New series of ITV's Vera filmed partly in Hartlepool airs - see what's in store in the first episode

The opening episode of the show’s 13th series airs on ITV1 at 8pm on Sunday, January 7, following its recent Christmas special.

Entitled Fast Love, it sees the DCI with the distinctive mac called to a quiet country lane where a young man has been found dead following a collision with a car.

But it becomes clear on closer inspection it was not an accident and is more complicated than just a hit-and-run.

Vera actress Brenda Blethyn filmed scenes for the new series around Hartlepool’s Headland last August including on the fish quay and in Penrith Street.

She posed for a picture with a young fan when she dropped in to the Cosmopolitan pub.

Crews used the lounge of the pub, in Durham Street, for a quick break during filming.

Blethyn said: "Stepping back into Vera's shoes for the thirteenth series feels like coming home again.

"The support from the locals in the North East is truly heart-warming and reuniting with the talented David Leon and the rest of our exceptional team is an absolute delight.”

Executive Producer Will Nicholson added: “Being from the North East it is always a joy to film Vera here and we are very grateful for the warmth and support from the fans during production.”

The three self-contained stories in the new series draw inspiration from the best-selling novels and characters created by acclaimed crime writer Ann Cleeves.