Where is The Bay filmed? Locations used in the ITV series revealed
THE Bay is back on the box with a fourth series of the hit ITV show in 2023.
Here's where the crime drama is filmed in the UK.
Where is ITV drama The Bay filmed?
The Bay is set and filmed in the coastal town of Morecambe.
The Lancashire town is located north of Blackpool, and was once a bustling seaside resort.
Morecambe has a five-mile stretch of sandy beach with a long promenade, lined with cafes, restaurants and hotels.
Screenwriter Daragh Carville said he purposely wanted to focus his attention on Morecambe, mainly because it's a place with lots of history and happens to be where he spent a great amount of time growing up.
Morecambe Beach
Up until the 1970s, when Brits could increasingly afford holidays outside of England, Morecambe was popular with tourists.
Filming for all four series of The Bay took place along the beach, but particularly around the Stone Jetty which is now all that remains of the original Victorian harbour.
Daragh Carville told : ““It’s a really interesting mix of things, because on the one hand it’s very striking, it’s beautiful, it’s got extraordinary views out across the bay towards the Lake District.
"But it’s also got that very distinctive British or Irish seaside town quality, because as with many seaside places, it has slightly lost its raison d’être.”
Morecambe Bay in Lancashire is probably best known nowadays for the 2004 cockle picker disaster where at least 21 Chinese illegal immigrant labourers were drowned by an incoming tide.
Morecambe and Manchester police stations
Contrary to belief the police station in Morecambe is real.
But Daragh told Radio Times: “To be fair, and without wanting to ruin the magic of television, the exteriors and the interiors are filmed at different places."
While exteriors were shot in Morecambe, the interior scenes of meeting rooms, offices and interview rooms were filmed at a disused police station in Manchester.
Why was Morecambe chosen as The Bay location?
Speaking about why he chose Morecambe, The Bay screenwriter Daragh Carville told Radio Times: "I suppose the combination of it being a beautiful place, but also a place that has had its struggles – there’s something about Morecambe, it’s literally on the edge of the country, but there’s also a metaphorical edge to it as well."
Daragh lives in Lancaster, which is just inland from Morecambe.
He was adamant on the location in show, particularly because it fit in with the narrative of something that looks "beautiful" but is "a place with problems".
He added: "Morecambe is also not the sort of place you usually see in a TV drama.
"One of the reasons I wanted to write this story and to set it there was just simply because nothing had been set there before.
“And I think there’s something really important about seeing your own life represented on screen or on stage.”
How can I watch The Bay?
The fourth series of The Bay airs on both ITV and .
You will be able to watch the show every Wednesday night at 9pm from March 8, 2023, with the season concluding on April 12, 2023.
You can also watch seasons one to three on ITVX and BritBox right now.