Steph McGovern landed a coveted Vera role away from the TV screen this week as she hosted a sell out fan event dedicated to the smash hit drama.
Viva Vera broke box office records at Playhouse Whitley Bay earlier this year, becoming the coastal theatre’s fastest selling show of all time, as fans clamoured to get their hands on tickets for the night which reunited Vera’s leading lady Brenda Blethyn and the woman whose books started it all, Ann Cleeves.
The night, a real treat for lovers of a ll things DCI Stanhope, saw Ann and Brenda talk about the success of Vera, as well as share anecdotes and take questions from fans in the audience. And, as she gets set to return to screens with a new series of her popular lunchtime programme Steph’s Packed Lunch, North East born presenter Steph was on stave too, acting as compere for the special evening, which also saw Ann officially launch her Vera novel The Rising Tide.
READ MORE: Ann Cleeves delights fans with exciting update on Vera future
It’s not the first time Steph has been involved in a hosting capacity for a Vera, having joined forces with Ann and Brenda on stage in 2019 for the Radio Times TV Festival.
Ann shared a picture of the trio, alongside Jon Morrison, who Vera viewers know beat for playing Kenny Lockhart on the show. Kenny Doughty, famous for playing Aiden Healy, was due to be there but wasn’t in attendance.
Reacting to the photo, one fan who was there wrote: “ What a night!. Huge congrats to you Ann. It was wonderful to share it with you,” with another telling the writer: “ was lucky enough to be there with my Mum and son. It was a wonderful evening. Thank you very much.”
The Viva Vera event followed swiftly on from Ann’s appearance on BBC Breakfast a few days earlier, in which she assured fans that there was another Vera book very much in the offing, as well as revealing the surprising way her novels ended up being an ITV drama. Ann told BBC presenters Jon Kay and Sally Nugent that an ITV exec picked up a Vera book in a charity shop and the “rest was history.”
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