Morecambe-based drama The Bay is back on our screens and it stars actress Marsha Thomason as DS Jenn Townsend, a liaison officer who's struggling with a personal loss whilst trying to solve a murder case.
“We find Jenn in a very different place. Her father has died of Alzheimer's, so she’s grieving herself, but in true Jenn fashion she doesn’t want to deal with her own emotions; she comes back to work early so she can deal with other people’s emotions and suppress her own," Marsha told Yours and other press during a Q&A session.
While the ITV drama is filmed in Lancashire, the actress splits her time between the UK and Los Angeles and in 2012 she became an American citizen. "I have a house in London and a place in LA and I'm bouncing between the two," she told the BBC.
How old is Marsha Thomason?
Born on the 19th January 1976, Marsha Thomason is currently 49 years old. She is the daughter of Phyllis McCrae and Peter Thomason.
"My mum was born in Jamaica, she moved to England when she was ten years old. My dad is white, with English, Irish and Scottish DNA.", the actress shared in an interview with Mixed Messages.
Is Marsha Thomason married?
Marsha Thomason married Craig Sykes, a lighting technician in Malibu in 2009 and the pair have a daughter called Tallulah Anaïs who was born in June 2013.
Marsha Thomason movies and tv shows
Marsha Thomason is a well-known actress both in the UK and America.
It seems that she has had a passion for acting from a young age, starting her journey in youth theatre productions at the Oldham Theatre Workshop when she was just 13. It’s also the place where actors like Sarah Lancashire, Suranne Jones, and Kelvin Fletcher discovered their passion for acting.
She studied theatre studies, performing arts and media studies at college, before heading to Manchester Metropolitan University for a Bachelors of Arts degree in English.
Her career began in the British television scene, where, like many budding actors, she appeared in a number of smaller roles. She gained recognition for her part in the British soap opera Pie in the Sky and had guest spots on shows like Doctors and The Bill.
In 1998 to 1999, Marsha Thomason worked alongside acting legends Pam Ferris and Sarah Lancashire on Where the Heart is.
Las Vegas
Marsha's transition to Hollywood came in the early 2000s when she moved to the United States and began to land prominent roles. One of her most notable breakthroughs came in 2003 when she was cast as Nessa Holt on the NBC hit series Las Vegas.
The show, set in the glitzy world of a Las Vegas casino earned her a strong following and introduced her to a wider American audience.
Lost
Sci-fi fans may recognise Marsha Thomason as Naomi Dorrit from Lost, a ground-breaking show about a group of survivors from a commercial plane crash who find themselves stranded on a mysterious island in the South Pacific Ocean.
Naomi was a mercenary, sent to the island via parachute to protect people.
White Collar
From 2009 to 2014, Marsha Thomason could be seen as FBI agent Diana Berrigan in White Collar, a USA Network Series.
She had a small part in the pilot and final episode, before becoming a main cast member from seasons 2 to 6.
Safe House
In 2015, Marsha Thomason played Katy, a teacher, in the ITV drama Safe House. Her character was married to Robert, a former police officer (played by Doctor Who actor Christopher Eccleston).
The couple resultantly agree to offer their property in the Lake District as a safe house, only to find themselves caught in a tense cat-and-mouse game between a dangerous criminal and the people they're trying to protect.
COBRA
Marsha Thomason has been in all three series of COBRA, a Sky Original production that follows a fictional British government as it deals with major crises.
Francine Bridge works closely alongside the Prime Minister (Robert Carlyle) and the P.M's Chief of Staff Anna Marshall (Victoria Hamilton), before deciding to go it alone and run for office as a Labour MP.
The Bay
Marsha Thomason joined The Bay in 2022 as DS Jenn Townsend, replacing Morven Christie's Lisa Armstrong as the lead actor.
Jenn is a family liaison officer who works on DI Tony Manning's (Daniel Ryan) team. She has two teenage children and a partner named Chris, who is deputy head at the local secondary school. Chris's daughter, Erin, works at the local supermarket, also lives with them.
Arabella Horspool is a Commercial Content Writer for Yours at Bauer Media. She's a bookworm who is passionate about TV, film and theatre. She enjoys cooking, cinema trips, playing board games and walking her dogs.