It was only after Jeanie Long’s suicide hit the headlines that evidence came to light exonerating her for the murder of fifteen-year-old Abigail Mantel 11 years before. Jeanie had always insisted she was innocent but no one, including her own family, believed her. Set around the Northumberland coast, TELLING TALES follows DI Vera Stanhope as she sets out to retrospectively resolve the mystery of Abigail’s murder. Vera and her loyal team delve into the secrets and lies of a small community that continues to be rocked by Abigail’s murder. In her inimitable style, Vera strips back the varnish disguising the truth, but not before the case takes a violent and unexpected turn with another – potentially connected - murder. With a murderer on the loose, and the pressure building, Vera uses her skill and instinct to expose the lies and half-truths at the heart of a small community, while setting the ghosts of Abigail and Jeanie to rest.Based on Ann Cleeve’s novel of the same name, TELLING TALES is the second episode in the VERA series for ITV1 starring Brenda Blethyn.