Airdate: Vera 2023 Christmas episode

ABC will fast-track a festive Vera episode, “The Rising Tide” which thrusts DCI Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) into the chilling depths of a treacherous investigation where she must untangle a web of deceit before yet another tragedy unfolds.

Actors featured include Kenny Doughty, who plays Detective Sergeant Aiden Healy, Jon Morrison, who plays DC Kenny Lockhart, Riley Jones, who plays DC Mark Edwards, Ibinabo Jack as DC Jac Williams, and Sarah Kameela Impey as Pathologist Dr Paula Bennett.

Guest actors include Clare Holman, Jake Ashton-Nelson, Adrian Mills, Suzette Llewellyn, Brian Bovell, Orlessa Altass, Phil Cornwell, Adrian Rawlins, Kate Isitt, Felicity Dean, Natasha Patel, Sara Powell, Cora Kirk, Martin Turner, Eric Richard, Phillippa Wilson, Liz Crowther, Sam Halpenny and Peter Peverley.

It may be the run-up to Christmas, but this doesn’t mean that DCI Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) can slow down and enjoy a bit of Secret Santa and some mince pies – far from it, in fact, as the apparent suicide of Rick Kelasall sees Vera’s boss insist that she personally take a look into the case as it’s a high-profile death on Holy Island and that’s her home stomping ground.

Vera soon works out that there is more to Rick’s death than initially suspected and that he was murdered – Rick had been attending a reunion with old friends, a ritual they have all stayed true to for over 40 years. Had one of those at the reunion been holding a grudge for all these years and finally snapped, is his death related to the scandal that has knocked his career sideways, could the motivation be greed, is someone out for revenge, or is it something much more obscure, how far will the killer or killers go to cover their tracks, could Vera and her team also be in danger, and will they all see Christmas?

8:30pm Sunday December 17 on ABC.