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Official trailer released for gripping Wales-set crime thriller Under Salt Marsh

06 Jan 2026 3 minute read
Under Salt Marsh stars Rafe Spall and Kelly Reilly

The full official trailer and launch date for haunting new Wales-set crime thriller Under Salt Marsh set in the fictional Welsh town of Morfa Halen have been revealed.

The Sky drama, which launches on January 30, stars Yellowstone’s Kelly Reilly as former detective Jackie Ellis, who has swapped policing for teaching after a devastating case shattered her career and family life.

Under Salt Marsh is a limited series from writer, creator, and executive producer Claire Oakley, set in a tight-knit community precariously nestled between towering mountains and a fast-encroaching sea that threatens its very existence.

As a once-in-a-generation storm begins to gather far out at sea, former detective turned teacher Jackie Ellis discovers the body of her 8-year-old pupil, Cefin, seemingly drowned. The discovery sends shockwaves through the community, reviving the ghost of an unsolved cold case that rocked the town three years prior – the disappearance of Jackie’s niece, Nessa, which cost her career.

Cefin’s death summons Jackie’s former partner, Detective Eric Bull (Rafe Spall), back to Morfa Halen to lead the investigation into a community he failed once before. Convinced the cases are linked, Jackie and Bull must reconcile and race to uncover long-buried secrets inside Morfa, before the storm breaks and all the evidence is gone for good.

An intimate and cinematic story, Under Salt Marsh takes audiences into the heart of a community bound by nature and fractured by an unthinkable crime.

Created, written and directed by Claire Oakley, the six-part drama promises a brooding mix of mystery and emotion, exploring grief, guilt and the corrosive effects of secrecy in a close-knit town.

The cast also features Jonathan Pryce (The Crown), Naomi Yang (Chimerica), Dinita Gohil (Treason), Brian Gleeson (Bad Sisters), Kimberley Nixon (Queenie) and Harry Lawtey (Industry), with Mark Stanley, Dino Fetscher, Lizzie Annis, Rhodri Meilir and Julian Lewis Jones rounding out the ensemble.

You can watch the Under Salt Marsh official trailer below:

Leading the cast of Under Salt Marsh are:

Kelly Reilly (Yellowstone, Here) as Jackie Ellis
Rafe Spall (The English, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) as Detective Eric Bull
Jonathan Pryce (The Crown, Slow Horses) as Solomon Bevan
Naomi Yang (Nightsleeper, Wolfe) as Jess Deng

Joining them are:

Harry Lawtey (Industry, Joker Folie à Deux) as Dylan Rees
Dinita Gohil (Sandman, Greed)
Brian Gleeson (Bad Sisters, Phantom Thread)
Kimberley Nixon (Fresh Meat, Life and Death in the Warehouse)
Mark Stanley (Happy Valley, The Reckoning)
Dino Fetscher (Fool Me Once, Foundation)
Lizzie Annis (The Witcher: Blood Origin, Extraordinary)
Rhodri Meilir (Pren Ar y Bryn/Tree On A Hill, Craith/Hidden)
Julian Lewis Jones (House of the Dragon, Wheel of Time)
Newcomers Amara Atwal as Nessa and Jonah James as Harry Bevan.

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C F
C F
1 day ago

If it’s “Wales-set”, why are most of the actors English? Is it true the Welsh Government has given this project a lot of public money?

Hywel
Hywel
1 day ago

You have Jonathan Pry e, Julian Lewis Jo ea and Rhodri Meilir as main cast. There will have been loads of local extras, local suppliers to the set and money spent in the area. Every time Sky or Netflix make a successful series/film/whatever in Cymru it encourages them to make more and spend more. The Rafe Spalls and Kelly Rileys of the world are just eye candy to draw in buyers for the product, which Cymru profits from facilitating. New Zealand didn’t insist on only New Zealand actors appearing in Lord of the Rings, and they have benefited hugely form… Read more »

Jones
Jones
1 day ago

When are we going to see a Welsh language Wales based series on network? Not back to back, written in English and badly translated into Welsh with the same old 5 actors , miserable murderous plot and wallpaper from the 70s in every house.? Have a LOOK AT BBC I PLAYER. They list Scots gaelic and Irish programmes on their dramas listing but no Welsh language productions. So that says it all about how Welsh culture is percieved by our ‘national broadcast’ corporation.

Mick
Mick
19 minutes ago
Reply to  Jones

More people speak Gaelic than Welsh, pure economics they produce things for the largest audiences.

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