The Bay is a British crime drama and police procedural television series produced by Tall Story Pictures and distributed worldwide by ITV Studios Global Entertainment. It first aired on ITV on 20 March 2019. The series is set and filmed in Morecambe, a coastal town in Lancashire, England, and takes its name from Morecambe Bay.
Overview The series follows detectives working as Family Liaison Officers (FLOs) for the fictional West Lancashire Police Service (later Morecambe Major Investigation Unit). The first two series starred Morven Christie as DS (later DC) Lisa Armstrong. Marsha Thomason took over the lead role from series three onward as DS Jenn Townsend. Daniel Ryan co-stars as DI Tony Manning across all five series.
The narrative focuses on emotionally complex investigations within the local community, with each series following a single case over six episodes. The show has been noted for its depiction of the socioeconomic difficulties faced by Morecambe, a community that writer Daragh Carville stated "has suffered a great deal with austerity."
Series and Release
| Series | Episodes | Original Release |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 20 March – 24 April 2019 |
| 2 | 6 | 20 January – 24 February 2021 |
| 3 | 6 | 12 January – 16 February 2022 |
| 4 | 6 | 8 March – 12 April 2023 |
| 5 | 6 | 2 March – 11 March 2025 |
A sixth series was commissioned and began filming in Lancashire in May 2026.
Main Cast
- Morven Christie as DS/DC Lisa Armstrong (series 1–2)
- Marsha Thomason as DS Jenn Townsend (series 3–present)
- Daniel Ryan as DI Tony Manning (series 1–present)
- Erin Shanagher as DS Karen Hobson (series 1–present)
- Andrew Dowbiggin as DS James Clarke (series 1–present)
- Simon Manyonda as DS Alexander Stewart (series 1–2)
- Taheen Modak as DS Ahmed "Med" Kharim (series 1–2)
- Thomas Law as DC Eddie Martin (series 2–4)
Production The series was created by Daragh Carville, originally from Northern Ireland, who wanted to write a drama set in Morecambe where he has lived. Richard Clark also receives a creator credit. The show has been labelled by media outlets as the "Northern Broadchurch" in reference to the similar BBC crime drama.
Filming locations include Morecambe (particularly on the beaches and at the Winter Gardens), as well as Manchester, Whitehaven, and Grange-over-Sands.
Reception The first series received an average of 7.2 million viewers across six episodes. The second series averaged 7.9 million viewers. Critical reception has been mixed to positive. The Guardian awarded the first series four out of five stars. The Daily Telegraph and The Independent both gave three stars. The Times gave the second series premiere four stars.
Note: There is a separate, unrelated American web series also titled The Bay (2010–present), created by Gregori J. Martin, set in the fictional Bay City. That series is an independently produced digital drama that has won multiple Daytime Emmy Awards and streams on Peacock and Tubi/Popstar! TV.
