Vera's Brenda Blethyn makes career move after quitting ITV series

Vera star Brenda Blethyn has landed a new project away from her role as DCI Stanhope following the news she had quit and that the upcoming series would be her last.

Brenda is set to make a special guest appearance at the Charlotte Straker House Summer Fete on Saturday. The charity's website reads: "SPECIAL VIP GUEST: Brenda Blethyn, star of the hit TV crime series Vera, will be gracing us with her presence to officially open the festivities! We’re thrilled to welcome the renowned actress to our fete – don’t miss this chance to meet the star of Vera and support a fantastic cause."

They added: "All proceeds from the event will go towards supporting the reopened Community Respite Bed at Charlotte Straker House, which offers free-of-charge respite care to those over 65 years of age. FREE ENTRY! Don’t miss this chance for a fun-filled day with the whole family, all while supporting a wonderful cause! We can’t wait to see you there!"

In April, Brenda confirmed she was leaving Vera after 14 years with an emotional statement. The actress began: “Working on Vera has been a joy from beginning to end and I’m sad to be saying Cheerio. But I am so proud of our achievements over the last fourteen years.

"I’ll be forever grateful to the wonderful Ann Cleeves who created Vera, and to Elaine Collins who saw fit to cast me in the role. The Producers, dream cast, and crew have been fabulous and I’m going to miss them, but I won’t forget their huge talent, the camaraderie, laughter, or kindness we shared nor the friendship of the people of the north-east and our fans worldwide."

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart," she concluded.

Kenny Doughty, who played DS Aiden Healy in the ITV series, also recently confirmed his new role following his exit last year.

Kenny left the show after nine years during series 13, but in his place was the return of DS Joe Ashworth, played by David Leon. He had previously starred as the crime-fighting character from series one until series four.

Since his last appearance in December, Kenny has remained relatively out of the spotlight.

The actor has been soaking up some well-deserved rest in Shetland with his new spouse, the distinguished actress Ashley Jensen, who's been tied up with the latest series of the hit BBC drama Shetland.

But there's good news for Kenny's admirers as he teased a comeback to the limelight. Last week, he took to Instagram to hint at his return to acting.

He shared an image of a pint of Guinness at Dublin airport, penning: "Slainte! Treating myself to an early weekend pint at the airport. Week 1 of filming in the bag! Looking forward to a weekend home. Have gorgeous weekends! " (sic).

Vera will return to ITV next year.