ITV has announced that filming has begun on VERA, a made for television film based on Ann Cleeves’ HIDDEN DEPTHS.
Julie Armstrong (Gina McKee) arrives home from a rare night out in Newcastle with boyfriend Gary Wright (Neil Armstrong) to find her son murdered. Luke (Sam Fender) has been strangled, laid out in a bath of water and covered with wild flowers while his sister, Laura (Gabrielle Ross), sleeps silently in the house. This stylised murder scene has Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) and Sergeant Joe Ashworth (David Leon) intrigued. A second body of beautiful young teacher Lily Marsh (Samantha Neale) is discovered laid out in a rock pool, the water strewn with flowers.
Vera must work quickly to find the killer who is making art out of death. Clues are slow to emerge from those who had known Luke and Lily, but Vera soon finds herself drawn towards a curious group of friends who discovered Lily’s body.
As local residents are forced to share their private lives and those of their loved ones, sinister secrets are slowly unearthed. And all the while the killer remains in their midst, waiting for an opportunity to prepare another beautiful, watery grave.
In addition to the aforementioned cast, VERA will also feature Wunmi Mosaku (as DC Holly), Paul Ritter (Forensic Pathologist Billy Cartwright), Juliet Aubrey (Felicity Calvert) and Murray Head (Peter Calvert), Patrick Toomey (Samuel Parr), Paul Higgins (Clive Stringer) and Colin Conway (Davy Sharp).
Adrian Shergold (He Kills Coppers, Dirty Filthy Love and Pierrepoint) is directing, with screenwrting duties handled by Paul Rutman (Inspector Lewis, Miss Marple).
