The Bay season 5: Release date speculation, cast rumours and latest news

In season 4, Jenn was much more confident in her new surroundings, even with her own personal drama to contend with and a "horrific" case to solve.

With the support of her colleagues, the arsonist and killer was unmasked, with Jenn once again proving her worth. But will she be back for another outing?

Read on for everything you need to know about The Bay season 5.

Will there be a season 5 of The Bay?

Yes! The Bay has been renewed for season 5.

"We're delighted to be returning to Morecambe for another series of The Bay," said head of ITV drama Polly Hill. "The series is a huge success story for ITV and we're grateful to Catherine Oldfield, Daragh Carville and the team at Tall Story Pictures for continuing to create compelling stories and characters."

Catherine Oldfield, executive producer at Tall Story Pictures, added: "[Show creator] Daragh [Carville] and I couldn't be happier to be heading back to Morecambe with Marsha and the team for another case. We love making the show and so we're delighted to be producing another series for ITV and viewers at home and abroad."

What could be The Bay season 5 release date?

Filming begins later this year, so we'd expect it to arrive in early 2024.

The Bay season 5 cast speculation

As is the case with previous seasons, a new raft of guest actors will be drafted in, with names to be announced in due course.

As for the main cast, Thomason will return as Jenn, but the season 4 finale also delivered the news that the team needs to be cut.

DI Tony Manning obviously took his boss to task, launching into an impassioned rant about the recent state of affairs and how his squad have been struggling with long hours and limited resources. But it remains to be seen if they all feature in season 5.

Here are some of the other names who could return:

• Daniel Ryan as DI Anthony 'Tony' Manning
• Erin Shanagher as DS Karen Hobson
• Andrew Dowbiggin as DS James 'Clarkie' Clarke
• Thomas Law as DC Eddie Martin
• Barry Sloane as Chris Fischer
• Georgia Scholes as Erin Fischer
• David Carpenter as Conor Townsend
• Emme Hayes as Maddie Townsend

There's also Jenn's partner Chris, played by Barry Sloane, and Erin's mum Jacqui, played by Claire Goose.

In the finale, we also saw Tony tell Ellen that he no longer has plans to quit his job and leave the country with her, so it remains to be seen if Kerrie Taylor will return.

What could The Bay season 5 be about?

Morecambe MIU will be looking into "the emotionally complex life of a divided family".

The victim's parents are "bitterly divorced", which means Jenn and her colleagues will have to "tread very carefully to keep the whole family onside".

In season 4, we got a better sense of the personal lives of the officers in the MIU, with a glimpse into Clarkie's family dynamics, Tony's (initially secret) relationship with Ellen, Eddie revealing he's a father-to-be and Karen feeling somewhat sidelined by Jenn.

But also, Jenn had massive family problems of her own, with Jacqui refusing to leave her family home, overstepping boundaries and persuading Erin to go and live with her. But luckily, season 4 ended with the Townsend and Fischer family seemingly happy and back together as a solid unit.

Is there a trailer for The Bay season 5?

Slow down! Season 5 has only just been announced.

Expect it to arrive in the month leading up to the premiere.

The Bay season 4 continues on ITV1 at 9pm on Wednesday 15th March, with season 4 available to stream in full on ITVX. The Bay seasons 1-3 are also available to watch on ITVX and BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.

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