#Vera does Harrogate
They say to keep the best for last and it was certainly true on the last day in Harrogate when Vera and her sidekick came to town..with creator Ann Cleeves of course. The friendly banter and jokes that pass between Vera and Aidan in the show was evident between Brenda and Kenny. Quite honestly one of THE funniest panels ever to have taken place
BookTrail the new Vera book The Seagull here
The Vera Panel with Steph McGovern (c) The BookTrail
Hosting the happy event and keeping the three of them in order was Steph McGovern from the BBC and a proud Northerner too. Also can be seen on Watchdog so with her and Vera on stage, there was a fair chance to making sure that everything ran smoothly.
Even before the panel started, there was laughter. As everyone sat down in the plush armchairs, Brenda make a joke of sinking into it, Vera style, with that perplexed expression and “I am not amused” face as she scrambled to sit up again. Ever the great actress, that chair would come back to entertain the panel later on as well….
Ann and Brenda (c) The BookTrail
So, how does Brenda feel playing Vera?
This was the next funny moment of the panel. “It seemed like a good role” Brenda said. I read the first book and half way through this Vera hadn’t appeared yet so I thought it must be a bit part. Then I read the line where she enters a room, this hulking bag lady of a woman”….with that iconic “I am not amused face” looking at Ann Cleeves, the whole room erupted. Ann sang Brenda’s praises though, saving the situation and the two women laughed.
Do they enjoy filming in the North East?
Kenny is particularly enamored with the fish and chips at Tynemouth. That and the fact they manage to drive all over the countryside and see some of the most stunning scenery early morning and late at night when there’s not many people around. He’s a northern lady himself (Yorkshire) but loves the wild moors of Northumberland. Filming can be hard work and long days but the crew really is like a family and both of them said it was one of the best sets and shows they’d worked on.
Brenda and Kenny (c) The BookTrail
Does Brenda feel at home here as much as Vera?
It’s home from home she says as filming takes up the best part of six months. She lives up here during the filming and explores the city as anyone else would do, listening to the accents as any good actor would. She said that no-one has really recognised here as she’s often told how pretty she is in real life. Giving her famous Vera “I am not amused face” you can just imagine how such a conversation might go!
So, what about the accent? Is it hard to adopt and how do you face criticism from the viewers?
The Geordie accent is the hardest to get she admitted but said that it was getting better the more she was up here and definitely better than the first series. It slips in and out a bit she said but then she tries her best. Certain words or phrases suck her back in to the flattened vowels. Ann then admitted now that she writes hearing Brenda’s voice and looks forward to hearing one of her sarcastic lines come from the page into Vera’s mouth. ” I always hope the producers keep certain lines in!” she laughed. Brenda loves saying them but yes, the accent is always on her mind as it’s not easy!
Steph then told her that someone she knows “thinks Vera sounds like her cousin” Quick as a flash Brenda quipped – “And where’s she from?”
Vera as seen on TV
Vera’s clothes
Brenda bought some boots many years ago and never wore them – now, they are the star of the show and Vera has walked and wandered all over Northumberland in them. The clothes – well the costume department buy a few of each item as things get very muddy. There are quite a few layers” she admits but then laughs when she admits that even when it’s blowing a gale up near Hadrian’s Wall or near the coast, she’s’ the only one not cold on set. THEN they all want to wear the mac!
People are always saying ‘Oh you’re not as fat as Vera”. There’s a compliment in their somewhere! “If I go into a shop and they say Vera would look good in it, I don’t buy it but I do let the costume department know!”
My proudest moment – I hugged Vera! – (c) The BookTrail
Best moment on set?
For Kenny there’s so many – every day brings something new but he loves working with Brenda and the laughs they have between scenes. Even though the dead bodies on screen are obviously not real, he gets a bit squeamish and the mood can be quite dark so they need a joke or two to lighten the mood. ” I can imagine how the real police and other services have to react in order to cope with the dark moments” he said.
Brenda had a few fun moments – people coming up to you and offering you drinks of all description but her funniest moment had the whole room in stitches. Once again that chair came into play as it now became the jeep Vera drives. Describing how she was directed to drive along a bumpy rural road up to a mark on the ground, stop quickly, then get out of the jeep and look into the distance, she wasn’t fazed with what seemed like a fairly straight forward task. So, take one, “bumpity bump” she laughs, bouncing up and down in the chair, looking worried, “there I go, driving along the bumps of the road. I stop, take off the seatbelt, pyt on the handbrake and get out, go to the front of the jeep and CUT! Not quick enough. So, take two, a bumpy ride followed by seatbelt, handbrake, jump out of the jeep. Still not quick enough. So after a few times what did Brenda do? ” Well I thought as Vera, that she might just not put the handbrake on – both she and ITV insist on a seatbelt . So on the next take, she did everything bar the handbrake only to stand in the final shot then see the camera crew shout in horror as the jeep rolled towards them. “Well the shot was quicker!” she laughed.
A real feel good panel so to celebrate all things Vera – Win a copy of The Seagull signed by Brenda, Ann, Kenny and Steph. Plus exclusive bookmark!
WINNER:
