Derry Girls star joins ITV's The Bay in major series announcement

Further details about the fifth series of ITV drama The Bay have been released, including the new faces who have joined the cast. The new instalment of the hit TV series, which is yet to be given a UK release date, will see Marsha Thomason reprise her role as DS Jenn Townsend, along with other cast regulars Daniel Ryan, Erin Shanagher and Andrew Dowbiggin.

However, a number of new stars have joined The Bay. Among the newcomers is Derry Girls actress Tara Lynne O'Neil, 49, who played Mary Quinn in the iconic Channel 4 series. Tara will portray Sinead, DI Tony Manning’s (Daniel Ryan) new partner in The Bay.

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Elsewhere, Happy Valley's Olwen May has joined the show, while Barry Sloane returns as Chris Fischer. Actress Georgia Scholes portrays Chris' daughter Erin, and David Carpenter and Emme Hayes are back as Jenn's children Conor and Maddie. They are joined by Casualty's Suzanne Packer, who plays Jenn's mum Anne Townsend.

The synopsis for the fifth series of The Bay reads: "When 23-year-old university student Hannah is found dead on the edge of the docks, Morecambe’s MIU team has another case to solve - Jenn, who is returning to work following the death of her father, pushes aside her own grief to support Hannah’s bitterly divided family. With the stakes of the investigation high, Jenn and the team dig deeper into the case, uncovering hidden friendships and secret liaisons as anger rises in the student community.

"As the intensity increases and the team peel back the complicated layers of Hannah’s life and the secrets within it, Jenn must reconcile her personal and professional struggles as she grapples to solve the case, come to terms with her own loss, and build bridges with her family."

Other guest stars include Leanne Best, Neil Maskell, Stephen Wight and Ceallach Spellman.

ITV's Head of Drama, Polly Hill said in a statement: "We're delighted to be returning to Morecambe for another series of The Bay. The series is a huge success story for ITV and we're grateful to [executive producer] Catherine Oldfield, [co-creator/writer] Daragh Carville and the team at Tall Story Pictures for continuing to create compelling stories and characters."

Oldfield added: "Daragh and I couldn't be happier to be heading back to Morecambe with Marsha and the team for another case. We love making the show and so we're delighted to be producing another series for ITV and viewers at home and abroad."

All four series of The Bay so far are available to stream on ITVX.