A POPULAR ITV series based in the Morecambe Bay is teasing viewers with a glimpse of its new lead actor.

Marsha Thomason, known for her roles in White Collar and Lost, is joining the cast of crime drama The Bay, produced by Tall Story Pictures, as DS Jenn Townsend.

DS Townsend will be immediately thrown into the deep end when a body is found in the Bay on her first day in the job.

She has been pictured in a first glimpse of her role, stood against the Morecambe sea wall.

Joining Marsha on the new series as guest cast members are Marcella's Zahra Ahmadi, Ash Tandon of Bodyguard, Gary Lewis of Outlander and Hollyoaks' Georgia Scholes.

Making their professional debuts are David Carpenter and Emme Haynes.

The show is set in Morecambe Bay, with some scenes filmed in Grange.

Filming on the latest series of The Bay is due to start in the next few months

The first two seasons followed lead actress Morven Christie as DS Lisa Armstrong.

After the end of season two, Morven Christie announced that she would be parting from her role, sparking the hunt for a new leading lady.

The Bay is written by award-winning writer and playwright Daragh Carville, with Furquan Akhtar co-writing the third series.

Catherine Oldfield, Creative Director of Tall Story Pictures and Executive Producer of The Bay said: “Daragh and I always felt that there were so many brilliant stories to be told in the world of The Bay so, after Morven decided to leave the show, we got straight to work finding a new lead actor.

"From the moment Marsha read for the part we knew it was ‘game over’ and we’d found our new lead, DS Townsend.

"We are so excited to see Marsha bring these stories to life.”

The hugely popular TV show has seen global success, selling in over 100 territories across the world. Series one saw consolidated audiences of 7 million viewers with a share of 27 per cent across six episodes.

On ITV Hub, The Bay series one and series two have earned a massive 25.4 million programme streams since December 18, with 24.8 million of these coming in 2021.

The Bay is available to stream on the ITV Hub.

Visit: https://www.itv.com/hub/the-bay/2a5041