SHETLAND

After the excellent ITV1 crime drama Vera, starring the great Brenda Blethyn, another book series from award-winning author Ann Cleeves is adapted for television. And it looks promising.

The talented Douglas Henshall (The Silence, Collision, Primeval) will star as Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez in Shetland, based on Red Bones, the third instalment of Ann Cleeves's Shetland Quartet. This 2 X 60-minute drama is set against the Scottish backdrop of the Shetland Isles and is centered on the character of recently widowed DI Perez, a native Shetlander who returns home after a long time away.

Shetland is due to start filming in Scotland under the direction of Peter Hoar (Silk, Vera) and has been written by David Kane (Taggart, Midnight Man, Rebus). It's a collaboration between ITV Studios, who brought the Vera Stanhope books to TV, and BBC Scotland (Case Histories) for BBC One. Elaine Collins exec produces for ITV Studios and Christopher Aird is the executive producer for the BBC. Sue De Beauvoir is the producer.

Shetland will be aired later in 2012.

http://www.anncleeves.com/shetland/index.html
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/shetland-mystery-for-bbc.17504910
http://www.shetlandarts.org/new-bbc-one-crime-drama-shetland/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2012/aird.html

VERA GETS A SECOND SERIES

[6.38 - French Time] ITV1 has commissioned a second series of Vera, its crime drama based on the Vera Stanhope books written by Ann Cleeves.

Brenda Blethyn will return as DCI Vera Stanhope, a Northumberland police detective, in four new 120-minute episodes. Vera is produced by ITV Studios and co-financed by Northern Film & Media, which will change its status from regional screen agency to private company. This change is due to the demise of regional funders One North East (which supported Vera) and the UK Film Council.

The One North East development agency, along with all the English regional development agencies (RDAs), will close at the end of March 2012 because of the replacement of RDAs by local enterprise partnerships. Northern Film & Media also co-finances BBC crime drama Inspector George Gently's fourth series.

See also:

http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2011/05/vera-itv1.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/may/18/vera-itv1-second-series
http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/finance/northern-film-and-media-to-become-private-company/5027155.article
http://www.northernmedia.org/?mod=news&pageid=42&id=724
http://twitter.com/#!/tvscoops

VERA (ITV1)

Julie Armstrong finds her son in a bath of water, murdered and covered with wild flowers. A second body is discovered soon after in water strewn with flowers. Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope and her colleague Sergeant Joe Ashworth investigate.

Justifying the decision to axe the BBC One drama Zen at a Broadcasting Press Guild lunch, the channel's controller Danny Cohen suggested that there was too much crime dramas on TV (1). ITV1, home of Midsomer Murders, Lewis, DCI Banks, or The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, added yesterday another detective to its police station: Vera.

The great Brenda Blethyn (Atonement, Saving Grace, Secrets and Lies) is DCI Vera Stanhope in a 4 X 120-minute crime drama adapted from the novels by Ann Cleeves (2). With her Columbo look, her human qualities, her personal demons and her remarkable detective abilities, the lonely Vera is an interesting and likeable character. Not your average female TV detective, DCI Stanhope is reminiscent of DI Frost (David Jason in A Touch of Frost), which is a good point for this new drama series from ITV Studios.

David Leon plays Sergeant Joe Ashworth, her right hand man and sort of surrogate son. Other members of DCI Stanhope's team are DC Holly Lawson (Wunmi Mosaku) and pathologist Billy Cartwright (Paul Ritter). Yesterday's premiere is based on the book Hidden Depths, adapted by Paul Rutman, and directed by Adrian Shergold (Mad Dogs). Gina McKee, Murray Head and Juliet Aubrey are among the guest stars. One of them was not typecast as the murderer, which is another good point. If the camera work could sometimes calm down a bit that would certainly not hurt an otherwise enjoyable drama.

Filmed in Northumberland and Newcastle, Vera is co-financed by Northern Film & Media, and supported by the One North East development agency. Kate Bartlett and Kate Lewis exec produce and Elwen Rowlands is the producer.

(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/apr/27/tv-crime-drama-bbc1-chief
(2) Except the fourth film, Little Lazarus, which is an original story by Paul Rutman.

http://www.itv.com/presscentre/vera/ep01week18/default.html
http://www.itv.com/presscentre/presspacks/vera/default.html
http://www.anncleeves.com/
http://itsacrime.typepad.com/its_a_crime_or_a_mystery/2011/04/a-trailer-for-ann-cleevess-vera-on-itv-and-an-interview-with-brenda-blethyn.html
http://www.northernmedia.org/