Hollyoaks star Rhiannon Clements on joining Vera as Steph Duncan

Rhiannon Clements joins the cast of ITV1’s cosy crime drama Vera on Sunday January 7 (8pm) as DCI Vera Stanhope’s latest recruit, ambitious Detective Constable Steph Duncan.

Fans of Hollyoaks may know Rhiannon best as the soap's resident schemer Summer Ranger, who finally got her comeuppance for her many crimes in 2021.

Born with a foreshortened left arm, Rhiannon, 29, has also appeared in Big Boys, Maryland and the BBC1 sitcom The Power of Parker, yet this is her first role as a cop — and Steph is certainly a far cry from her Hollyoaks character Summer!

Energetic, committed and determined to rise through the ranks, Steph’s desperate to be at the heart of every investigation and doesn’t seem to be put off or intimidated by Vera’s typically brusque manner!

While she loves being out and about, interviewing suspects and chasing new leads, she’s less keen on being sat at her desk doing day-to-day donkey work and admin, something that can cause a bit of friction between her and her no-nonsense boss.

However, Vera (Brenda Blethyn) seems to spot the potential in Steph and respects her go-getting attitude, meaning that, despite being a newbie, Steph doesn’t get anywhere near as much stick as poor DC Kenny Lockhart (Jon Morrison)!

The first episode of Vera season 13 also sees the return of David Leon as Vera's former colleague Joe Ashworth as they try to find the killer of local market trader Danny Meddon in a violent hit and run.

Rhiannon admits that joining the hit crime drama has been a dream come true. "My mum’s a huge fan, so watching the show has always been a big thing in our family," she says. "My first day filming was a bit of a baptism of fire because my very first scene was with Brenda! "Luckily I was more excited than nervous and she made me feel so welcome. But I still can’t believe I’m a part of such an iconic show!"

* Vera season 13 starts on ITV1 and ITVX on Sunday January 7 at 8pm. 

* The Vera Christmas special called Vera: The Rising tide was recently shown in the UK on Boxing Day 2023 but it's available for catch up on ITVX.