MILLIONS of people tune in to watch DCI Vera Stanhope take on some of the grittiest crimes against a backdrop of the North East.

With her no-nonsense attitude to solving anything from murders to kidnap, Brenda Blethyn has been playing the character on ITV for more than a decade.

But what many viewers will have noticed is that her outfit does not appear to change, with the same trench coat and bucket hat reprising for almost every episode.

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In the majority of scenes, DCI Stanhope can be seen donning her hat with only mere glimpses of the character without one.

The Northern Echo: Picture: ITVPicture: ITV

However, there is actually a hidden meaning behind the use of the hat.

Speaking on ITV's This Morning previously, Blethyn revealed why the piece of costume is always worn by the character. 

She said: "In the book Vera has a skin condition which means it's hard for her to go in the sun, she has a bad reaction to the sun."

Blethyn revealed that television bosses had chosen not to explain this in the series, and that use of the hat is a "nod" to the details of the Ann Cleeve's book.

She said: "We weren't going to put that (the details) on the telly, so the hat is a nod to that."

At the weekend, Blethyn and crew were name-checked several times as they picked up three awards at the Royal Television Society Awards 2022.

Picking up an award for best drama, best drama performance and drama pandemic innovation, she said she had been "absolutely thrilled."

As Blethyn received the awards, she said she "loved" filming in the North East as she confirmed a brand new series is in the pipeline.

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She said: "Thank you so very much to the Royal Television Society for giving me this. I am absolutely thrilled to bits.

"This year sees us embarking on season 12 of Vera, so that means we’ll have made 50 feature length Vera films.

"So, you can see, we love coming to the North East and that’s partly because we’re made to feel so very, very welcome.

"And, of course Vera’s creator, Ann Cleeves, lives in the North East and I’d like to thank her very, very much for giving us all 12 years of work and thank you to the Royal Television Society for giving me this. I'm truly over the moon.”

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