The Bay co-creator discusses future of ITV crime drama
Another season could be on the cards if all goes well.
The third season of The Bay got under way on ITV last night, introducing a new protagonist tasked with unravelling a complex murder mystery – and it may not be her last.
Marsha Thomason (COBRA) has made her debut as Morecambe Bay arrival DS Jenn Townsend, taking the baton from original lead character DS Lisa Armstrong (Morven Christie), who has been written out of the show.
DS Townsend's first case is an investigation into the suspicious death of an aspiring young boxer, with her hope being that his grieving family may hold the clues that will uncover the circumstances of his grim fate.
If this latest story strikes a chord with viewers as the first two seasons did, then don't be surprised to see ITV push ahead with a fourth instalment in the crime drama, which has been described as the 'northern Broadchurch'.
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Co-creator and co-writer Daragh Carville told RadioTimes.com and other press: "We would love to come back. The show is always conceived of as a returning show.
"You can probably tell from the way we’re speaking about it, we’re all really committed to these characters and the world of the show. So certainly, we’d love to come back but as ever, it’s in the hands of the audience so let’s see how they respond."
So far so good, as we asked our readers what they thought of Thomason's debut as DS Townsend and the vast majority had glowing words of encouragement.
But of course, the success of the show is not entirely on her shoulders, as viewers will also be expecting a gripping and satisfying mystery to unfold across the six-episode third season – let's hope the writers can deliver on that front once more.
The Bay continues on ITV at 9pm on Wednesday 19th January 2022. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
