The Bay season 5 start date, cast and plot as new cop joins at station

ITV's The Bay is returning for a fifth season, featuring family liaison officer Jenn Townsend grappling with a fractured family while navigating her own personal loss. Executive producer Catherine Oldfield provided a glimpse into the upcoming season, stating: "Jenn's back to work after the death of a family member and so perhaps isn't in the most solid emotional state. But she's keen to just get back to work and possibly this is because if she doesn't stop to think about her loss then she can avoid having to deal with what it really means."

She added: "When the body of a young woman is found murdered in a lock, Jenn finds herself in the middle of divorced parents where there's a lot of history and bad blood. Her diplomatic skills are going to be tested like never before."

The police department has also seen a slight shake-up with the introduction of a new character, Lou McClaren.

Seconded from Lancaster to Morecambe's MIU, Lou is a seasoned cop. Here's everything you need to know about the new season, including the release date, cast, and more.

The wait for the new season won't be long as it premieres on Sunday, March 2 on ITV at 9pm. Each episode will run for an hour and will also be available to stream on ITVX.

How many episodes are in The Bay season 5?

The season consists of six episodes, airing weekly at the same time slot of 9pm.

The latest episodes of The Bay season 5 delve into the heart-wrenching death of Hannah Dawson, leaving her estranged parents in turmoil. As the season reaches its climax, a pivotal piece of evidence emerges, leading Jenn and her team to uncover that someone close to Hannah has been concealing crucial information all this time.

The familiar faces return with Marsha Thomason as Jenn Townsend, Daniel Ryan as Tony Manning, and Andrew Dowbiggin as Clarkie. Erin Shanagher reprises her role as DS Karen Hobson, alongside newcomer Lou McClaren, portrayed by Olwen May.

Jenn's family includes Suzanne Packer as Anne Jackson, and her kids Conor and Maddie are played by David Carpenter and Emme Hayes, respectively. Hannah's troubled family features Leanne Best and Neil Maskell as her parents Julie Ashworth and Steve Dawson, with David Troughton as her grandfather Tommy Campbell.

Writer Daragh Carville shared his insights on the new season: "This series I was interested in telling the story of a divided family where the parents of the victim are divorced acrimoniously and there's bad blood and history there.

"Obviously, that makes it more difficult for our central character, Jenn, the family liaison officer, because now she has to liaise with a broken family.

"She has to go between the parents and compare and contrast what she's learning in those different areas."

The Bay season 5 airs on Sunday, March 2 on ITV at 9pm