🌊Under Salt Marsh (2026) — Kelly Reilly & Rafe Spall Lead Sky’s Haunting New Crime Thriller

“When the tide rises, secrets surface.”

Prepare for one of 2026’s most anticipated British dramas — Under Salt Marsh, a gripping new Sky Original crime thriller starring Kelly Reilly (Yellowstone, Pride & Prejudice) and Rafe Spall (Trying, Life of Pi).

Set in the fictional Welsh town of Morfa Halen, this six-part mystery unravels beneath the shadow of an oncoming storm — where buried secrets, old grief, and moral guilt collide. Created, written, and directed by Claire Oakley (Make Up), Under Salt Marsh will premiere exclusively on Sky and NOW in 2026.

⚡ Plot — A Town Haunted by the Past

As dark clouds gather over the Welsh coast, Jackie Ellis (Kelly Reilly) — a once-brilliant detective turned schoolteacher — makes a chilling discovery. The lifeless body of Cefin, her eight-year-old student, is found washed up in the marshlands.

The incident shakes Morfa Halen to its core — not only for its brutality, but because it echoes a tragedy that’s never healed: the disappearance of Jackie’s niece, Nessa, three years ago, a case that destroyed her career and her faith in the system.

When her former partner, Detective Eric Bull (Rafe Spall), returns to lead the investigation, the two must confront the ghosts of their shared past. Together, they uncover a trail of lies, revenge, and corruption that runs deeper than the tide itself.

As a once-in-a-generation storm approaches, they race to solve the mystery before the waves erase everything — including the truth.

“In Morfa Halen, nothing stays buried. Not for long.”

🎭 Cast — A Stellar Ensemble in the Storm

Actor	Character	Description
Kelly Reilly	Jackie Ellis	A former detective haunted by her niece’s disappearance, now forced to face her past.
Rafe Spall	Detective Eric Bull	A flawed investigator whose failure three years ago still haunts him.
Jonathan Pryce	—	A community elder who knows more than he reveals.
Naomi Yang	—	A journalist determined to expose the truth.
Brian Gleeson	—	A local fisherman tied to the storm’s first discovery.
Kimberley Nixon	—	A grieving mother with secrets of her own.
Harry Lawtey	—	A young police officer struggling with loyalty and morality.
Dinita Gohil, Mark Stanley, Dino Fetscher, Lizzie Annis, Rhodri Meilir, Julian Lewis Jones	Supporting roles	Residents of a fractured town where every glance hides a story.

This ensemble cast delivers layered, deeply human performances — embodying a town where guilt, grief, and survival intertwine like the salt and sand of the marsh itself.

🎬 Behind the Scenes — A Vision by Claire Oakley

Under Salt Marsh marks a major creative leap for Claire Oakley, the acclaimed filmmaker behind Make Up. Serving as creator, writer, and lead director, Oakley builds a world that’s part crime mystery, part psychological study — steeped in emotion and coastal tension.

The six-part series is written by:

• Claire Oakley

• Jonathan Harbottle (Episodes 3 & 5)

• Nikita Lalwani (Episode 4)

Directors:

• Claire Oakley (Lead Director)

• Mary Nighy (Episodes 3 & 4)

Produced by: Little Door Productions in association with Sky Studios, with support from the Welsh Government via Creative Wales.

Executive Producers:

• Elwen Rowlands (Little Door Productions)

• Claire Oakley

• Kelly Reilly

• Megan Spanjian (Sky Studios)

🌧️ Atmosphere & Themes — A Storm of Secrets

Under Salt Marsh isn’t just a crime drama — it’s a meditation on loss, truth, and the things we bury to survive.

Set against the sweeping beauty of the Welsh coast, the series blends small-town intimacy with gothic tension — where every gust of wind feels like it’s carrying whispers of the past.

Core Themes:

💔 Grief & Redemption — Can you move on if you never found the truth?

🌊 Nature as Witness — The landscape becomes a silent accomplice — shifting, swallowing, and revealing.

🕵️ Justice & Memory — In a place this small, everyone remembers — but no one speaks.

Visually, expect stark cinematography drenched in gray light and mist — echoing the emotional weight of the story. The storm isn’t just weather; it’s reckoning.

🎥 First Look — Sky Unveils the Teaser

Sky’s first teaser for Under Salt Marsh sets the tone perfectly — slow, tense, and unflinchingly human. It opens with the haunting image of a child’s shoe in the mud as thunder rumbles in the distance, before cutting to Jackie’s voiceover:

“They said the storm would wash everything clean. But storms only bring things back.”

With each frame, Under Salt Marsh promises an atmospheric, emotionally charged mystery — one that sits comfortably beside the likes of Broadchurch and Mare of Easttown, but with a distinctly Welsh soul.

⚡ Why Under Salt Marsh (2026) Is a Must-Watch

⭐ Kelly Reilly’s Return to British TV — After conquering American audiences in Yellowstone, Reilly’s performance as Jackie is already being called her most haunting role yet.

⭐ Rafe Spall in Peak Form — A gripping portrayal of guilt, pride, and fragile redemption.

⭐ Claire Oakley’s Direction — Raw, cinematic, and full of empathy — redefining the crime genre through emotion and place.

⭐ A Visual Masterpiece — Moody coastal cinematography that mirrors the storm within.

⭐ Sky’s Next Prestige Hit — Following in the footsteps of The Lazarus Project and Save Me, this is Sky’s next powerhouse drama.

📅 Release Details

📺 Series: Under Salt Marsh (Sky Original)

📅 Release Date: 2026

🎬 Episodes: 6

🌍 Available On: Sky & NOW

🎥 Genre: Crime / Thriller / Mystery

📍 Setting: Morfa Halen, Wales

🧠 Created By: Claire Oakley

💬 Early Buzz — A Crime Drama with Depth

Industry insiders are already calling Under Salt Marsh “an emotionally rich, visually stunning reinvention of the British crime drama.”

Reilly’s performance, paired with Spall’s intensity, and Oakley’s sharp, lyrical direction, make this one of Sky’s strongest original productions in years.

“Some crimes drown in silence. Others come back with the tide.”

🌊 Final Verdict — Secrets Beneath the Surface

Under Salt Marsh (2026) is shaping up to be a haunting, cinematic journey through grief, guilt, and redemption. It’s not just about finding a killer — it’s about what happens to a community when the truth finally surfaces.

With Kelly Reilly and Rafe Spall delivering powerhouse performances, and Claire Oakley crafting a world soaked in atmosphere and tension, this series will stay with viewers long after the storm has passed.

🎬 Under Salt Marsh premieres in 2026, only on Sky and NOW.