BritBox Sets 'Vera' Season 13 for the End of February

It only took Vera Season 13's finale being out on ITV a few days for BritBox to announce the season's forthcoming arrival in America. The beloved mystery series, now confirmed to be heading into its fourteenth season, will arrive on the streaming service at the end of February 2024. For Vera fans, this season brings a highly anticipated reunion as the series brings back a longtime favorite character from the show's first four seasons, DS Joe Ashworth (David Leon), who has been promoted to DI in the decade he's been away.

Vera has been through many cast members since it debuted in 2011 and launched several careers. Original cast member Wunmi Mosaku started as DC Holly Lawson in the first two seasons and now stars in Loki; Cush Jumbo went from DC Bethany Whelan in Season 2 to The Good Wife before coming back for two more seasons and then departing again for The Good Fight. Kingsley Ben-Adir played Dr. Marcus Sumner for three seasons, starting in Season 4, left to star in Peaky Blinders before coming back for Season 8; now he too is in the Marvel Universe and is set to star as Bob Marley in an Oscar-bait biopic.

David Leon has also found success during his time away from Vera, including the miniseries Gold Digger, and as the creator and writer of the miniseries Too Good to be True, which stars Allen Leech (Downton Abbey) and Sara Powell (Unforgotten). (For the curious, that miniseries is in post-production and expected in 2025.) Leon now makes his long-awaited return to the show, but a lot has changed in a decade for both Ashworth and Standhope. 

As per usual, the synopsis for Season 13 is basically useless. (This is ITV's fault, not BritBox's, for the record.)

Vera will commence its 13th series, seeing Brenda Blethyn step back in the trench coat as DCI Vera Stanhope to solve another set of mysteries based on the best-selling novels by Ann Cleeves.

More usefully, here are the episode titles and spoiler-free synopsis for the three feature-length installments:

1. "Fast Love": After Aiden departs for Australia, DCI Vera Stanhope and Joe, who has returned as a DI, are called to a quiet country lane where a young man has been found dead following a collision with a car, but it becomes clear on closer inspection it was not an accident. 
2. "Tender": DCI Stanhope investigates an intriguing and puzzling case after the body of a sickly young girl is found in a railway siding in the middle of nowhere.
3. "Salt & Vinegar": DCI Stanhope investigates when the body of the co-owner of a chip shop is found in his own freezer. 

As always, Vera stars Brenda Blethyn as the titular detective, Jon Morrison as DC Kenny Lockhart, Riley Jones as DC Mark Edwards, plus Sarah Kameela as Dr. Paula Bennett, who joined the show in Season 12. As noted above, Season 13 will see the return of David Leon as DI Joe Ashworth, but he won't be the only new face; Rhiannon Clements (MaryLand) also joins the team as DC Stephanie Duncan. Season 13's episodes were written by author Ann Cleeves, series creator Paul Matthew Thompson, and writer Phil Mulryne, with directors Claire Winyard, Jermain Julien, and Paul Gay each helming an installment.

Vera Season 13 will debut on BritBox on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, and stream weekly. Seasons 1-12 are streaming on BritBox.