Brenda's transformation from Vera to a Woman of Substance

BRENDA Blethyn bins her Vera bucket hat and oversized mac for a glamorous new TV role.

- By Fran Winston

The Bafta-winning star, who bowed out of the Geordie detective series in January, is seen bossing the set of Channel 4's adaptation of Barbara Taylor-Bradford's 1979 novel, A Woman Of Substance.

In the rags-to-riches tale, she plays the older housemaid-turned department store mogul Emma Harte, who battles with her family as they try to oust her and sell off her global empire.