Vera's final season gets bittersweet update as Unforgotten and Happy Valley stars join cast

ITV's beloved detective drama Vera is ending sooner than fans expected. The popular series, starring Brenda Blethyn in the title role, will air its final episodes at the end of this year.

Series 14, which consists of two feature-length episodes, has been highlighted in ITV's Christmas schedule. The update comes six months after it was revealed that the Northumberland-set detective show would end after 14 years.

The first episode of the new series, titled 'Inside', will see DCI Vera Stanhope called to the banks of the Tyne, where the body of a young man is discovered by anglers. The synopsis continues: "A tangled web of a broken relationship, secret love, grudges, regret, and fraud begins to emerge - has our former inmate been served cold justice, or does his death run deeper?"

The final instalment, titled 'The Dark Wives', will see Vera return to "a familiar place" after a body is found at the foot of legendary local stones. With childhood memories in the background, Vera "must work hard to uncover the mystery of why a bright young student would be violently attacked and left so far from home," the synopsis teases.

The instalment promises to be a "poignant" one, weaving together past and present for a "compelling and emotional farewell".

You may also like

• See Vera star Brenda Blethyn at the start of her successful career

• Vera star Brenda Blethyn reveals 35-year engagement - and why she finally married

• Vera star Brenda Blethyn's private home she lives in for half the year

• Vera star Kenny Doughty's private life: from famous wife to sweet friendship with Brenda Blethyn

Fans can also expect an array of guest stars to appear in the final season, including Unforgotten's Amanda Root, Happy Valley's Anthony Flanagan, Lewis actor Kevin Whately and Help's Cathy Tyson.

William Houston, Shobna Gulati, Clinton Blake, Joshua Sher, Michelle Holmes, Jacoba Williams, George Beach, Alexandra Hannant and Victoria Elliott will also guest star, alongside Bryan Moriarty, Chelsea Halfpenny, Yazmin Kayani, Stevie Raine, Jonathan Iceton, Freya Parks, Graeme Hawley, Charlotte Bradley and Sarah Priddy.

Rounding out the guest cast are Christopher Connel, Daren Morfitt, Kate Marvan, Tiegan Byrne, Gassan Abdulrazek, Sennia Nanua, Olwen May, Derek Thompson, Jacquetta May, Angela Bain and Jada Langley.

Back in April, Brenda said she was sad to be saying goodbye to the character. "Working on Vera has been a joy from beginning to end and I'm sad to be saying cheerio," the 78-year-old said in a statement. "But I am so proud of our achievements over the last fourteen years.

"I'll be forever grateful to the wonderful Ann Cleeves who created Vera, and to Elaine Collins who saw fit to cast me in the role," she continued. "The producers, dream cast and crew have been fabulous and I'm going to miss them, but I won't forget their huge talent, the camaraderie, laughter or kindness we shared nor the friendship of the people of the north east and our fans worldwide.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart," she added.