Under Salt Marsh
British television series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Under Salt Marsh is a British crime thriller television miniseries created by Claire Oakley and starring Kelly Reilly and Rafe Spall in the lead roles. It is set in the fictional North Wales village of Morfa Halen. The series premiered on 30 January 2026 on Sky Atlantic.
- Claire Oakley
- Jonathan Harbottle
- Nikita Lalwani
- Claire Oakley
- Mary Nighy
| Under Salt Marsh | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Crime thriller |
| Created by | Claire Oakley |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by |
|
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Scott James Bassett |
| Running time | 47–55 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Sky Atlantic |
| Release | 30 January – 27 February 2026 |
Premise
As a huge storm starts to form far out at sea, a teacher and former detective, Jackie Ellis, finds the body of her 8-year-old student, Cefin Hill, who appears to have drowned. This shocking discovery stirs up the town's memories of an unresolved case from three years earlier; the disappearance of Jackie's niece, Nessa, which ruined her career.
Cefin's death brings back Jackie's old partner, Detective Eric Bull, to lead the investigation in a community where he previously failed. Believing the two cases are connected, Jackie and Bull must work together to uncover hidden secrets in Morfa Halen, before the storm hits and wipes away any evidence.[1]
Cast and characters
Main
- Kelly Reilly as Jackie Ellis
- Rafe Spall as Detective Eric Bull
- Naomi Yang as Detective Jess Deng
- Harry Lawtey as Dylan Rees
- Lizzie Annis as Cara Rees
- Dino Fetscher as Gareth Evans
- Brian Gleeson as Mac Jones
- Dinita Gohil as Nisha Jones
- Kimberley Nixon as Shell Hill
- Mark Stanley as Danny Hill
- Julian Lewis Jones as Osian Northam
- Jonathan Pryce as Solomon Bevan
Supporting
- Rhodri Meilir as Ned Bevan
- Eiry Thomas as Irene Hassan
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Claire Oakley | Claire Oakley | 30 January 2026 |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | Claire Oakley | Claire Oakley | 30 January 2026 |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Mary Nighy | Jonathan Harbottle | 6 February 2026 |
| 4 | "Episode 4" | Mary Nighy | Nikita Lalwani | 13 February 2026 |
| 5 | "Episode 5" | Claire Oakley | Jonathan Harbottle | 20 February 2026 |
| 6 | "Episode 6" | Claire Oakley | Claire Oakley | 27 February 2026 |
Production
The six-part series is created by Claire Oakley, who also directs with Mary Nighy. Scott Bassett serves as the series producer while Oakley executive produces alongside Elwen Rowlands for Little Door Productions and Megan Spanjian for Sky Studios. Kelly Reilly was cast in the lead role in August 2024.[2] In October 2024, the full cast for the series was announced, with Rafe Spall, Jonathan Pryce, Naomi Yang, and Harry Lawtey in main roles while the supporting cast includes Dinita Gohil, Brian Gleeson, Kimberley Nixon, Mark Stanley, Dino Fetscher, Lizzie Annis, Rhodri Meilir, and Julian Lewis Jones.[3]
Filming began in October 2024, with the production taking place entirely in Wales. Locations used include Barmouth, Fairbourne, Anglesey, and South Wales.[4] Support for the project comes from Creative Wales.[5]
Broadcast
The six-episode series premiered on 30 January 2026 on Sky Atlantic.[6][7]
Reception
Prior to the show's release, Nation.Cymru criticized the casting due to the majority of main roles being portrayed by English actors, despite the series being set and filmed in Wales.[8]