Vera fans got a shock on Sunday when a well known face from the 90s featured in the latest episode of the ITV drama, although one thing about their appearance proved to be a bit of a distraction!
Over the last month, Vera viewers have delighted at having their Sunday night routines restored back to the way they like them, with the return of the long running drama and its stars like Brenda Blethyn and Kenny Doughty. Vera is back on ITV after a near year-long hiatus, as fans were left wondering what happened to the rest of series 11.
The two 'missing' episodes kicked off Vera's comeback to its traditional 8pm slot and they have so far been followed by three episodes from series 12, the most recent being Blue, which aired on February 12. The latest feature length story saw Vera having to get to the bottom of a grisly discovery, after the body of a policeman was found in a lake, with the cast descending on Wallsend for filming.
The usual protagonists were involved, including Brenda's new co-star Sara Kameela Impey as pathologist Dr Paula Bennett, but an actor who attracted a bit of interest online was Gary Mavers. It didn't take long for the cogs to turn in viewers' heads as to where they knew Gary from, with them then recognising him from hit 90s show Peak Practice.
READ MORE: Vera puts Wallsend in spotlight amid location 'mystery' on ITV drama
Peak Practice ran for close to a decade in the 90s, launching in 1993 and being a popular draw for ITV until 2002 and Gary held down a key role for five years as Dr Andrew Attwood. Andrew's arrival at the fictional Beeches surgery unsettled Simon Shepherd's famous character Dr Will Preston, with him moving to nan inner city practice as result.
Andrew also managed to fall foul of Kevin Whateley's lead character Dr Jack Kerruish and was at the centre of a big storyline, when he landed himself in hot water by failing to diagnose a patient's life-threatening condition
His role in Peak Practice made Gary one of the most watched ITV stars of the late 90s and, after leaving the show, went onto star in Where The Heart Is, Casualty and, more recently, Emmerdale.
Gary, whose appearance comes weeks after an 80s icon starred in Vera, featured as a gym owner in Sunday night's Vera, with DCIO Ta as she does with many characters, given him the no nonsense treatment when it came to her questioning.
Reacting to seeing Gary on screen and recognising him from his Peak Practice days, one viewer tweeted: "Gary "Peak Practice" Mavers turning up in Vera," along with a heart eyed emoji. Also thrilled to see Gary back on their TV, a second commented: "Brilliant episode tonight. Great to see Gary Mavers as a guest star. Another great storyline."
Being slightly less complimentary, another posted: "That gym owner couldn't act in Peak Practice either," while, homing in on one thing that distracted them, another tweeted: "Gary Mavers? Emu has called he wants Rod's hairpiece back!"
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