Brenda Blethyn's ITV Vera exit shouldn't mark the end - the perfect replacement is hiding in plain sight, analysis by Alex Davies

Vera's exit will be a huge loss to primetime weekend programming in an era where the only new shows to hit screens at the moment are watered-down reboots of classics from yesteryear.

DCI Stanhope herself is also a much-needed rarity on UK screens as well - a stoic, hardened, no-nonsense yet layered and charming older female character performed by a legend in British acting.

Blethyn said working on Vera had been "a joy from beginning to end" and she is "sad to be saying cheerio", but it's fair to say the 78-year-old deserves to go out with her head held high.

The actor was in her sixties when she first took on the role and speculation over her future on screens has been rife throughout the past few seasons.

Blethyn has proved any doubters about her ability on-screen as she approaches 80 wrong time and time again and she deserves to go out on her terms.

However, that isn't to say DCI Stanhope should go with her.

As I mentioned, Vera is a ratings smash for ITV and is beloved by not only British fans but by crime drama fans across the pond in the USA.

And in this instance, it would make sense to take a leaf out of the book of the BBC when it comes to preserving one its best-loved and successful dramas.

Last year, the BBC kept Shetland alive without leading star Douglas Henshall - and man who, to many, was to Shetland what Blethyn is to Vera.

Ashley Jensen came in to lead the drama and despite inevitable moans throughout the series, Shetland still managed to draw in the eyeballs week after week.

So much so, that a Jimmy Perez-less Shetland has been given the green light to return for not one but two more seasons with Jensen at the helm.

Of course, Jensen didn't take on the mantle of Perez, instead joining the fray in the chilly crime-ridden Scottish island as DI Ruth Calder - so why can't Vera do the same?

many thanks to everyone for your good wishes. so very much appreciated. getting ready to start filming Series 14 of Vera next week. gonna be hard saying farewell.

— Brenda Blethyn (@BrendaBlethyn) April 24, 2024

It may be odd to have someone take on the void left by DCI Stanhope under a new moniker while the show remains maintains the Vera title, but with the right appointment, this will surely be a minor snag.

I also agree that Blethyn shouldn't be directly replaced in the role and have a different actor try to keep things going as they were while trying to sport DCI Stanhope's iconic headwear as Blethyn did.

But if Vera bosses went down the Shetland route, the drama could live on - and there's one British actress who could pull it off.

Sarah Lancashire.

The former Corrie star proved beyond any doubt her jaw-dropping acting abilities during her time as the face of the award-winning, gripping and harrowing BBC drama, Happy Valley.

She also played a member of the police force so let's cling onto that as an albeit tenuous bonus.

Lancashire turns 60 this year and perfectly fits the mold to play the role of a detective needed in DCI Stanhope's absence.

The actor has been the subject of reports that acting will take a backseat going forward as she looks to focus on her own production company but ITV should do all they can to convince her otherwise.

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She showed off her versatility in the US biopic of Julia Childs recently on HBO and will soon appear on Netflix opposite the likes of Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw in the six-part drama Black Doves.

But beyond that, according to her IMDb page, Lancashire's diary looks wide open for a prospective 15th series of Vera.

According to the Daily Express, it's already a theory that's been garnering traction among the Vera fandom's message boards online.

If Lancashire was off the cards, I'd argue Vera bosses shouldn't stop their search there.

Why not look towards the likes of fellow national treasures Imelda Staunton or Olivia Colman?

Staunton played a Vera of her own in the 2004 classic Vera Drake and recently showed off her brilliant range in Netflix's The Crown.

And while Oscar-winner Colman has skyrocketed to one of the world's biggest stars, who could forget her turn in the gritty British crime drama Broadchurch 10 years ago?

Sadly though, these remain a pipedream as ITV wasted no time in confirming Vera would end as soon as Blethyn decided to call time on her tenure.

But as Vera continues to be a ratings hit for ITV, Blethyn handing over the baton should be the way to go.