The Bay season 4 cast: Meet the characters of the ITV crime drama

The coastal crime drama returns with a brand new case and a host of new characters.

By Morgan Cormack

Published: Thursday, 30 March 2023 at 12:00 am

ITV crime drama The Bay is back with season 4, transporting viewers back to Morecambe, Lancashire, once more for a new murder mystery.

The new season sees Marsha Thomason (Cobra, The White Collar) reprise her role as Morecambe Police’s Family Liaison Officer DS Jenn Townsen.

This time, she’s assigned to the Metcalf family, who are left reeling following the death of their mother in a house fire.

Matters only grow more complicated when it becomes apparent that the woman was killed in a targeted attack, and Jenn is tasked with helping the devastated family navigate their grief while the investigation rolls on.

Alongside Thomason, Daniel Ryan also returns as DI Anthony ‘Tony’ Manning, Erin Shanagher as DS Karen Hobson and Andrew Dowbiggin as DS James ‘Clarkie’ Clarke.

Read on for everything you need to know about the new and returning cast of The Bay season 4, characters and where you’ve seen the actors before.

The Bay season 4 cast: Full list of characters and actors in the ITV drama

Like previous seasons, The Bay welcomes in a new cast of characters each season who are at the centre of the crime, as well as the recognisable investigating team.

The full list of main cast members for The Bay season 4 are as follows:

Find out more about all of the characters and the cast members who portray them below.

Erin Shanagher as DS Karen Hobson

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ITV

Who is DS Karen Hobson? Fellow FLO (family liaison officer), Karen and Jenn can often be seen working closely together and make a strong team, although their approaches may be a little different.

Where have I seen Erin Shanagher before? Shanagher reprises her role in The Bay, a character she’s played since 2019. She has also starred in Ridley, Viewpoint and Dark Money, as well as lending her voice to The Family Pile and video game Total War: Warhammer III.

Marsha Thomason as DS Jenn Townsend

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ITV/Jonathan Birch/Tall Story Pictures

Who is DS Jenn Townsend? Jenn joined the MIU team after moving from Manchester in season 3 and now, she has well and truly settled into her new life in the Bay.

With a year already under her belt, her family are feeling more comfortable in their new surroundings and she too is getting to grips with her new home and blended family. But this season, she’s set to unleash a more “combative” side to her usually calm and warm demeanour – will her frustration actually lead to a break in the case?

Where have I seen Marsha Thomason before? Thomason made her debut on The Bay in 2022, but before her leading role in the ITV crime drama, Thomason has also starred in COBRA, NCIS: Los Angeles, Castlevania and Magnum PI.

Andrew Dowbiggin as DS James ‘Clarkie’ Clarke

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ITV

Who is DS James ‘Clarkie’ Clarke? Clarkie is a mainstay of Morecambe MIU and has been known to get into a confrontation or two in his time as a dedicated police officer. He may be a bit of joker in the station, but there’s no denying just how much he takes his job seriously.

Where have I seen Andrew Dowbiggin before? Prior to his regular role in The Bay, Dowbiggin has also starred in COBRA and a slew of soaps including Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Casualty.

Daniel Ryan as DI Anthony ‘Tony’ Manning

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ITV

Who is DI Anthony ‘Tony’ Manning? DI Manning is back again as the formidable officer at the helm of the investigation and this time round, he’s not only trying to figure out who Beth’s killer is — he’s also weathering some personal issues of his own.

Where have I seen Daniel Ryan before? Ryan has most recently starred in ITV’s Litvinenko and has also had roles in Death in Paradise, Innocent, Vera, Doc Martin and the 2008 ‘Midnight’ episode of Doctor Who, to name a few.

Thomas Law as DC Eddie Martin

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Who is DC Eddie Martin? This season, more than ever, sees the team having to make cuts in a big way — so Eddie’s tech savvy skills have become invaluable in the station. He may be slightly nervy, but he is observant and often spots things that his colleagues may have missed.

Where have I seen Thomas Law before? Law is perhaps best known for his role as Peter Beale in Eastenders from 2006 to 2010, but he has also had featuring roles in Living the Dream, Last Train to Christmas and Sadie J.

Barry Sloane as Chris Fischer

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ITV

Who is Chris Fischer? Ever the optimist, deputy headteacher Chris and Jenn have been in a long-term relationship for some time now and this season sees the pair well and truly in blended family bliss. That is until Chris is forced to adapt to his daughter Erin growing up and faces the prospect of her dating.

Where have I seen Barry Sloane before? The English actor has been in a variety of different roles including in Pleasureland, Hollyoaks, DCI Banks and ABC drama series Revenge. He is perhaps best known for also lending his voice to the Call of Duty games Modern Warfare and its sequel.

Georgia Scholes as Erin Fischer

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ITV

Who is Erin Fischer? Erin may be intelligent and headstrong but now 18, she’s going through a rebellious streak that her father, who is also deputy headteacher at her school, isn’t too happy about. In this season, though, as well as going through her own typically teenage drama streak, she’s also a lot more comfortable with Jenn and their blended family.

Where have I seen Georgia Scholes before? Scholes’s first ongoing major TV role has been in The Bay, but she has also starred in Hollyoaks.

Joe Armstrong as Dean Metcalf

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ITV

Who is Dean Metcalf? Dean has always been a family man but because of the mammoth task of running his own groundworks business, he has taken an unintentional step back from his once solid family unit. Now, faced with a new familial reality, he must try to navigate his children’s lives and his own, all while being perceived by many to be aloof.

Where have I seen Joe Armstrong before? Armstrong has had many roles both on screen and stage, but his most notable roles include in Robin Hood, Henry IV Part I, The Village and as Ashley Cowgill in Happy Valley.

Tom Taylor as Matt Metcalf

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Second from the left.
ITV

Who is Matt Metcalf? Matt is the eldest of the Metcalf children and has a big heart when it comes to his younger siblings. He was on track to be the first member of the family to go to university but with the devastating loss in the first episode, he may be left sidelining them as a fantasy.

Where have I seen Tom Taylor before? Although young, Tom Taylor will be immediately recognisable to TV drama fans for his role in Doctor Foster as Suranne Jones and Bertie Carvel’s onscreen son, Tom Foster. He has also starred in four-part comedy drama Us, and Close to Me.

Eloise Thomas as Izzy Metcalf

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ITV

Who is Izzy Metcalf? Izzy is the fiercely opinionated and headstrong eldest daughter in the Metcalf clan and used to be incredibly close to her dad, but is continuously starting fights with him and the rest of her family.

Where have I seen Eloise Thomas before? Thomas starred as the teenage version of Becky in the BBC’s psychological thriller Chloe, and has starred in a variety of short films including Snowflakes, The Strange Child and The Cow of Fire.

Claire Goose as Jacqui Fischer

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ITV

Who is Jacqui Fischer? Jacqui is Chris’s ex-wife and now recently single, she’s encroaching on Chris and Jenn’s new calmer life together. She can be quite insensitive and oblivious to what’s going on around her, but how will that fare for her and Erin’s relationship?

Where have I seen Claire Goose before? Goose is perhaps best known for her performances in Casualty, Waking the Dead, The Bill, Unforgotten season 1 and The Coroner, where she played the lead role of Jane Kennedy.

Ian Puleston-Davies as Terry McGregor

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Ian Puleston-Davies in The Teacher.
Channel 5

Who is Terry McGregor? Terry is well-known around Morecambe, having lived there for his entire life. He’s now at the helm of the family business after his father’s death a few years ago and while he may be kind and community-based, nobody should mistake this for weakness.

Where have I seen Ian Puleston-Davies before? Puleston-Davies is well recognised for his role as builder Owen Armstrong in Coronation Street and has most recently starred in The Teacher, Anne, Four Lives, DI Ray, Viewpoint and Tin Star.

Karl Davies as Carl McGregor

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Karl Davies in Happy Valley.
BBC/Lookout Point,Matt Squire

Who is Carl McGregor? Born and bred in Morecambe, Carl has always sought his father’s approval and has always idolised him, which was the main driving force to following in his footsteps as a builder in the family business. He’s a longstanding friend of Dean’s and seeks to be there for his childhood friend now more than ever.

Where have I seen Karl Davies before? Davies is best known for his performance as Robert Sugden in Emmerdale but has had a lengthy career in TV, which includes appearances in Game of Thrones, My Mad Fat Diary, The Tower and The Baby. He also most recently reprised his role as Sarah Lancashire’s on-screen son in Happy Valley.

Christopher Coghill as Alex Kirby

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ITV

Who is Alex Kirby? Alex is Beth Metcalf’s brother and returns to Morecambe but isn’t entirely grief-stricken. He’s guilty of lying and stealing to fund his drug habit and has even previously been cut off by his family because of it.

Where have I seen Christopher Coghill before? Coghill is perhaps most recognisable for his 2008-2009 role in EastEnders as Tony, but has since had roles in The Royal, Home Fires, Line of Duty and Endeavour.