'The Bay' confirmed to return for series four

The Bay has been confirmed for a fourth series and is set to return with Marsha Thomason in the lead role again.

ITV's police drama about a family liaison officer (FLO) working in Morecambe originally starred Morven Christie, but when she decided to leave the show it launched series three this year with Thomason playing new character DS Jenn Townsend – another FLO, like Christie's DS Lisa Armstrong.

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Her casting was a hit with viewers and has now secured another series for the show, due to begin filming later this year.

The drama from Daragh Carville has also been praised for its diversity in casting and storylines for series three which concluded last night, such as its accurate and moving portrayal of the funeral of a young Muslim man.

Casting included young deaf newcomer Nadeem Islam, who played Jamal, who was discovered through an article written about him on Disability Arts Online.

Thomason, known for her roles in Cobra and White Collar, was introduced as Morecambe CID’s new FLO DS Jenn Townsend after Christie chose to leave and her character was written out by explaining she had chosen to move on to a different force.

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As the new lead, she joined Daniel Ryan, Erin Shanagher, Thomas Law and Andrew Dowbiggin, with series four cast additions due to be announced later this year.

ITV’s head of drama Polly Hill said: "I’m delighted that we will be returning to Morecambe for another series of The Bay.

"Marsha Thomason delivered a brilliant performance as DS Jenn Townsend, and it will be exciting to see where Daragh takes her character in series four."

The Bay has been a huge success for ITV globally, too - it has been sold in more than 130 territories across the world and ITV Studios is responsible for the international distribution of The Bay which is also a BritBox North America Original.

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