Kerry Fox (The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall, Trial & Retribution, Whistleblowers) and Kieran O’Brien (Survivors, Life on Mars, Cracker) join International award winning actress Brenda Blethyn OBE, for the fourth episode of ITV’s gripping new crime series VERA.
The episode entitled, Little Lazarus, follows DI Vera Stanhope (Blethyn) and her team as they uncover the murder of Margaret Wilde (Laura Norton), whose body has been discovered in a hedgerow, moments after her death, by PC Edwards (Riley Jones).
Margaret’s eleven year old son, Adam (Sam Jarvis), escaped the violent attack, only to fall into the water of a freezing cold pond, where Vera finds him twenty minutes later. She wastes no time in taking matters into her own hands and wades into the water to pull him out. Against all the odds, Adam survives and becomes a vital witness to his mother’s murder.
Sergeant Joe Ashworth (David Leon) is at first held up in court as a witness to a previous investigation, leaving way for DC Holly Lawson (Wunmi Mosaku) to step up to the plate and prove herself to Vera. However a connection between the two cases results in Joe returning to the investigation when Adam recognises Judge Patricia Carmichael (Kerry Fox).
Vera isn’t convinced that Bobby Slater’s (Kieran O’Brien) brief affair with Margaret is not all that it seems, especially when Joe discovers a petrol receipt putting him five minutes from where she was murdered.
As the team delve deeper into Margaret’s past they unearth deadly secrets and murderous consequences, fuelled by power and money, but above all a mother's love.
Vera, usually awkward and disinterested around children, finds a kindred spirit in Adam and begins to realise along the way that the key to the investigation lies deep within his memory, and someone he calls ‘shiny man’.
VERA also stars Tim Dutton as Guy Carmichael, Renu Setna as Margaret’s neighbour, Mr Singh, and Joe Renton as Danny Hale.
Also returning to this episode are Paul Ritter as forensic pathologist Billy Cartwright and Jon Morrison as DC Kenny.
Little Lazarus is an original script written by Paul Rutman who adapted the first two VERA films, Hidden Depths and Telling Tales, and has also written for Marple and Lewis.
VERA has been commissioned by Director of Drama Commissioning Laura Mackie and Sally Haynes, Controller of Drama Commissioning, and is executive produced by Kate Bartlett, Creative Director - Drama ITV Studios and Kate Lewis. Elaine Collins is the producer and Paul Whittington directs.
