Where is Vera filmed? ITV drama’s final series locations as last ever episodes air

It’s a bittersweet start to 2025 for Vera fans as, while excited that their favourite crime drama is back on screens, it is returning for what will be its last ever series, with just two more episodes of the show that has been a hit all over the world

The much-loved ITV crime drama, set in the North East and starring BAFTA-winning Brenda Blethyn as the savvy mac-wearing detective, has been part of fans’ lives now for nearly 14 years, with it announced by ITV back in the spring, that Vera would be wrapping up with a 14th and final series, consisting of just two feature length murder mysteries.

They were shot all over the North East from May-July, with Brenda and her fellow cast members filming their last ever scenes on July 12, a day that turned out to be very emotional for all involved, as tears were shed when cameras were put down for a final time.

Whenever the drama – which is of course based upon the Vera Stanhope novels by local author Ann Cleeves – appears in the TV schedules, it always guarantees two things: firstly, that viewers can expect another wealth of top-notch storytelling featuring the crime-cracking sleuth and, secondly, the North East can expect another flood of visitors, wanting to see for themselves the location of the action and this tourist boost to the economy has become known as the ‘Vera effect’. There is even a Vera Tour to take fans around the drama’s standout locations. Below is our own round-up of where filming took place.

Where is Vera filmed?

Series 14 locations

The first place the Vera cast were seen when production began on series 14 was Cambois in Northumberland, with Brenda and returning sidekick David Leon, spotted next to what look like a little caravan by the side of the road. From there, filming moved to a housing estate and beach in Blyth, where Brenda’s stunt double caused a bit of a stir with passers by.

Other places camera rolled for the last ever episodes include Gateshead, in a building right near the centre of the town, South Shields, where cast were seen both at the Town Hall and on a housing estate; Hartlepool, Whitley Bay and finally, in the small Northumberland village of Glanton, which had its name changed for the purposes of the plot, as well as the local pub becoming The Stanhope Arms, which could serve as a clue to what will happen in the finale, given that Stanhope is of course Vera’s second name. Glanton was used to film a large parade scene for The Dark Wives episode, which will air on January 2.

The police station scenes in Vera series 14 were all filmed at the show’s production base in Killingworth, after the location switched from the outskirts of Newcastle,where it used to be right next to the Geordie Shore house.

Series 13 locations

Filming for the latest series got under way at the end of May 2023 and saw Brenda back in Vera’s native Northumberland. Cast and crew got to work on new scenes in Hexham over the Bank Holiday weekend, with the Market Place and St Mary’s Chare used as a backdrop, and then moved on to Wylam where preparations for the shoot had taken place around Points Bridge below Hagg Bank, including the resurfacing of the Wylam Waggonway.

A night-time shoot took place there and cameras were also rolling on Wylam Wood Road, with a camera drone being used for some shots. Following that, cast and crew were spotted in the likes of Gateshead, North Shields, Newcastle Quayside and Gosforth, with show’s fans coming out in force, as usual, to watch the action.

In early June, cast caused a stir in North Shields when they turned up to film there again and crowds gathered to watch a scene which saw Blethyn and co-star David Leon stroll along the Fish Quay. Towards the end of that month, the pair were spotted outside a property in Kenton Avenue, Gosforth, with Vera’s famous Landrover parked nearby.

Then work in July saw production take over The Hooch bar on Newcastle quayside whose front was transformed into a cafe named Grounded Out for a storyline which had Blethyn and Leon seated in its window. Passers-by described their expressions as ‘fraught and tense’ for the scene.

Filming also took place near the Crown Court and it is believed the quayside scenes are set to feature in the second of the upcoming new episodes. There were opportunities to take lots of photographs capturing cast and crew at work throughout the summer as the familiar big-scale operation can hardly be kept under the radar.

In May, for instance, a large number of production trailers were seen parked outside Ryton Rugby Club and near Thorp Academy secondary school and the vehicles were so large that part of the car park had to be closed off to accommodate them. In Gateshead, cast members were also spotted at work on scenes at the Metrocentre.

In August Vera was venturing as far as Redcar in Teesside to set more scenes, with those featuring in Sunday night’s series finale – Salt & Vinegar and in North Yorkshire where what was described as ‘a crime scene’ was set up close to a railway in the Redmire area for filming which then continued in Bedale. August brought the team back to Tynemouth, for a later than initially planned shoot in residential areas around Prior’s Terrace.

By September all the new episodes were complete. And now local location-spotters can get busy working out those various settings when series 13 makes its debut, with the first episode, Fast Love, set to air this January 7 on ITV1 at 8pm.

Christmas Special

Filming on The Rising Tide toom place at the end of 2022, with the cast first spotted in Corbridge, ahead of the village’s Christmas Tree Festival, the village’s busiest weekend of the year Businesses throughout the village were transformed into those of Kimmerston village: Baby at the Bank, a shop inside the village’s old Lloyds Bank, temporarily became a solicitors’ office; Tea and Tipple Coffee Shop became the Bread and Olive Delicatessen; and Corbridge Garden Rooms was renamed Kimmerston Garden Rooms.

Crew members were then seen setting up on Elvet Bridge in November last year, with Vera’s famous Land Rover then seen parked outside The Boat House bar down by the river. The most dramatic scenes of The Rising Tide were centered on Holy Island. Talking about getting to film on Lindisfarne again, Brenda Blethyn commented: 2“It was lovely filming on Holy Island. It’s such a special place and everyone is so friendly. But we filmed this in November and December of 2022 and it was very cold.”

Series 12 locations

Over the previous year, the Vera cast and crew were spotted on location across the region. Almost as soon as it was confirmed that production had started on series 12, eagle-eyed fans spotted filming taking place at Amble and outside of The Morpeth Larder.

Filming also took place in Darlington in spring 2022, with the Town Hall used as backdrop and another local residence plus in Hartlepool, at the railway station and Ward Jackson Park. Crews were also spotted in Durham, with some confusion over a location in the city that featured in The Way The Wind lows.

Back on Tyneside, a local resident also took a few photos as they spotted what they thought was a ‘very intense’ scene being filmed at a Wallsend cafe, before production vans were also seen near Hard Rock Cafe and Riverside on the Quayside. The second episode of series 12, called For the Grace of God, sees the action switch to Newcastle, as a decorated soldier finds himself sleeping rough on the streets of the city centre, with the area in and around the Quayside being seen in teaser shots for the episode, which aired on ITV1 in the February. Other locations in the episode included the Staithes estate in Dunston and Newcastle’s famous Lit & Phil library.

In the run-up to Christmas, Vera star Kenny Doughty announced that the cast were reuniting for ‘something special’, which Brenda later confirmed was filming for The Rising Tide. The cast and crew were spotted filming by the river in Durham and also in Corbridge.

Brenda later revealed that scenes were also shot on Holy Island, with popular pub The Ship Inn changing its name to play a key role in the plot. Heaping praise on her stunning surroundings and the region as a whole, Brenda said: ““I do love the North East. Everyone is so friendly. I will certainly continue to visit the area once Vera has finally hung up her hat. I’d recommend anyone to go. It’s just lovely.”

She added: “There is such a variety of locations in the area. From places like Corbridge in the Tyne Valley to the Northumberland coastline and many other varied locations. I also like working in the vibrant city of Newcastle which was the main venue for Sally Abbot’s “For The Grace of God”.

Series 11 locations

One of the early episodes of series 11, which aired in 2022involved a death during a robbery at a Blyth container port and a kidnap plot, with a twist which saw a bit of a shocker in store for Vera. Its star herself appeared to confirm a couple of filming sites used, when she shared a tweet about Tyger Tyger episode’s use of “striking locations” including the Northumberland villages of Stamfordham and Matfen. The thrilling feature-length story concluded with a frantic chase around South Shields’ famous Ocean Beach theme park.

Blethyn also filmed in Elvaston Park Road, Hexham; Allendale village; Port of Sunderland and Marlborough Park in Washington and the previous summer she was also pictured enjoying an ice cream during a break in filming in Corbridge. It was a different matter weather-wise by August which saw Blethyn and Doughty filming in some less than summery conditions on Tynemouth Beach, when huge umbrellas helped protect them from the elements in between takes.

On the last day of that month, the River Tyne at North Shields was all go with a number of boats seen on the water indicating a possible search. Vera’s familiar Land Rover Defender was positioned next to a police cordon and officers wearing forensic suits.

There were snatched pictures too of a mannequin presumably being used to mark the filming position for a body on the beach, apparently washed up not far from Tynemouth Priory.

Looking back to part one – last year’s start of series 11 – local viewers spotted a familiar landmark, restaurant and a cafe. Filming for that had been first noticed in Tynemouth in September 2020 where Blethyn – masked up between scenes – was seen, together with Vera’s familiar Land Rover, in Beach Road and Broadway.

In the opening episode, called Witness, the story started with the finding of a body at the base of Collingwood Monument. At the time Blethyn calls it “a very impressive location”, adding that the victim was also shown on board the Shields Ferry before his death.

She said: “Sadly, Vera doesn’t get to go on the ferry but I have been on it myself as a passenger.” Holy Island causeway also featured and she said: “I love it when they are able to include that as part of the story.”

Just days after filming in Tynemouth, Blethyn and co-star Doughty had moved on to shoot scenes near some flats in Gateshead then next in South Shields. By early October, Amble, near The Fish Shack on Harbour Road, was the star of the show – near The Fish Shack on Harbour Road – and a night shoot took place in Wallsend, around Tynedale Avenue and High Farm, with even that late – and rather drizzly – occasion drawing spectators.

Other locations were Citrone Cafe in Front Street, Chester-le-Street where Blethyn and Doughty were snapped walking in and out of the venue and Arlo restaurant in Jesmond which was the chosen setting – with a name-change – for a scene shot there in November.

Switching from town centres to a rural area, there was first a return to South Shields before heading back to Vera’s old Northumberland stamping ground for one of the last shoots of that year, which saw the detective at work about 10 miles west of Alnwick, in Thrunton Wood in December. By last spring 2021 the cast and crew were back again, spending days around Whitley Bay and Seaton Sluice, including at the lighthouse and in the seaside’s Duke Street where during a scene Doughty had a brief kick-around with a ball.

Series 10

Casting minds back to locations of some of the long-running series’ memorable scenes, filming on series 10 got under way in spring 2018: April 29 to be precise because, yes, we spotted cast and crew at work again. One of the first sightings of Vera was at a gym in Gateshead – or rather in the snooker hall above Low Fell Life Gym – where Blethyn was inside filming while location vans took up space in its car park.

Then came the visit by Vera to Tanfield School in Stanley – which featured in episode one of that series, along with Ridley Park and the Tan Hill Inn at Swaledale in North Yorkshire, which is the highest pub in Britain. Filming almost went unnoticed when it moved on to Gosforth, where Vera’s 4×4 was spotted by The Chronicle in Moor Crescent outside a house being used in a new storyline; while work under way around the busy Clayton Street in Newcastle was a bit more obvious to passers-by.

Filming of the first episode of series 10 had finished by May 31 then by July they were halfway through the whole series and other locations since then included Port of Tyne international passenger terminal in North Shields which, eagle-eyed viewers might recall, featured in a previous episode of Vera in 2017. This time Blethyn and co-star Doughty were joined by hordes of extras for the August shoot at the ferry terminal.

Across the Tyne, the Herd Groyne in South Shields was given a role in filming too. Fans have become adept at spotting signs of cast and crew at work, such as evidence of the unit base, at sites such as Sage Gateshead, and location markers.

And Sunderland Greyhound Stadium was a familiar sight in the final episode of series 10.

Series 9

Airing on ITV in January 2019, this series saw cast and crew hard at work across the region, in locations ranging from Alnmouth and Amble in Northumberland – including Braid, Northside, the harbour and quayside – to Jesmond and the Grainger Market in Newcastle. The star was seen filming for that in the summer 2018 at the Turknaz restaurant in Whitley Bay in July then the focus of the action switched to the city centre with the cameras set up outside St Nicholas Cathedral, Amen Corner and the top of The Side.

However, filming was later delayed for a time due to illness before resuming later in year, with scenes on Whitley Bay beach being completed in October, meaning the team had just a quick turnaround before the series aired from January.

Series 8

In January 2018, the eighth series began with an entirely new location for the drama. The first episode was set on the Farne Islands and saw Vera take the sea air as she travelled over there by boat from the mainland.

And the actress revealed how the experience was a new one for her too, and she came in for quite a soaking. She told The Chronicle she got to see puffins and seals but was drenched by a wave during a choppy crossing, adding: “I’ve got good sea legs!”

The landscapes used have been increasingly varied, ranging from the sweeping splendour of Dunstanburgh Castle to the industrial backdrop of the former Swan Hunter shipyard in Wallsend.

The previous series also saw her in Peterlee in County Durham and in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea in Northumberland, as well as Seaton Delaval, Blyth and Seaton Sluice, where one fan at the time posted a photograph of himself with Brenda Blethyn on Twitter, referring to the actress as a “proper lady”.

The early years to series 7

Over the first years of filming, Blethyn came to really know Northumberland, where the bulk of the action is set, and it’s this on-screen portrayal of that beautiful countryside which first sent its visitor numbers rocketing. The “Vera effect” – credited with the sharp rise of tourists following the airing of each series – has also led to local residents proving keen to reacquaint themselves with their home turf.

As the eponymous detective strayed further from her rural turf as the series advanced, cases drew her to Newcastle city centre for the first time.

With huge swathes of Northumberland already aired on-screen during the drama’s lengthy run, filming expanded over the years across the region, with more spots around Durham and Newcastle have been playing a role. In October 2015, filming brought the sleuth to the High Level Bridge while the previous month she was on Whitley Bay beach.

She’s also visited Collingwood Street’s Diamond Strip and the Crown Posada bar. Dramatic scenes were also set in Teesside. And 2016’s locations included the quadrangle of Northumbria University where a mocked-up sign read “University of Northumberland sports complex”, which caused some momentary confusion for students before they caught sight of the crew and cameras.

Following Vera’s footsteps across the North East also takes us to the Northumberland coast, including Craster, Seahouses and Rumbling Kern.

So, almost 13 years on from its debut – which was May 1, 2011 – wor Vera still shows no signs of age or of letting up pace and, as we await another of murderous goings-on in this series 13 , loyal viewers clearly will be sticking with Vera every new step of the way.

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