Warning: spoilers ahead for The Bay season 4 episode 1.
Anybody who has previously watched The Bay will know that the ITV crime drama never holds back when it introduces its audience to a completely new narrative – and season 4 is no exception.
Marsha Thomason returns as DS Jenn Townsend in the first episode of the new season, having succeeded Morven Christie as the new lead last year.
The actress recently spoke to Metro.co.uk on what it was like to film the opening scenes, when the FLO (family liaison officer) arrives at the scene of a horrific home fire, which kills Beth Metcalf (Victoria Elliot) while her children escape.
The fire, which raises the possibility of a targeted assault, is terrible to watch on television, yet it was constructed using ingenious techniques and visual effects.
‘The building wasn’t on fire, obviously. We were shooting at a location at this house, and they put all this lighting in there that flickered and made it look like fire. Then they had all this smoke, but it wasn’t smoke – obviously it needed to be non-toxic,’ the actor shared.
‘But all this smoke [was] billowing out, and then in effect, they added all the fire.’
Hence, despite Jenn’s horror when she arrives at the fire, Marsha wasn’t able to see what it would truly look like until she viewed the episode’s completed edit.
‘When I got to see [the episode] it was really the first time I was seeing the fire in full effect. It’s amazing, it really looks like that building is on fire. I love that,’ she said.
‘I get to be on set and sometimes you’re just talking and having a conversation with someone and that is what it is. But then sometimes there’s all these other things going on and you have no idea what it’s going to look like in the end. Then you get to see it and it’s always such a pleasure. The fire was one of those, it just looks amazing.’
While the premise of the scenario was serious during production, the mood between Marsha and her co-star Erin Shanagher remained lighthearted, with the DS Karen Hobson actress joking that the ‘glow of the fire made us all look fantastic’.
Jenn has come a long way since her initial appearance in the third season, and she is no longer the newcomer among her coworkers, but a seasoned member of the team.
Speaking about her character’s progress, Marsha reflected back on the previous season as she outlined: ‘When we first met Jen last series, she was suffering a crisis of confidence. She had lost faith in herself. Something had happened, and she no longer believed in her capacity to execute her work successfully.
‘Whereas she’s worked through that and so now we find her much more confident. She’s comfortable at home, the children are getting along and things are better there. They’ve found their flow,’ she added, grinning over her nicely-worded pun.
Meanwhile, Jenn is even getting along with DS James Clarke (Andrew Dowbiggin), who used to grate on her nerves.
‘She definitely has found her feet there,’ Marsha added.
‘That was really fun for me because she’s so much more confident, and as a result, a little more feisty. She challenges [DI Tony] Manning [Daniel Ryan] in later episodes, and that was really fun for me to play, because we get to see another side of her.’
The Bay season 4 will be available to watch on ITVX, with new episodes released on Wednesdays at 9pm on ITV.
Source My Celebrity Life.