Endeavour star explains why he wanted to direct new season of The Bay

When asked about what appealed to him and made him want to get in the director's chair for season 5, Evans said in a conference with RadioTimes.com and other press: "The appealing thing, I think, about is The Bay is the family liaison element and so, it's not like your usual procedural.

"It feels more emotional because she's in with the family, not asking very direct questions but getting to know about them and about the victim in a far more emotionally centred way.

"The fact that it's a female lead as well doing that, I found both of those things very appealing. Equally, it was lovely to get back up north and to be working up north."

He added: "And so, all of those things combined, I thought 'I'd love to do this, you know'. And then I knew the actors in the show as well, we'd not met but I'd seen their work and really admired them and really admired Daragh [Carville] as a writer. So, it was a combination of all of those things, really."

When quizzed over whether he had any pull to be in front of the camera while directing The Bay, Evans said: "I just finished doing an acting job right before we started which was super intense. It was lovely to be using a different part of my brain.

"There's something so engaging, I find, about watching the monitor and watching the guys act and perform. And then, to be able to run in and potentially offer something – a little bit of something interesting – and then watch it happening. It's incredibly satisfying."

Also known for his roles in Vigil and set to star in upcoming spy thriller Betrayal, Evans admitted that he'd hope to be both an actor and director in the future. "For as long as I could [do both acting and directing] then yeah, I'd like to be able to have both," he said.

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The new season of The Bay returns viewers to Morecambe Bay where the team must investigate the murder of university student Hannah, who is found on the docks.

As per the season 5 synopsis: "With the stakes of the investigation high, Jenn and the team dig deeper into the case, they uncover hidden friendships and secret liaisons as the anger rises in the student community.

"As intensity increases, and the team peel back the complicated layers of Hannah’s life and the secrets within it, Jenn must reconcile her personal and professional struggles as she grapples to solve the case, come to terms with her own loss and build bridges with her family."

The cast for season 5 is fronted once again by Marsha Thomason as DS Jenn Townsend while series regulars Daniel Ryan, Erin Shanagher and Andrew Dowbiggin all reprise their roles.

New cast members for this season include Olwen May (Happy Valley), Suzanne Packer (Casualty), Leanne Best (The Walk-In), David Troughton (New Tricks) and Neil Maskell (Hijack) as well as Stephen Wight (Screw) and Ceallach Spellman (Better).

The Bay will return to ITV1 and ITVX on Sunday 2nd March at 9pm.

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