The bestselling novels featuring Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope was brought to life on screen by Brenda Blethyn in the ITV drama Vera14:43, 03 Aug 2026Vera fans have been given an exciting update.‌The ITV hit drama may have come to an end, but fans will still get their Vera fix. Writer Ann Cleeve revealed that she has no plans on killing the straight-talking detective in the final chapter of the enduring series.‌The best-selling writer revealed that she is currently writing her 12th Vera novel, which is set for publication next year.‌Sharing an update with fans, Ann made a special guest appearance alongside actress Brenda Blethyn, who brought the cherished detective to life on screen, at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.In an interview before taking to the stage for the festival's closing event last Sunday, Ann disclosed she has completed writing the final Vera novel in what she hopes is "a fitting way to end it".‌She added: "I loved writing it. Brenda hasn't read it yet, so I'll be sending it to her as she's such a great reader."Meanwhile, Brenda, 80, said: "She'll still be there floating about, she's not dead, is she?" to which Ann replied: "No, I haven't killed her. I can tell you I haven't killed her."It come as Brenda recently revealed that she'll always treasure her time on Vera. Speaking to Prima she admitted that she still has a deep fondness for the ITV drama.‌"I don’t mind still talking about Vera because I’m rather proud of her,” Brenda explained. “I had to do the show for so long – it was 15 years if you count back to the pilot. She’s like an old friend. I still take every opportunity to go back to Newcastle.”Despite her everlasting love for Vera, Brenda said she was thrilled to jump into her glamourous new series A Woman Of Substance, in which she played an older version of Emma Harte in tandem with Jessica Reynolds.‌“It was lovely to dress up in nice clothes for a change. The outfits were exquisite and very different to Vera’s wardrobe, although a lot of her costumes were actually rather nice, it was just the way she wore them. I’ve kept quite a few of her blouses,” she explained.From wrapping up Vera to jumping into filming Dragonfly and A Woman Of Substance, the last few years have been busy for Brenda, but 2026 is shaping up to be just as exciting with the actress soon celebrating her 80th birthday.While many might consider slowing down at this stage of life, Brenda admitted she’s still got plenty of energy.Article continues below“I’m lucky to have been working all this time. In fact, when I was 65, I was thinking, ‘Do I retire now? Maybe that’s what I’m supposed to do?’ And then Vera came along."She added: "Now I’m nearly 80 and I’m not thinking about retiring at all – though perhaps I will cut back a bit and spend more time at home."You can stream Vera on ITVX