In the creation of Under Salt Marsh, Claire Oakley had multiple missions – to create an intimate tale of community, an environmental tale, and a murder mystery that flows between the two.

Taking on the challenge of creating, writing and directing the story, Oakley ensured she was fully in charge of bringing her vision to life.

“Most of my work has been inspired by place and with the UK’s landmass decreasing due to coastal erosion and sea level rise, I felt inspired to set a story in a colourful coastal community, full of spirit, that we want to see saved,” she noted in an open letter ahead of the series launch.

“I’ve always been interested in psychogeography: how the landscape can have a psychological effect on its characters and vice versa and I felt that a precarious position on salt marsh could provide a rich psychological landscape to delve into.

“For most of us, it is incredibly hard to imagine or believe what is going to happen in the future, especially with something so vast as the climate crisis, but the people of this town might have a special kind of heightened awareness that would inform their behaviour and actions.

“In the face of adversity, people tend to hold on fast to what they love, and I wanted this to be both this community’s strength and their weakness as the story unfolded.”

Speaking ahead of the series, Oakley talks about how she brought the creative threads together to bring Under Salt Marsh to life.

I’ve always pitched the series as: what if we set a crime drama in a town that’s disappearing into the sea, and the detectives have to solve the crime before all the evidence is washed away?

We developed a ticking clock in the form of a huge storm of biblical magnitude, which threatens to destroy the town. Our two estranged detectives must reunite and solve the crimes amidst mass evacuations and missing people before everything is lost.

Although it’s a crime drama with dark material, I wanted to lift the tone with humour, wryness, and colour. We developed a look that pumped up saturation, used bold costume and design choices, and leaned into the eccentricities of the community.

North Wales’ vast landscapes were central — I’ve spent years photographing them, and they bring atmosphere, suspense, and scale. We juxtaposed the natural beauty with the precariousness of human life, creating a heightened, cinematic naturalism.

Working with Stevie Herbert and Adam Scarth, we wanted the fictional town to feel authentic to contemporary Wales, avoiding anything too twee. We drew inspiration from prefab architecture and references like Todd Hido’s atmospheric photography.

Our palette used sea-worn primary colours. For example, the detectives’ base is an old ice cream parlour painted in Neapolitan stripes — bringing pastel tones into the world. Costumes and interiors also used bright oranges, teals, and fabrics that complemented the blues and greens of the landscape, while nodding to the quirky community.

We developed a style we called “poetic naturalism” — high saturation, blooming highlights for a glowy feel, naturalistic skin tones, and landscapes that sing. We used classic framing to connect emotionally with characters, alongside epic wides and drone shots to capture the scale of the environment.

Protection is central — Jackie feels she failed to protect her niece, and now as a teacher she protects children. Bull tries to protect Jackie, while the community must protect their landscape.

The show asks: what happens if we fail to protect our people and places? I was also interested in the tension between holding on and letting go — whether it’s homes, history, or grief. Ultimately, the series suggests resilience comes from being together. Whatever adversity comes, we’re stronger when we pull together.

Jackie is a trier — someone who keeps going despite tragedy. She’s lost her niece, her career, her relationship with her sister, and her partnership with Bull. She’s retrained as a teacher and built a fragile new life, but when Bull returns, she’s forced to confront everything she’s been avoiding. Her journey is about facing the past and finding strength through connection.

Bull is blunt, awkward, and funny. He’s emotional yet knotty and complex — which makes him a great detective. He finds safety in categorising the natural world, imposing order on chaos. Jackie helps him cut through his internal distress and discover who he really is.

I saw it as a platonic love affair — deep, sibling-like, full of clashes and forgiveness. They complete each other, drive each other mad, and ultimately help each other heal. As a gay woman, I value my close relationships with men that aren’t sexual, and I wanted to reflect that dynamic on screen.

I admired Kelly’s fire and spirit from Yellowstone, but she brought vulnerability and softness to Jackie that was unexpected and beautiful. With Rafe, he immediately understood Bull. Known for comedy, he was excited to explore something darker, and he mined the scripts meticulously to build the character. He rooted Bull in the Black Country, which worked perfectly for his outsider status.

We were honoured to work with Jonathan Pryce, who drew on his own farming family history for Solomon. Naomi Yang brought poise and consistency to Deng. Harry Lawtey brought danger and heart to Dylan. Lizzie portrayed Cara, a disabled mother, with authenticity. Dino Fetscher embodied Gareth with meticulous research. Brian Gleeson brought realism to Mac. Kimberley Nixon gave Shell rare emotional intelligence. Mark Stanley delivered soul-baring grief as Danny. Dinita Gohil layered complexity into Nisha. Julian Lewis Jones brought instinctive depth to Osian. Together, they created a rich, authentic community.

I populated the town early on — speaking to locals, reading papers, and observing communities in North Wales. That gave the show authenticity. For plotting, I worked with Jonathan Harbottle and Nikita Lalwani in writers’ rooms to map out the series, red herrings, and reveals. It was a collaborative process that ensured the story was tight and layered.