Vera is a British crime drama series based on the Vera Stanhope series of novels written by crime writer Ann Cleeves. It was first broadcast on ITV on 1 May 2011, and to date, eleven series have aired, with the latest debuting on 29 August 2021. The series stars Brenda Blethyn as the principal character, Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope. In 2021, Ann Cleeves confirmed that the character of Vera was based on a neighbour of her maternal grandmother. The neighbour had been something of a busybody and her personality was the basis for Vera.