THE return of ITV’s Vera on Sunday night proved a ratings success as it was watched by well over double the viewers tuning into the finale of the BBC’s SS-GB.

The crime drama, set in Northumberland and starring Brenda Blethyn as frumpy but loveable DCI Vera Stanhope, kicked off with the first episode of its seventh series.

It proved a huge hit with the majority of viewers although some took to social media to claim the dialect was not up to scratch.

One posted on Twitter: “Brenda Blethyn’s ‘accent’ is nothing like a north eastern one. Much 2 high pitched and squeaky to be realistic.”

Another said: “Accents are getting progressively more abysmal as this episode goes on.

“Vera’s accent gone upmarket and had an effect on cast. Plenty of Geordie actors up here!”

However, the two hour show - which aired from 8pm until 10pm - won its timeslot with an average 6.4 million audience and an overall share of 30 per cent, according to overnight ratings.

This was an increase of a million viewers compared with the first episode of the last series.

In January, Vera was named best drama in The Royal Television Society’s regional awards while Blethyn secured best performance.

Over on BBC One, airing from 9pm until 10pm, was the fifth and final episode of Nazi drama SS-GB - starring Sam Riley and Kate Bosworth.

It attracted just 2.6 million people, a dramatic fall in ratings compared to the first episode which was seen by 6.1 million in February. It has been criticised over poor sound quality and mumbling dialogue.

Vera’s Sunday night domination was also seen in the first hour of its broadcast as it went up against the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow from 8pm until 9pm, which scored five million viewers.

Despite concerns over the accents, the latest series of Vera got a big thumbs up.

“I waited a long time for this! Totally worth the wait,” said one viewer.

“Sorry SS-GB but Vera calls and it was my Mum’s name. Did you hear me, was I mumbling?,” quipped another.

The series is based on the popular crime novels by Ann Cleeves, who also wrote Shetland. Her writing career took off in the mid 80s when she and her husband moved to Northumberland.