The Bay star in tears over harrowing scene as she says 'I'm drained'

The Bay star Marsha Thomason admits she was in tears over a harrowing scene on the ITV drama.

The hit show returns to the screen for its fifth series, which sees family liaison officer DS Jenn Townsend working with a new family. Daniel Ryan is also returning to the show as DI Tony Manning, whilst Leanne Best plays Hannah's estranged mother.

Hannah is found dead on the edge of the docks, with Jenn facing a new challenge as she has to deal with a divorced couple who are understandably distraught over the death of the 23-year-old university student.

Opening up about the new series, Marsha admitted she was in tears as she filmed some tough scenes. Speaking about the scenes, Marsha said: "It’s wonderful. I love playing Jenn; she’s a lot to sink my teeth into and I’m very grateful for that. One of the scenes that comes to mind is when Jenn goes to tell Julie - played by Leanne - that her daughter is dead.

"We rehearsed it. Leanne is incredible in the series but my gosh, in this rehearsal, just at the doorstep, it was unbelievable and I couldn’t hold it together. I was balling my eyes out. I could not be a family liaison officer because it’s not about me - but here I am all crying! It was so incredibly moving; she was just right there and every take."

She added: "That was just the rehearsal; it was incredible. It’s just such a privilege to be able to tell these stories. People go through this stuff in real life and we’re just making pretty pictures. People really go through these horrors.

"I enjoy the challenge and I enjoy the emotion of it all. It’s funny because one minute, we’re dealing with this dark material and then we cut and we’re having a great time. It’s such a good group of people and we get along so well. I have a really fun time."

Shaun Evans, who directs the new series, has opened up about working with the team on the hit ITV show. Speaking about the emotional new series, he explained of what's to come: "Everyone brings their A-game all the time. Jenn’s grief is a slow build and it’s slow but it’s no less powerful. Everyone was bring their top A-game."