Vera, Farewell Pet: How to watch all episodes and documentary as final episode flashback shows heroine promising to prove father wrong

Fans have been kept on the edge of their seats about how Vera will finally bow out in the much-anticipated two-parter. Now we know that Detective Vera Stanhope promised to prove her father wrong about whether she could become a detective, during a flashback to her 12-year-old self in the final episode of ITV drama series Vera.

The second part of the show’s last episode saw Vera, played by Brenda Blethyn, on the trail of a missing teenager named Chloe, which led her to a high-stakes confrontation during a witch hunt festival in a village linked to her past.

As the detective and her team worked on the case, she experienced flashbacks to her childhood which showed the relationship between a young Vera, played by Marley Emma, and her father, Hector Stanhope, played by Stevie Raine.

It was the first time viewers had seen her father, whose deep connection to Northumberland mirrors Vera’s own bond with her surroundings.

Struggling in the aftermath of the death of his wife, Hector is seen seeking solace in alcohol, leaving young Vera to take on a carer’s role within the family.

Despite his grief, Hector is still seen to be a loving father, with 12-year-old Vera shown as fiercely independent and mature beyond her years, as she balances her own grief with the responsibility of caring for her father, displaying the resilience and strength of the detective she became.

The episode shows how the challenges of her early life drove her to protect the vulnerable and fight for justice, with her father telling her the police is “no place for a lass” during the programme’s closing scenes.

Vera tells him: “You’re wrong.”

To which he replies: “Am I? You best prove it then pet.”

The action then skips to the present day where Vera packs up her things, including pictures of her father, and leaves the police station to retire from the force, unbeknownst to her fellow detectives.

It is then revealed she has left her partner DI Joe Ashworth (David Leon) a letter, which reads: “Time to spread these wings pet, you’ll be fine.”

Part one of the final episode on New Year’s Day ended with Vera and Joe, on a clifftop where they confronted Imogen Langworth, who had murdered her mother, and her father, Lucas Corbridge, who was falsely accused of killing his wife, Marion.

Vera attempted to get Imogen to reveal the truth about her mother’s death, but her father appeared with a rock and got into a fight with Joe, which saw him almost fall off the cliff, before Imogen fell to her death, leaving the trio in shock.

After its 2011 launch, the show, which follows the almost retired, but work-obsessed detective chief inspector of Northumberland and City Police, has gone on to have 14 series as well as a number of specials.

Announcing her departure from the series, Blethyn, 78, said: “I love my Vera family but I love my other family too. And when you consider I was already thinking about packing work in when I was offered the job back in 2010, 14 series of working on Vera is pretty good going.”

Vera, Farewell Pet, a special documentary marking the end of the drama with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the show’s final series, airs on Friday at 9pm on ITV1 and STV.

All 14 series of Vera have been made available on ITVX and STV Player.