On a sunny bank holiday Monday in Wylam, workers were rigging up lighting and setting the scene in readiness for a night-time shoot for Vera.
With filming under way on the latest series of the ITV crime drama, the focus has now switched to the Northumberland village where crew vehicles have been parked up and last -minute preparations are being carried out. The historic Points Bridge below Hagg Bank was at the centre of Monday night's action, when the summer setting will take on a whole new atmosphere as darkness falls and 'action' is called on the specially-lit scene.
Earlier preparations had already seen construction work completed at Points Bridge, with parts of the historic waggonway beneath having been resurfaced. This new series of Vera, starring Brenda Blethyn as the much-loved no-nonsense detective, is the 13th and once again has brought cast and crew back to the region they have come to know so well.
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Filming was centred in Hexham last week, with cameras - and Vera's familiar Land Rover - seen around town, including Market Place and St Mary's Chare, before the change in location.
The drama, based on the award-winning Vera Stanhope novels written by Whitley Bay author Ann Cleeves, is set in Northumberland - and its worldwide popularity has helped to attract a stream of tourists to the area throughout recent years - but over time it has spread its wings.
Blethyn and her fellow cast and crew now cover the expanse of the region and, whenever a new series hits the small screen, local viewers are often delighted to see lesser-known areas alongside North East landmarks featured on TV.
After Monday night's film shoot, the team will remain in Wylam on Tuesday, and filming is set to take place on Wylam Wood Road too. A camera drone is also due to be used to get some overhead shots.
The new series will see Blethyn's character reunited with her previous sidekick Joe Ashworth, played by David Leon, on their hunt for the killer at the heart of the new murder mystery. While details of stories are kept under wraps, ITV has already shared information about the series.
Besides cast news, it reveals the first episode, called Fast Love, will see the wily DCI investigate the death of a market trader found dead in a country lane following a collision with a car.
While the TV sleuth is apparently taken aback at first to encounter Joe Ashworth again, wondering about the reason behind his return, the actress herself says the reunion with him "and the rest of our exceptional team" is "an absolute delight".
Blethyn added: "Stepping back into Vera's shoes for the 13th series feels like coming home again." And she clearly appreciates her local fans too, saying: "The support from the locals in the North East is truly heart-warming."
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