Vera icon Brenda Blethyn talks career plans and whether she'll retire any time soon
The actress left the ITV crime drama in 2024.
Brenda Blethyn has announced she has no plans to retire any time soon, despite turning 80 years old next month.
The English actress is best known as the titular character in the ITV crime drama Vera, which she held for 14 years, having taken up the role in 2010 before leaving the show in 2024.
Despite her departure from the much loved role sparking fears of her retirement among fans, Blethyn has confirmed its not on the horizon for her just yet.
"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.
"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," she told The Mirror.
Brenda Blethyn first began acting in 1980 when she was just 33 with a part in the television film Grown-Ups, directed by Mike Leigh. From then her career flourished and her acting credits now include not only television and film, but also theatre.
Aside from Vera, she is known for her roles in The Witches, Atonement, Pride & Prejudice and the Mike Leigh film Secrets & Lies, for which she received an Oscar nomination for best actress.
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Now, she has just wrapped up filming a new 8-part Channel 4 drama; a remake of the 1985 series A Woman of Substance, based on the novella of the same name by Barbara Taylor Bradford.
In the reimagining of the drama first made 40 years ago, Yorkshire-born Emma (Blethyn) embarks on a journey from simple housemaid to becoming the richest woman in the world.
Blethyn will play the 80-year-old rendition of the character, while Outlander actress Jessica Reynolds plays the younger version.
A Woman Of Substance will air on Channel 4 later this year.
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Authors
Phoebe Kowhai Barnes is a Freelance Writer who covers pop culture and entertainment programmes for the Radio Times. She previously worked as the Senior Assistant Editor at The Tab where she managed its local department. She obtained a BA (Hons) in English Literature from University of Nottingham.
