Morecambe but wiser?

Star Morven Christie on returning to the Lancashire coast for another murder mystery

- Ian MacEwan

THE BAY

NEW WEDNESDAY / ITV / 9PM / EP 1 of 6 / DRAMA

Set in the Lancashire seaside town of Morecambe, murder mystery The Bay gripped audiences and drew favourable comparisons with Broadchurch when it aired in 2019.

Starring The A Word’s Morven Christie, the series centred on family liaison officer and single mum Lisa Armstrong, whose personal and professional lives collided in dangerous fashion during a police investigation into the killing of a teenage boy.

This week, as The Bay returns for an eagerly anticipated second series – with new cast members including Stephen Tompkinson, Sunetra Sarker, Joe Absolom and Sharon Small – a demoted Lisa is delighted to be allowed to work on another murder case by boss DI Manning (Daniel Ryan) when a local family man is the victim of an execution-style killing.

However, there are still major challenges to be negotiated at work, and her home life is about to be rocked by a bolt from the blue.

We caught up with Morven, 39, to find out more…

Series one of The Bay got a really positive reaction. What was that like for you?

It was such a wonderful surprise. I had no sense that it would be quite the size of juggernaut that it was! We knew before the last episode went out that we’d be coming back for a second series, which was a big buzz. It was a bit weird getting recognised a lot, but everything else about it was great!

How’s life for your character, Lisa Armstrong, at the start of this second series?