The Bay season 3 release date: guide to ITV drama, including big changes
There's a new murder investigation in Morecambe.
ITV has confirmed a January 2022 release date for The Bay season 3, which features a brand new lead character: DS Jenn Townsend.
The broadcaster previously released its first-look image of season three earlier this year, featuring its new lead star Marsha Thomason, known for her roles in series such as COBRA and Lost.
The coastal-set crime drama The Bay embarked on filming for season three back in March 2021. Star Morven Christie (who played lead character Lisa Armstrong) previously announced she was leaving the show, and has been replaced by Thomason who will front the new run.
The hit crime drama's third season will still be set once again in Morecambe, but this time around Thomason will play Morecambe CID’s new Family Liaison Officer, DS Jenn Townsend, alongside those cast members reprising their roles from The Bay season two.
Read on for everything you need to know about The Bay season 3, including who features and what the new run will cover.
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The Bay season 3 release date
The Bay season 3 will begin on ITV on Wednesday, 12th January at 9pm.
The new season will consist of six episodes in keeping with the previous two seasons.
Filming for The Bay season three kicked off back in 15th March 2021.
There have been some keen changes, however, as we explain below.
Who stars in The Bay season 3?
Cobra star Marsha Thomason plays lead role DS Jenn Townsend, a family liaison officer. She replaces Morven Christie, who will not return to the series.
Reprising their roles from The Bay cast are Daniel Ryan (Innocent, Home Fires), Erin Shanagher (Viewpoint, Peaky Blinders), Thomas Law (The Worlds End, A Cinderella Story) and Andrew Dowbiggin (Cobra, Coronation Street).
For more details on the full third season's cast, see our character guide here.
The Bay season 3 trailer
The Bay season 3 has released increasing amounts of footage from the hit ITV crime drama in advance of the show's return date.
One of the trailers from ITV can be found below.
Will DS Townsend manage to get to the truth of the body found in the bay on her first day?
We shall have to wait and see but rest assured, we will be watching!
The Bay season 3 plot
Written by Daragh Carville (Being Human), the third season introduces us to Lisa Armstrong's replacement, DS Jenn Townsend, who struggles to balance her family's house move alongside the pressures of her new role.
According to the synopsis, DS Townsend is "immediately thrown into the deep end when a body is found in the bay on her first day in the job. She must get under the skin of a grieving and complicated family if she has any chance of solving the premature death of an aspiring young boxer. While she’s eager to give the family answers, she also needs to prove herself as the team’s newest recruit."
It continues: "The pressure is multiplied when her new blended family struggle to settle in Morecambe, proving to Jenn that a fresh start might not be as simple as moving to a different town."
The third series was commissioned by ITV’s Head of Drama, Polly Hill. “We are delighted with the audiences’ response to The Bay and look forward to them meeting DS Jenn Townsend played by the fantastic Marsha Thomason, who joins the team in series three." she said.
Executive Producer, Catherine Oldfield, added: “Daragh and I couldn’t be more delighted by the audience response to The Bay. That ITV have recommissioned the show is fantastic and to get a talent as bright and brilliant as Marsha to lead the new series is beyond exciting. We can’t wait to get back to Morecambe to start filming again in that beautiful part of the world.”
- For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 guides.
The Bay seasons 1-3 are available to watch on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here. Keep up to date with all the latest news from our Drama hub. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide.
