Vera cast and crew spotted filming at South Shields fair as Ocean Beach Pleasure Park hosts award-winning detective series

Star Brenda Blethyn was spotted along with production crew at Ocean Beach Pleasure Park in South Shields today, Monday, May 10, filming for the 11th series of the ITV detective drama.

The supersleuth’s trademark blue Land Rover Defender could be seen parked next to a police vehicle outside the amusements at the fair, with the detective inspector herself appearing in the doorway.

Meanwhile, production units were parked up at the rear of the fair beside the sand dunes.

It comes after an earlier visit from the cast and crew working on the 11th series, with filming taking place at the Ocean Road Community Association in November 2020.

Indeed, Vera is no stranger to South Tyneside, with previous series also filmed at Ocean Beach and The Dragon nearby.

The award-winning North East-based show is made by Silverprint Pictures, which is part of ITV Studios, and its last series drew in an average of 7.5 million viewers in the UK, while 150 territories worldwide also get to glimpse the region as the backdrop of its stories.

As the series was confirmed, Brenda said: “I’m really looking forward to working on the next series of Vera.

"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.”

The programme’s makers had to push back their schedule due to the pandemic.

Vera is commissioned by ITV’s Head of Drama Polly Hill and Drama Commissioner Huw Kennair Jones who said: “Vera is one of ITV Drama's most loved series so we're delighted it’s returning to production.

"We can't wait to welcome the brilliant Brenda Blethyn and the rest of the cast back on to our screens for what promises to be an exceptional series eleven.”

The six self-contained crime stories are inspired by the best-selling novels and characters created by crime writer Ann Cleeves.

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