A plot full of twists and turns in The Bay

Change – is it something to be feared or embraced?

In TV land, perhaps we should focus on the latter rather than the former. After all, in recent weeks, we’ve seen Sinead Keenan take over from Nicola Walker as the lead actor in Unforgotten, and so far, she’s gone down a treat with viewers, including those who were concerned the show wouldn’t be the same without its original star.

Now The Bay is returning, once again with Marsha Thomason centre stage as DS Jenn Townsend. Like Keenan, she proved a hit with fans after replacing Morven Christie as the crime drama’s central character last year.

Unlike her Scottish-born predecessor, Thomason was born and raised in the north west of England, so is a good fit for the show. She first came to fame via roles in Pie in the Sky, Playing the Field and Where the Heart Is, although for the best part of 15 years prior to The Bay coming along, she’d been working in the US, where she’d settled with her husband and daughter.

Clearly Thomason enjoyed swapping Malibu for Morecambe, although the seaside town didn’t go down quite as well with Jenn’s family. While she hoped to make a fresh start with her teenage children, new partner and his daughter, fate had other ideas – the move almost ended in disaster, but by the end of the series, there was hope on the horizon for all involved.

Executive producer Catherine Oldfield promises that the drama’s creator and writer, Daragh Carville, has something enthralling up his sleeve for viewers: “Marsha’s arrival in series three elevated The Bay yet again and Daragh has delivered another thrilling story for our hugely talented cast to get stuck into,” she claimed before filming began on the fourth season. “We can’t wait to bring it to life once again set against the backdrop of Morecambe’s beautiful eerie skies and shore.”

“The Bay continues to captivate viewers and is a hugely successful drama for ITV, both on linear transmission and via streaming,” added ITV’s head of drama, Polly Hill. “Marsha Thomason’s casting in the last series was inspired, and Daragh Carville and the team once again deliver a plot full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing to the end, whilst all set against the dramatic coastline of Morecambe, with its glorious sea and skyscapes.”

Ah yes, those huge Lancashire skies… no doubt they’ll look as foreboding as ever when Jenn’s latest case gets underway. It begins with the murder of mum-of-four Beth Metcalf. She’s struck down in what appears to be a targeted attack, and Jenn is quick to realise that her shellshocked family will need all the support she can give them – especially Beth’s husband Dean, who is completely unprepared for becoming the sole carer to their children.

As you may expect, the police delve into every aspect of Dean and Beth’s lives, and there are lots of secrets to be unearthed…

Happy Valley fans may be pleased to learn that Joe Armstrong, who starred in the first series, and Karl Davies, aka Catherine Cawood’s son Daniel, are among the guest cast, which also includes Claire Goose and Christopher Coghill.