Grief ENCOUNTER

MARSHA THOMASON on her character coping with personal loss as the crime drama returns

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Detective sergeant Jenn Townsend (Marsha Thomason), the family liaison officer at the heart of ITV1's crime drama The Bay, is highly skilled at working with grieving relatives involved in police investigations. But as the Morecambe-set show returns for a fifth six-part series, with Endeavour and Until I Kill You actor Shaun Evans among the directors, Jenn is dealing - or rather not dealing - with her own bereavement, following the death of her father.

Returning to work early, against the advice of boss DI Tony Manning (Daniel Ryan), her first case involves the family of a young woman called Hannah, whose body is found in a canal. Meanwhile, problems are piling up in Jenn's private life thanks to her stressed-out partner, her lonely mother and a son who's about to fly the nest.

We had a video chat with LA resident Marsha, 49, to discover more about the new series...

Marsha, how do we find Jenn as we return to The Bay?