Vera behind the scenes secret finally revealed after museum discovery

Just weeks after the final episode of ITV detective series Vera, which starred Brenda Blethyn in the title role, there has been a discovery which means that not all was what it seemed.

The show ran between 2011 and 2015 and Vera was often seen changing gears in her Land Rover but a museum owner has found this was a misnomer after looking into the fabled car in more detail. Richard Usher, founder of the Great British Car Journey at Ambergate, discovered that the 1996 Land Rover Defender 90 has an automatic gearbox.

This would mean that the gear changes were not for real and after a little more detective work, which would have made Vera proud, Richard found out the reason why. He discovered that Brenda, who played the detective, only has a licence to drive an automatic, so the car couldn't have a manual gearbox.

Speaking after taking ownership of the famous car, Richard told Derbyshire Live : “This is the Holy Grail of Land Rovers and has quite a following - it's been on our TV screens every Sunday night for the last 14 years. I was honoured to be asked by ITV to be the custodian of such a much-filmed machine which is another iconic piece of British design. It has 99,939 on the clock, so it seems a fitting mileage to retire her."

Richard continued to give more information about the vehicle: “The original Land Rover, designed by Maurice Wilks, was launched at the Amsterdam Motor Show on April 30, 1948, and although it was refined and updated over the years Vera’s Defender retains many of the features and characteristics of the original.

"If you wanted luxury in 1996, you could buy a Discovery or a Range Rover, but if you wanted a rugged, go-anywhere 4x4, it would have to be a Defender. More than two million traditional Land Rovers were built in Birmingham between 1948 and 2016 and this one has probably appeared on TV for more hours than any other."

Brenda has spoken about her love for the show and her hopes that it might return as a one-off special. Brenda was open about her enthusiasm when chatting with the Daily Star newspaper's HotTV column: "A special would be nice. It's definitely one of my favourite roles I've done. I love the character."

She also shared her upcoming sense of loss: "When we get to March, I'd normally be packing my bag to go up north to film, but I will be sad. I will miss it. I had a great time doing it."

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