Vera S09E04 - The Seagull

Based on the eighth novel in Ann Cleeves' DCI Stanhope series, The Seagull sees Vera (Brenda Blethyn) opening up a cold case when a skeleton is discovered buried in Whitley Bay. Robbie Marshburn was a notorious criminal who went missing over 20 years ago never to be seen again.

But this isn't a typical case for Vera as Robbie, and those connected to him, were friends of her father. And to make matters worse, Robbie's remains are found underneath the burnt-out site of the infamous nightclub where they all used to meet. But, just as Robbie's remains are identified, the team come across another murder nearby. Vera investigates the possibility of the victim's connections to a local crime family and whether this led to the brutal killing. Elaine and Leonard Sidden (Claire Higgins and Michael Feast) ran The Seagull in its heyday and Vera learns that they haven't quite severed ties with the past as their son Alec (Daniel Ryan) is now developing the site where the burnt-out nightclub stands.

In a case that's often too close to home, Vera must uncover a web of secrets and corruption to understand the circumstances that led to both murders.