The Bay - the new ITV drama set in Morecambe, when is it on and what's the story?

When is it on television? Wednesday, March 20, ITV, 9pm What is it? A six-part drama starring Morven Christie and Jonas Armstrong, set in the coastal town of Morecambe in Lancashire (The Bay). What’s the story? When twins Holly and Dylan Meredith go missing, Family Liaison Officer Lisa Armstrong realises her connection to the family might be more than just professional. What’s her character like? As a Family Liaison Officer, she’s trained never to get emotionally involved. Her job is to support families during the worst time of their lives, whilst also to be the eyes and ears of the police investigation; a cuckoo in the nest. What happens next? There’s something very different about this particular case. With horror, Lisa realises she’s got a personal connection with this frightened family; one that could compromise her and the investigation. Who are the main characters? Lisa Armstrong played by Morven Christie: As a Family Liaison Officer with Morecambe CID, Lisa is the point of contact between the victim’s family and the police investigation. She’s not there to just make the tea and pass the tissues, although she can and will do both if the need arises; she’s primarily a detective – finding out as much as she can about the family and friends of a victim. She will witness things behind the scenes that most other officers never come across – she holds the hands of the family when identifying a body, she’ll support them through press conferences, a trial – and she’ll learn more about the victim’s life than their nearest and dearest ever did. After all, most crime against persons is perpetrated by someone known to them. This means at times she will have to ask some pretty searing questions and dig into the family history – often uncovering the sort of dark underbelly of modern family life that people would much rather stay hidden. Read this: Everything you need to know about why ITV drama The Bay was filmed in Morecambe Sean Meredith played by Jonas Armstrong: Morecambe born and raised, Sean is a man who desperately wants to live a good life as a family man. When he met Jess, he was kind and affectionate towards her and for a brief time, the family lived a contented life with Sean as protector, provider and an enthusiastic patriarch. Sadly, it didn’t take long for the cracks to appear. Working tirelessly on the fishing boats out on the bay, Sean increasingly found his hours getting longer and harder in an industry where it’s becoming more and more difficult to make any money. Morven Christie says: “Morecambe is a unique backdrop and I hope audiences get how much soul the town has. It felt like a really unique choice for our setting, not least because our writer, Daragh Carville, lives nearby and knows the area really well. Morecambe reminds me a lot of the towns I grew up in. The Bay looks into the heart of what crime does to people and is a story about two women whose lives both could have turned out really differently and the connection they make in this really extreme circumstance.” Jonas Armstrong on his character: “Sean is a hard working fisherman and a grafter, he’s a decent family man. They live on an estate and work hard. Like everyone else, they haven’t got a lot of money and struggle to make ends meet. He works with his brother-in-law Ryan and a friend, Krzysztof, and they hang out and socialise together. He has four children with Jess and another on the way, and life is tough for them. Sean finds himself in this situation whereby he can either suffer or he can try to enjoy life a bit."