VERA Stanhope, the cranky and disheveled star of Ann Cleeves’ bestselling novels and ITV’s drama series set in the North-East has won the title of the nation’s favourite detective.

The character played by Brenda Blethyn triumphed over characters created by JK Rowling and Ian Rankin.

The winners of the inaugural Dead Good Books awards were announced at the annual Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, on Friday night (July 17).

Celebrating the win, Cleeves, who lives on North Tyneside, said: “I am thrilled that Vera has won. I developed Vera because at the time there were few strong, believable female protagonists in crime fiction.

“I wanted someone true, real and relatable, so I created Vera Stanhope. She grew out of the strong spinsters I knew as a child - competent, formidable and without a trace of glamour.

“She's middle-aged, overweight and if I was in trouble I'd want her on my side.”

Vera has been winning hearts for her quirky ways since she first appeared in Cleeves’ novel, The Crow Trap in 1999, and, with the sixth series of ITV’s Vera airing in 2016, her victory on such prestigious shortlist cements the fact that Vera is one of Britain’s best-loved fictional detectives.

Brenda Blethyn and Cleeves accepted the award from the host, Lee Child, at the ceremony.

The winner was decided by a public vote via the crime fiction website, Dead Good, and more than 4,000 votes had been received from online readers and festival-goers.

An international bestseller with 29 novels published so far, Cleeves is hailed as one of Britain’s most successful crime fiction novelists.