Legendary star of The Bill shocks Vera fans in Christmas Special – but did you spot them?
He appeared in the long-running show for 20 years
VERA fans were left stunned when a legend of The Bill appeared in the show’s Christmas special.
Actor Eric Roberts made an appearance in the ITV drama series for its extra special edition broadcast on Boxing Day.
He played the role of Isaiah Thomas and looked worlds away from his days as Bob Cryer in the long-running police drama.
Vera returned for its one-off special, The Rising Tide, which followed Brenda Blethyn‘s character as she investigated the mystery surrounding the death of a popular TV star on Holy Island.
What was initially presumed to be a suicide was later confirmed to be a murder which caused shockwaves for the victim’s closest friends and led Vera on a hunt for the killer.
Eric’s character Isaiah was a notorious criminal who had been staying in an older people’s home and had little contact with his daughter Charlotte who had been discovered murdered.
Vera went to visit him to break the sad news.
Just before Charlotte died, she had been helping the team with their enquiries as it was her ex-husband Rick who had been discovered initially dead.
Noticing Eric on the programme, one fan wrote on X – formerly Twitter: “Isn’t that the guy from the Bill? Bob Cryer?”
Another went on to add: “Nice to have a cameo from Eric ‘Bob Cryer’ Richard from the Bill on #Vera.”
A third went on to say: “The Bill man looking really old now #Vera.”
Before a fourth penned: “Bob Cryer! Now that was a programme (#TheBill) #Vera.”
Eric appeared on The Bill for 20 years after making his debut on the show in 1984 and became a certified fan favourite.
More recently, he appeared in a brief stint in EastEnders in 2018 playing Maurice.
He starred alongside Jessie Wallace as Kat Slater portraying a friend of her father, Charlie.
