Brenda Blethyn has revealed that young crew members starting work on Vera are often 'petrified' over her, with her 'acting daft' or cracking a joke to put them at ease on their first day.
BAFTA award winning actress Brenda has starred in plenty of TV shows and films over the years, landing BAFTA and Golden Globe wins for her appearance in Mike Leigh's 1996 film Secrets and Lies which also saw her nominated for an Oscar. She then landed on the Academy Award shortlist two years later, thanks to her star turn in Little Voice, before going onto appear in Saving Grace.
But, for the last decade, it's her exploits as not to be messed with sleuth DCI Vera Stanhope that Brenda is the most known for; with each new series of hit ITV drama Vera attracting interest across the world, as her alter-ego tries to get to the bottom of a growing number of grisly murder mysteries.
