensue when she finds herself forced to collaborate with an NCA Officer who is working on a covert surveillance operation with links to organised crime. As Vera closes in on the kidnappers a misstep in the investigation leads to tragic repercussions, and she finds herself taken off the case.

episode image Against the Tide
7.8/10 (606 votes)

#39 Against the Tide

S12:E1

Vera is called to a lighthouse when the body of a local council worker is found, but it becomes clear that his life wasn't plain sailing.

episode image For the Grace of God
7.8/10 (601 votes)

#40 For the Grace of God

S12:E2

Vera attends to the body of an ex-soldier who ended up on the streets and finds that events in his past and the present made for a deadly future.

Cast & Chracters

character image DCI Vera Stanhope

DCI Vera Stanhope

Actor: Brenda Blethyn
character image DC Kenny Lockhart

DC Kenny Lockhart

Actor: Jon Morrison

DC Mark Edwards

Actor: Riley Jones
character image DI Joe Ashworth

DI Joe Ashworth

Actor: David Leon
character image Dr Paula Bennett

Dr Paula Bennett

Actor: Sarah Kameela Impey
character image DC Steph Duncan

DC Steph Duncan

Actor: Rhiannon Clements

The highest rated episode of Vera is "Dark Road" (S6E1) with a rating of 8.60.

This episode received 3,660 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Hidden Depths" (S1E1) with a rating of 7.30.

This episode received 1,078 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Little Lazarus" (S1E4) with a rating of 8.10.

This episode received 767 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Hidden Depths" (S1E1) with a rating of 7.30.

This episode received 1,078 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Silent Voices" (S2E2) with a rating of 8.10.

This episode received 757 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Sandancers" (S2E4) with a rating of 7.60.

This episode received 647 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Young Gods" (S3E3) with a rating of 8.00.

This episode received 682 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Castles in the Air" (S3E1) with a rating of 7.80.

This episode received 689 votes.

The highest rated episode is "On Harbour Street" (S4E1) with a rating of 7.90.

This episode received 699 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "The Deer Hunters" (S4E3) with a rating of 7.40.

This episode received 607 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Old Wounds" (S5E2) with a rating of 8.00.

This episode received 663 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Changing Tides" (S5E1) with a rating of 7.60.

This episode received 684 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Dark Road" (S6E1) with a rating of 8.60.

This episode received 3,660 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "The Moth Catcher" (S6E3) with a rating of 7.60.

This episode received 1,711 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Dark Angel" (S7E2) with a rating of 7.90.

This episode received 646 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Natural Selection" (S7E1) with a rating of 7.70.

This episode received 1,226 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Home" (S8E3) with a rating of 8.10.

This episode received 640 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Darkwater" (S8E4) with a rating of 7.70.

This episode received 566 votes.

The highest rated episode is "The Seagull" (S9E4) with a rating of 8.30.

This episode received 614 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Cuckoo" (S9E2) with a rating of 7.60.

This episode received 576 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Dirty" (S10E3) with a rating of 8.00.

This episode received 549 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Parent Not Expected" (S10E2) with a rating of 7.60.

This episode received 547 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Recovery" (S11E2) with a rating of 8.00.

This episode received 659 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Tyger Tyger" (S11E3) with a rating of 7.80.

This episode received 553 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Blue" (S12E3) with a rating of 8.10.

This episode received 491 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Against the Tide" (S12E1) with a rating of 7.80.

This episode received 606 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Fast Love" (S13E1) with a rating of 8.00.

This episode received 575 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Salt & Vinegar" (S13E3) with a rating of 7.80.

This episode received 433 votes.

Name Department Job
Paul Rutman Writing Writer

Similar Shows You Might Like