ITV’s hit detective drama Vera aired its last episode earlier this year, following an impressive 14-season run. The show came to an end when lead actor Brenda Blethyn announced she would be leaving her iconic role in order to spend more time with her family.

In the final episode, DCI Vera Stanhope solved her very last criminal case before embarking on her well-earned retirement. But could the beloved character be back on our screens in the near future?

In an interview on This Morning, Blethyn addressed rumours about Vera possibly making a return to ITV.

Unfortunately for fans, she promptly shut down speculation, telling presenter Alison Hammond: “Well, no, I don’t think so. I think they’ve got rid of the set.”

The actor did share that she would be more than willing to come back for a one-off episode – though she called it “unlikely”.

brenda blethyn as dci vera stanhope, vera

STUART WOOD – ITV

“Somebody asked me, would I ever go back? I said, ‘Well, if they were doing a special, certainly, yeah, I’d leap at it,’ but that’s unlikely to happen. I’m too busy!”

Blethyn announced the “hard decision” to leave the beloved series last year, saying: “Come March, when I would normally be getting ready to go back up there, I’ll probably be crying.”

brenda blethyn as vera stanhope and kenny doughty as ds aiden healy in vera

ITV

“As much as I loved all that, I’ve got a family at home and I realised I hadn’t had a summer for 14 years with my family,” she continued. “So I still did another series because I couldn’t drag myself away. But anyway it was time, that’s all.”

The star also shared her “impostor syndrome” which she said she “overcame” while working on the show.

“I loved the job,” she added. “I was proud of it and I felt like I had a command of the character.

Vera seasons one to three are streaming now on Disney+.