Will Lisa keep her ex Andy at ‘bay’ this week?

Morven Christie is one of the most respected actors around.

After a career on stage and in various film and television, the Dumbartonshire-born performer, who turns 40 in September, seems to be finally receiving recognition for her talents.

Her roles as pregnant architect Ellen Rooney in The Replacement, as well as Grantchester’s heiress and art restorer Amanda Hopkins, and mother to autistic boy Joe Hughes, Alison, in the The A Word, have all earned praise from critics and viewers alike.

Christie is currently starring in the second series of ITV police thriller The Bay, and it is clear the creative team and cast see her as the real talent of the show.

Writer and Executive Producer Daragh Carville says: “Morven’s really made the character her own and I’ve rarely worked with an actor who is as committed, as focused, as forensic as she is.

“She’s just brilliant. For me, Morven’s work on The Bay confirms that she’s simply one of the most exciting actors in the UK.”

Daniel Ryan, who stars alongside Christie as DI Anthony ‘Tony’ Manning in The Bay, adds: “Morven’s got an ability to add a unique authenticity to her lines that is not easy to achieve but she makes it look easy.

“She doesn’t deliver the lines in the way you might expect her to because she’s always thinking. She’s at the top of her game, an amazing actress.”

This second run of the drama is definitely providing Christie with the material to flex her acting muscles.

When we rejoined her two weeks ago, Morecambe police detective and former party girl Lisa was continuing to face the consequences of her actions from series one and rebuild the trust of her colleagues and family.

But the past has clearly taken its toll.

Demoted and living in a small flat with her kids, she’s spent the past year or so trying to be the best officer, mum and daughter, and suppressing her adventurous spirit.

“Lisa is just a single mum who’s pushed her way through and at the point that we find her in series two, she’s made some really heavy mistakes and she’s paying for it,” Christie explains.

“She’s in quite a vulnerable place. She’s got no money and her professional life is in a really precarious state because she’s on probation.

“She no longer has any of the things she used to rely on. They’ve all been broken down, so she’s just a bit at sea and is trying hard to get solid ground under her feet again.”

Tonight, as the team press on with the murder investigation in Morecambe, Lisa and Med (Taheen Modak) decide to dig deeper into the family.

And surprise, surprise, they discover not all relationships with the victim were amicable and there were several grudges bubbling away under the surface.

Eventually, with one suspect beginning to talk, a crucial piece of evidence comes through – but it leaves Lisa with more questions than answers.

As usual, it’s not just at work where the detective is feeling the pressure, she is forced to more give time to her home life.

While her ex Andy (Joe Absolom) continues to grow closer to their kids Abbie (Imogen King) and Rob (Art Parkinson), Lisa’s mother Penny (Lindsey Coulson) is feeling pushed out and decides to take matters into her own hands.

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