Acclaimed British actress Kelly Reilly has been cast in the lead role for an upcoming TV crime drama series called “Under Salt Marsh.” The six-part series will film on location in Wales later this year. Reilly will play Jackie Ellis, a former police detective who now teaches but gets pulled back into investigating crimes.
The show is set in the fictional Welsh coastal town of Morfa Halen. In the first episode, Jackie discovers that one of her students has drowned. This uncovers disturbing secrets about an unsolved case from three years earlier, when Jackie’s niece went missing. As a detective at the time, this previous cold case ended Jackie’s police career before she changed paths to teaching.
Teaming up again with her former police partner Detective Eric Bull, Jackie works to learn the truth about both cases. In the process, they threaten to expose long-hidden problems and events in the close-knit community. The town is shown as proudly connected to the rugged landscape of mountains and ocean that also imperil its future existence.
The series was created by Welsh writer and director Claire Oakley. She describes “Under Salt Marsh” as a mystery that mixes crime with the personal stories of the fictional town’s residents. Oakley specifically praises Reilly’s ability to portray Jackie as a strong but compassionate person deeply tied to the local setting.
Reilly expressed enthusiasm for the complex role. She looks forward to the challenges of revealing layers to Jackie’s character and history over the course of the drama. The series aims to film on location capturing the real atmosphere of Wales.
International broadcasters Sky and NBCUniversal have partnered with Welsh production company Little Door on “Under Salt Marsh.” It will air in the UK, Ireland and Italy next year after expected filming later in 2022.
