White Collar actress Marsha Thomason will join the cast of The Bay following the departure of Morven Christie, ITV has announced.

The actress will play Morecambe CID’s new family liaison officer DS Jenn Townsend.

She will be thrown in the deep end when a body is found in the bay on her first day in the job and must get under the skin of a grieving and complicated family if she has any chance of solving the premature death of an aspiring young boxer.

British Academy Scottish Awards
Morven Christie has left the show (Jane Barlow/PA)

She must juggle the pressure of giving the family answers while also proving herself as the team’s newest recruit and managing her new blended family’s struggle to settle in Morecambe.

The drama is written by playwright Daragh Carville, with Furquan Akhtar co-writing the third series.

Catherine Oldfield, the show’s executive producer, said: “Daragh and I couldn’t be more delighted by the audience response to The Bay.

“That ITV have recommissioned the show is fantastic and to get a talent as bright and brilliant as Marsha to lead the new series is beyond exciting.

“We can’t wait to get back to Morecambe to start filming again in that beautiful part of the world.”

The third series is due to begin filming in the spring.