Vera backdrop
Crime•Drama•Mystery

The Best Episodes of Vera

Every episode of Vera ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Vera!

Binge this in 3d 12h•Peaking at 8.6/10

A sharp detective with a messy life, DCI Vera Stanhope patrols her “patch” of northeast England, pursuing the truth in cases of murder, kidnapping, and blackmail. Vera is obsessive about her work and faces the

Airs on
ITV1
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons14

All1234567891011121314

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Click to reveal
    Vera Season 6 Episode 1 - Dark Road
    8.6/10(3733 votes)

    #1 - Dark Road

    S6:E1

    The body of a woman is found on the bleak Northumberland moors.

    Director:Marek Losey
    Writer:Martha Hillier

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Vera Season 14 Episode 2 - The Dark Wives
    8.5/10(573 votes)

    #2 - The Dark Wives

    S14:E2

    A student violently killed and dumped at the foot of three mythical monoliths and a missing girl sets Vera on an investigation that triggers memories from her own childhood.

    Director:Paul Gay
    Writer:Phil Mulryne

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Vera Season 9 Episode 4 - The Seagull
    8.3/10(666 votes)

    #3 - The Seagull

    S9:E4

    DCI Stanhope must open up a familiar cold case to find the connection with a present-day murder.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Vera Season 12 Episode 5 - The Rising Tide (Christmas Special)
    8.2/10(575 votes)

    #4 - The Rising Tide (Christmas Special)

    S12:E5

    DCI Vera Stanhope finds herself drawn to the enchanting tidal island of Lindisfarne, where a group of lifelong friends reunites every five years to commemorate their enduring bond. As the tide rises, long-concealed secrets begin to surface, threatening to engulf everyone involved. Vera, aided by her trusted and resourceful team, including Detective Sergeant Aiden Healy, navigates treacherous waters, facing danger and deception at every turn. Together, they must unravel the twisted web of lies before another tragedy unfolds.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Vera Season 1 Episode 4 - Little Lazarus
    8.1/10(835 votes)

    #5 - Little Lazarus

    S1:E4

    Last in the series of the detective drama based on the novels by Ann Cleeves. DI Vera Stanhope rescues a young boy from a freezing pond after he escapes from a violent attack which left his mother dead. As Vera and her team investigate what happened to the child, they unravel a web of deadly secrets and discover a murderous sequence of events set in motion by power, money and a mother's love. Although she is usually awkward and uninterested around children, Vera finds a kindred spirit in the boy, and begins to realise that the key to the investigation may lie hidden in his memory.

    Director:Paul Whittington
    Writer:Paul Rutman

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Vera Season 2 Episode 2 - Silent Voices
    8.1/10(830 votes)

    #6 - Silent Voices

    S2:E2

    Vera investigates the case of a murdered social worked named Jenny Lister, who was universally considered to have been principled and popular. However, in an overworked and understaffed social work system, a notorious case involving the death of a child seems to hold the key to solving the killing. As Vera pursues the truth, she discovers the real secret at the heart of Jenny's death - and the killer who will stop at nothing to keep it hidden

    Director:Paul Whittington
    Writer:Gaby Chiappe

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of Vera

    READ
  7. Vera Season 8 Episode 3 - Home
    8.1/10(695 votes)

    #7 - Home

    S8:E3

    Quiet life in suburbia takes a dark turn when a woman is discovered murdered, found lying dead in her back garden. When DCI Vera Stanhope discovers that the neighbours aren’t all that they seem, buried secrets must be unearthed in order to catch the killer.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Vera Season 12 Episode 3 - Blue
    8.1/10(544 votes)

    #8 - Blue

    S12:E3

    Joel Kingston is a copper’s copper from a respected and notable police family but when he is found dead, floating in a park lake, DCI Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) finds herself investigating both sides of the thin blue line in order to find his killer. A complex family dynamic, tensions at work, and brushes with the underworld, paint a dark and complex picture. Joel was there to serve and protect but did his stubborn commitment to justice at any price lead to his death? Or, was he killed to stop him revealing a secret that would destroy someone’s life? Vera steps on toes and ruffles a few police feathers as she searches for answers as to why PC Joel Kingston is no longer on the beat.

    Director:Khurrum M. Sultan
    Writer:Paul Logue

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Vera Season 12 Episode 4 - The Darkest Evening
    8.1/10(602 votes)

    #9 - The Darkest Evening

    S12:E4

    On the night of a massive storm, trying to get home, DCI Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) comes across an abandoned car with a baby inside. With no mobile signal and blocked roads at every turn, Vera is forced to seek refuge somewhere she’d rather not be, Brockburn House, the Stanhope’s ancestral pile. Vera doesn’t exactly receive a warm welcome from her estranged family as there’s a function in full swing and her turning up with a baby isn’t a great look. Things start to look even worse and take a far sinister turn when a body is found on the track leading to Brockburn House.

    Director:Paul Gay
    Writer:Colette Kane

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Vera Season 14 Episode 1 - Inside
    8.1/10(527 votes)

    #10 - Inside

    S14:E1

    As she considers a life-changing decision, Vera finds herself investigating two cases when an ex-prisoner's body is discovered on the banks of the River Tyne and she has to find out if the former inmate has been served cold justice or if there's more to his death.

    Director:Claire Winyard
    Writer:Phil Mulryne

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Vera Season 3 Episode 3 - Young Gods
    8.0/10(738 votes)

    #11 - Young Gods

    S3:E3

    DCI Vera Stanhope delves into the tangled past of extreme sports fanatic, Gideon Frane, when he plunges from a Northumberland cliff top in a ball of flames.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Vera Season 5 Episode 2 - Old Wounds
    8.0/10(713 votes)

    #12 - Old Wounds

    S5:E2

    Following the discovery of the remains of a teenage girl half-buried in a Northumberland wood, Vera and her team end up looking into a thirty-year old mystery.

    Director:Daikin Marsh
    Writer:Martha Hillier

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Vera Season 7 Episode 2 - Dark Angel
    8.0/10(687 votes)

    #13 - Dark Angel

    S7:E2

    The body of a young man is discovered face down in a river by Thrunton Woods. But tracing the victim's identity proves difficult for Vera and her team.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Vera Season 7 Episode 3 - Broken Promise
    8.0/10(600 votes)

    #14 - Broken Promise

    S7:E3

    Vera is called to Northumberland University when a student plummets to his death from the top of a disused faculty building.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Vera Season 7 Episode 4 - The Blanket Mire
    8.0/10(592 votes)

    #15 - The Blanket Mire

    S7:E4

    When the body of a missing teenager is discovered buried on the moors, Vera is forced to delve into the life and the secrets of the victim.

    Director:John Hayes
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Vera Season 8 Episode 1 - Blood and Bone
    8.0/10(705 votes)

    #16 - Blood and Bone

    S8:E1

    DCI Vera Stanhope is called to a chilling murder scene when the charred remains of a body are discovered in an abattoir incinerator. With limited forensic evidence, she is disturbed to identify the body as DC Harry Fenton, a respected police officer from the Northumberland & City Fraud Unit.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Vera Season 9 Episode 3 - Cold River
    8.0/10(659 votes)

    #17 - Cold River

    S9:E3

    A beauty empire is shaken to the ground when one of three sisters is found dead in the River Tyne. DCI Vera Stanthorpe investigates.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Vera Season 10 Episode 3 - Dirty
    8.0/10(602 votes)

    #18 - Dirty

    S10:E3

    Cleaner Luke Sumner's body is discovered close to his flat in Newcastle, but pathology concludes that the killing blow could have occurred several hours before he succumbed to his injuries, prompting Vera to piece together the victim's final hours in order to investigate his murder.

    Director:Delyth Thomas
    Writer:Sally Abbott

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. Vera Season 11 Episode 1 - Witness
    8.0/10(664 votes)

    #19 - Witness

    S11:E1

    DCI Vera Stanhope must unravel the mystery when well-respected local builder and family man Jim Tullman is found beaten to death on the steps of the Collingwood Monument the day before he was due to testify in court as the key witness in a violent assault case.

    Director:Paul Gay
    Writer:Paul Logue

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. Vera Season 11 Episode 2 - Recovery
    8.0/10(716 votes)

    #20 - Recovery

    S11:E2

    DCI Vera Stanhope is called to the scene when the body of addiction support worker Angela Konan is found hidden among the bleak woodlands of Northumberland National Park. Vera and her team must peel back the layers of the introverted victim 's life to uncover her closely guarded secrets and surprising depths. as It appears an increasingly erratic Angela clashed with two clients in the week before she died.

    Director:Christiana Ebohon-Green
    Writer:Colette Kane

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. Vera Season 13 Episode 1 - Fast Love
    8.0/10(645 votes)

    #21 - Fast Love

    S13:E1

    Vera is brought to market when a lovable rogue trader is found dead in a lane following a suspected hit-and-run, and a familiar face is back on the scene.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. Vera Season 2 Episode 1 - The Ghost Position
    7.9/10(851 votes)

    #22 - The Ghost Position

    S2:E1

    Vera's reunion with her first-ever sergeant, Stuart Macken, occurs under tragic circumstances when his house is petrol-bombed. Stuart is badly burned by the attack and his 18-year-old daughter Stella is left fighting for her life in intensive care. Vera is shocked to see that Stuart is a shadow of the man she knew 20 years before and, when her investigation uncovers unpleasant revelations about his personal life, she is faced with some long-buried memories of her own.

    Director:Peter Hoar
    Writer:Paul Rutman

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. Vera Season 2 Episode 3 - A Certain Samaritan
    7.9/10(728 votes)

    #23 - A Certain Samaritan

    S2:E3

    DCI Vera Stanhope investigates the murder of 29-year-old Niall Coulter. With those closest to Niall intent upon obscuring the truth, it is not until the body of a drug dealer is found washed up on a Northumberland beach that the dreadful truth begins to emerge about Niall's past. While coping with revelations from her own past, Vera sifts through evidence of the grief, love and addiction that characterised Niall's life and deduces that his murderer acted through selfless and unrequited love.

    Director:Julian Holmes
    Writer:Colin Teevan

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. Vera Season 3 Episode 2 - Poster Child
    7.9/10(707 votes)

    #24 - Poster Child

    S3:E2

    DCI Vera Stanhope and her team must race against time to track down the killer of a respected surgeon and save his abducted teenage daughters.

    Director:Paul Cotter
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. Vera Season 3 Episode 4 - Prodigal Son
    7.9/10(705 votes)

    #25 - Prodigal Son

    S3:E4

    Vera and her team investigate the fatal stabbing of an ex-Met police officer outside a busy Newcastle nightclub.

    Director:Thaddeus O'Sullivan
    Writer:Marston Bloom

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Best Episodes Summary

"Dark Road" is the best rated episode of "Vera". It scored 8.6/10 based on 3733 votes. Directed by Marek Losey and written by Martha Hillier, it aired on 1/31/2016. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Dark Wives".