Where is The Bay filmed? Series two filming locations in Morecambe - and when it's on ITV

Morecambe Bay is famous for its shifting tides and dangerous quicksands, perfect for this thrilling crime drama
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In January, crime drama fans were transported back to Morecambe, as series two of The Bay got going on ITV.

The sophomore run was commissioned immediately after the first episodes aired in early 2019; the show’s relatively high ratings meant it was a hit and ITV knew they wanted more.

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Filming took place later that year (and was thankfully completed before the first Covid lockdown hit) with a proposed transmission date in 2020, but ITV decided to keep back some of the new programmes already ‘in the can’ and spread them out through the following months.

(Photo: ITV)(Photo: ITV)
(Photo: ITV)

But where was it filmed?

Here is everything you need to know.

What happens in series two?

Morven Christie and Daniel Ryan return as DS Lisa Armstrong and DI Tony Manning in series two, alongside Taheen Modak as DC Med Karim and Imogen King and Art Parkinson as Lisa’s children Abbie and Rob.

(Photo: ITV)(Photo: ITV)
(Photo: ITV)

Series two begins with Lisa Armstrong at a low ebb: forced to do menial police work whilst she watches Med go from strength to strength.

But a new case involving a shocking murder within a loving family brings Lisa unexpectedly back into the front line.

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She must get under the skin of a new family and prove her worth; to her colleagues, to her family and to herself.

Where was series two of The Bay shot?

Series two of The Bay was once again shot in and around the place it is set – the Lancashire town of Morecambe.

Beach scenes were indeed filmed along the five miles of sandy shore that the town has to offer, and for series two, a lot of shooting took place around particularly the Stone Jetty, the last remaining section of Morecambe’s original Victorian harbour.

Many of the scenes that take place at the police station were filmed at the real deal in Morecambe, though only the exterior shots; while the town’s working station was used for filming, interiors like meeting and interviews rooms and offices were filmed at a disused police station in Manchester.

Why is it set in Morecambe?

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Writer Daragh Carville explained that he chose to write something set in Morecambe after seeing a map of the UK made up of TV shows that was doing the rounds on social media.

"London was dense with show titles; Glasgow had Taggart, Liverpool had Brookside, Manchester had tons of things,” he told the Lancashire Evening Post. “The whole country was covered in drama and comedy except this corner that I happened to live in around the bay.

"The landscapes there are absolutely stunning. It’s one of the things that instantly strikes you, the vistas out across the bay with the hills of the Lake District in the distance, but also the beautiful Edwardian architecture of the promenade itself, in Morecambe.

"There is a danger in the tide as well and it all ties in. It’s so alluring and gorgeous to look at but then it shifts. Morecambe Bay is famous for its shifting tides and dangerous quicksands and what’s beneath the surface.”

How did the locations affect the filming?

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Choosing to set the programme in Morecambe meant that the production was located away from any traditional crew bases, and so the production staff mostly came from Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool.

Speaking about the production of the show’s first series in 2019, executive producer Catherine Oldfield said it was like a “whole circus going on the road”, and that choosing to shoot on a coastal location meant “you’ve always got to factor in the weather.”

"In Morecambe Bay the weather changes very quickly.”

When can I watch it?

Series two of The Bay began on ITV on Wednesday 20 January at 9pm.

Further episodes of the six-part drama are being shown weekly on Wednesday nights at the same time, but the entirety of series two is available to stream through ITV Hub right now.