Morven Christie as a hopelessly conflicted cop on a tough case in the new ITV drama The Bay
Morven Christie stars as DS Lisa Armstrong, a Family Liaison Officer appointed to the case of two missing teenage twins in Morecambe in ITV's The Bay
This striking-looking crime drama is set in the Lancashire coastal town of Morecambe, which provides an atmospheric backdrop as the police investigation into a pair of missing twins unfolds.
Morven Christie (The A Word, above with Daniel Ryan) stars as DS Lisa Armstrong, who is assigned as family liaison officer to the traumatised family at the heart of the case.
However, it emerges that Lisa has an unexpected connection that could compromise her professional involvement.
The set-up is immediately gripping, and the focus as much on family life as it is on police procedural.
Daniel Ryan, Jonas Armstrong and Lindsey Coulson also feature in the strong ensemble cast.
TV Times rating: ****
Morven, 37, reveals more about her challenging character, and explains why this intriguing drama definitely shouldn’t be labelled as the new Broadchurch…
What can you tell us about your character, Lisa?
When two children are reported missing, Lisa is assigned to be the family liaison officer. It emerges that she has an unfortunate connection with the family, and she makes some quite dramatic mistakes. So it’s not about a superhero female cop!
She’s also a mum. How is her work/life balance?
Lisa has worked hard to keep home and work separate, but both are suffering. She’s very career-orientated and has an overwhelmingly engaging job with long hours. Her personal life unravels alongside her professional life as those two things collide.
What does the job of a family liaison officer – an FLO – entail?
The FLO could be seen as a cuckoo in the nest. You’re a point of contact between the family and the police investigation. But as well as looking after them throughout the case, the job of the FLO is to investigate within the family.
Some people are already calling The Bay ‘the new Broadchurch’ – would you agree with that?
I haven’t actually seen Broadchurch! I doubt they’re similar, but people always want to find a similarity. When I first read the script, this felt really different because of where it is set and the characters, so that was refreshing.
