Against the tide

There's more heartbreaking family misfortune as crime drama The Bay returns

- CAREN CLARK, IAN MACEWAN

NEW CRIME DRAMA

The Bay
Wed, 9pm, ITV1 (box set, ITVX)

DS Jenn Townsend (Marsha Thomason) found herself in at the deep end in series three of The Bay when a body was found in the water on the detective’s first day on the job.

Now settled into her role as the local Family Liaison Officer, Jenn is called to the scene of a terrifying house fire as the Morecambe-set crime drama returns this week.

‘This house is ablaze, and the kids are outside shouting,’ says Thomason, 47, who replaced Morven Christie as The Bay’s lead character for the last series. ‘It is just heartbreaking.’

The fatal inferno, which may have been arson, leaves widowed Dean Metcalf (Joe Armstrong) and his four children traumatised. As DI Tony Manning (Daniel Ryan) investigates possible foul play, Jenn offers her support and quickly realises she is dealing with a seriously dysfunctional family.