ITV Recommissions Vera, Scott and Bailey and Law & Order: UK

ITV has re-commissioned three of its crime dramas; Vera, Scott and Bailey and Law & Order: UK for further seasons.

The broadcaster has handed new season orders to the three shows meaning Vera and Scott and Bailey will both return for a third season while Law & Order: UK will return for a seventh season.

Brenda Blethyn will reprise her role of DI Vera Stanhope for four new episodes of the Sunday evening drama Vera based on the novels by Ann Cleves. The drama’s second season aired earlier this year returning to disappointing figures but across the season ratings rose. Filming on the third season of Vera will begin in September and will end in January.

Law and Order: UK’s 8th season will new additions to the cast as Freema Agyeman and Harriet Walters will not be returning due to other filming commitments. However, Bradley Walsh, Paul Nicholls and Peter Davison will return for the eight new episodes which will make up the seventh season. Law and Order: UK is based on the American series created by Dick Wolf which ran for twenty seasons on NBC and spawned several spin-offs and international remakes.

In a departure from the standalone nature of the series so far the seventh season will open with a two-part story. The drama’s executive producer Jane Featherstone says of the re-commission “We are incredibly excited about our new series. Consequently, we have some brilliant and surprising storylines for the cast and we look forward to filming”

Suranne Jones and Lesley Sharp will reprise their roles for a third season of the popular drama Scott & Bailey. Production on the new series will begin in November in Manchester with co-creator Sally Wainwright once again contributing to the series along with Amelia Bullmore. ITV has ordered 8 episodes to make up the third season of Scott and Bailey.

ITV’s drama chief, Laura Mackie, commented on the three recommissions “We’re delighted to have Law & Order: UK, Vera and Scott & Bailey back in production. The recommissions show that we have a really strong slate of returning series coming to ITV in the next 12 months which complements perfectly with the new drama we’re commissioning.”