I am the opposite, I was disappointed with Ridley, I find the line between professional police and an ex cop as ‘consultant’ badly drawn and unbelievable. Having no real power the lead barks orders at a detective inspector and certainly wouldn’t be allowed to go off on his own to question possible suspects.
Nothing compares to Vera, but then I do have a soft spot for both actress and character. 
Sooo agree. Each episode beautifully drawn with fabulous characters - all of them. It’s interesting going back to the first ever episodes and seeing now how they were all a bit uncomfortable and Brenda struggled a bit with her accent - then suddenly it all came together.
OH finds the dumb male sidekick role whom Vera always has to sort out to be a bit frustrating.
Ridley too I’m not convinced by - not least the night club singing! I find the acting a bit hammy.
I preferred Shetland (the earlier ones with the lovely Jimmy Perez).
Annika drives me nuts! What’s with all these clever asides to the camera? Nicola Walker exasperates me - she’s made a career out of playing incoherent women who can never finish a sentence.
That said, I watch all of these because there is so little worth watching these days and all of them are violence-lite, and gore-lite, which I’m grateful for.
Watching Hostage not as a documentary, but as fluffy entertainment after dinner. (Things never, ever happen). OH is into sports - and I just had enough of Football, Tennis , F1.
Agree - there are better actresses around.
We have returned to watching Spanish, South American, even French Series with subtitles. rather than UK or US productions…
The cinematography of Vera is of a quality that is rarely even seen in feature films. The landscape photography is magnificent and the interior scenes are as well lit as in any high budget film. Shetland is very good as well. Both of these show maintain a cinematic feeling to their production, something that many others shows try for but rarely achieve.
Oh, I know but having spent a few years close to that world, I just found it impossible to suspend disbelief.
Raised by Wolves, absolutely fantastic. It is of course based on fact. Its also half the story of my life, unfortunately the other half is Shameless!!
Ha, reminds me of when I see anything about cybersecurity or hacking in Hollywood films and TV series… I often just cringe.
One of my “favourites”… 
I much prefrred the 2nd one and was very put out when the actor was almost completely absent from the party aspect of the final episoide. Something went on there and I haven’t got to the bottom of it so far.
As far as to Brenda’s accent is concerned, it was always ok to me but several Geordie friends have told me she never really got it quite right. I don’t care, she can do nothing wrong for me. Did you see her as a tarty middle aged mini-skirted harriden in ‘Little Me’? BTW Jane Horrocks in that was/is always, brilliant but I could hardly understand a word she said in a recent tribute to Les Dawson. I wonder if she is like some comedians, Paul Merton and David Mitchell spring to mind who are brilliant of the cuff humourists but imo useless when faced with a script. But the other way round.
Anyone watched Zero day with Robert de Niro?
Just watched The breakthrough on Netflix and enjoyed it. Swedish. I watched Hostage but thought the storyline was totally ridiculous. Loved Vera. Husband was a geordie…..she isn’t of course Nice easy little series. Tried Annika but Nicola Walker getting on my nerves. She is always the same personality no matter what she is in. Used to like her a longtime ago in Spooks.
I dare say a few OH’s do.
I resented the original one, especially when he came back as an inspector and insisted on being addressed as ‘sir’ by his erstwhile colleagues. But I think the real strength of that series was the whole cast which did change from time to time, but always seemed to have interesting characters in it.
Was Nicola Walker the one in that cold cases series with the Indian actor, can’t remember the name. I rather liked her in that. But she may be the same in everything else she is in, which I haven’t seen yet.
Yes she was. Unforgotten. She was also in Last Tango in Halifax and The Split
Identical character in all of them. There was a moment when every time one switched on the TV there she was. It’s calmed down a bit now.
I had to give up watching Protection for the same reason. I like Siobhan Finneran - Clocking Off was a wonderful series, but the little things you just know wouldn’t happen make watching these programmes so difficult. You know the sort of thing - suspect and victim meeting each other in a police corridor….