ITV fans have days to binge four seasons of ‘absolutely brilliant’ crime drama

The Bay is returning for a fifth season (Picture: ITV/Jonny Birch)

ITV viewers have just days to catch up with four seasons of a highly-rated crime and police drama before it returns for its fifth season.

The Bay, which began in March 2019, has starred Morven Christie and Marsha Thomason as detectives and family liaison officers in the series.

Set in Morecambe, from which the series’ name is derived, the series initially followed an investigation into two missing teenagers from the Lancashire town.

The show now follows murder mysteries around Morecambe, and has continued to be watched by audiences of up to six million people.

Each season has so far consisted of six episodes and the fifth season will be no different, with a weekly release schedule also expected to follow suit with previous seasons.

And ITV has now confirmed that a fifth season of the show will begin on Sunday, March 2, 2025, with the next episode released at 9pm that day.

Marsha Thomason took over the lead role in season three (Picture: ITV/Jed Knight/REX)

The new series will see Marsha Thomason continue in her role as DS Jenn Townsend – Marsha took over from Morven for the show’s third season in 2022.

Returning cast members include Daniel Ryan as Tony Manning, Erin Shanagher and as Karen Hobson, and Andrew Dowbiggin as James Clarke.

Barry Sloane is also staying on as Chris Fischer, Georgia Scholes will continue on the series in the role of Erin Fischer, while David Carpenter and Emme Haynes will still play Jenn’s children Conor and Maddie.

New faces include Happy Valley star Olwen May and Northern Irish actress Taya Lynne O’Neill who played Mary Quinn in the hit comedy series Derry Girls.

Morven Christie left the series after two seasons in 2021 (Picture: ITV/Ben Blackall)