Brenda Blethyn to star in new ITV murder mystery

28 August 2009

International award winning actress Brenda Blethyn OBE is to star in a new murder mystery produced by ITVS, Laura Mackie, Director of Drama at ITV, announced today.

The star of such prestigious productions as Secrets and Lies, Pride and Prejudice and Atonement will play Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope, in a television adaptation of a book by crime writer Ann Cleeves.

Adrian Shergold whose credits include Persuasion and other ITV dramas including He Kills Coppers, Dirty Filthy Love and Pierrepoint will direct the two hour drama which will go into production in October. The executive producer is Kate Bartlett, Controller of Drama at ITVS, and Elwen Rowlands (Wild Sargasso Sea) will produce. The script, which is based on the book Hidden Depths, has been adapted by Paul Rutman who has written on Marple and Lewis.

The central character is Inspector Vera Stanhope who is obsessive about her work and driven by her own demons. If she’s lonely she doesn’t show it and faces the world with caustic wit, guile and courage. Her trusted and long suffering colleague is Joe Ashworth; he is her right hand man and surrogate son. Together they approach every new case with unparalleled gusto and professionalism.

Set in a contemporary Northumberland close-knit community this engrossing murder mystery centres around the discovery of two beautiful young corpses found floating in water, garlanded with wild flowers.

Vera and Joe are called to the stylised murder scene and as they start to interview the friends and relatives of the victims, sinister secrets are slowly unearthed.

Laura Mackie says : ‘Ann Cleeves’ skilfully crafted mystery is a real page turner, full of intrigue and emotion and I’m thrilled we’re bringing it to ITV, especially with Brenda Blethyn taking on the central role. It is a great addition to our strong slate of crime drama”

Kate Bartlett says: ‘We’re delighted to be in production on a new character driven crime drama, set in the North East.  It is also wonderful to be working with the exciting new writer Paul Rutman on his first original commission.’

International bestseller Ann Cleeves was the first author to win the inaugural CWA Duncan Lawrie Dagger, now  the biggest crime fiction prize in the world, for her novel Raven Black, part of the Shetland Island quartet. Apart from the Vera Stanhope series,  published in the UK by Macmillan, she has also written series featuring Inspector Ramsay  and husband and wife sleuths George and Molly Palmer-Jones.