Bay of Fires is a thriller with dark comedic undertones – think a cross between Fargo, Ozark and Schitt’s Creek!
Set in Tasmania, an island state off the south coast of Australia, the series follows a woman who’s forced to leave behind her life as a wealthy Melbourne CEO and move to a Tasmanian backwater when two Chechen hitmen make an attempt on her life.
The ITVX eight-parter stars Australian actor Marta Dusseldorp (The Twelve) as Stella Heikkinen, a glamorous businesswoman who’s never seen without her Jimmy Choo heels and designer suits. That’s until she’s forced to go into hiding in a run-down town in Tasmania with her two children, Otis and Iris, and nothing but the clothes on her back. But as Stella tries to work out who wants her dead, and why, it turns out the town she’s found herself in is even more dangerous than the life she’s running from.
So here’s everything you need to know about Bay of Fires on ITVX….
Bay of Fires release date
Bay of Fires is released as a box-set on ITVX from Thursday May 23, 2024, so you can binge all eight episodes at once. The series will arrive on ITV1 at a later date, which we can update on when we hear more.
Bay Of Fires was shown in Australia on ABC from 16 July 2023. We can update if we hear of a US channel and air date.
Is there a trailer?
Yes a trailer for Bay Of Fires is available. Take a look below...
Bay Of Fires plot
Wealthy Melbourne-based CEO and single mum Stella Heikkinen (Marta Dusseldorp), is forced to flee to a Tasmanian backwater under an assumed identity after being shot at by Chechen hitmen while doing an ordinary supermarket shop! With her young children Otis and Iris in tow, Stella soon finds herself lying low in Mystery Bay (known affectionately as Misery Bay by the hostile locals). Under her new identity Stella lives in a rundown house that doubles as a marijuana farm. She's trying to make sense of her bizarre new life, while deciphering just who wants her dead – and why! Also, behind the natural beauty of Tasmania, there are simmering feuds, low-level crime, hostile locals and even murder. But betrayed and in danger can Stella survive and escape her past?
She does meet up with Thaddeus (Matt Nable), leader of the ‘The Community’ that live on the fringe of Mystery Bay. Their way of life is an isolated one - fenced off grounds, completely cut off from modern technology and outside influence. Thaddeus devout and considers all non-believers to be sinners and unworthy of his time or sympathy. To allow for a peaceful co-existence between Mystery Bay and The Community, an unspoken agreement has prevailed since the beginning - they stay out of each other’s way.
Bay Of Fires cast — Marta Dusseldorp interview on playing Stella Heikkinen
Marta Dusseldorp is an Australian actor playing the lead character Stella Heikkinen in Bay Of Fires and is also co-creator and producer of the thriller series. She was inspired to create the show after relocating to Tasmania during lockdown.
Marta told us: "One day she goes to the grocery store to buy a fizzy drink and within 24 hours Stella’s living in Misery Bay with her two kids and just the clothes on her back wondering what’s going on. But it turns out what she’s stumbled into turns out to be more dangerous than what she’s running from, and things just get worse and worse throughout the series. It’s about how a very entitled woman steps into a different rule set and how she can’t control the situation she finds herself in!
"She learns that she needs to start listening for once, that she needs to work with these people and find a strategy, otherwise she's not going to make it out alive and neither will her kids.
"What I love is that it’s a thriller with comedy undertones and it’s very much linked to the unpredictability of the characters. There are some dark crime moments and a puzzle to unravel, but viewers will also get to see how Australians really live on the west coast of Tasmania!"
* Marta Dusseldorp’s TV credits include BlackJack, Janet King Jack Irish and The Twelve.
Who else is starring in Bay Of Fires?
Other cast in Bay of Fires include Last Tango in Halifax’s Kerry Fox as criminal matriarch Frankie McLeish and Billions star Toby Leonard Moore as gruff handyman Jeremiah. Pamela Rabe (Wentworth/Deadloch) and Rachel House (Our Flag Means Death) is playing mysterious intelligence operative Airini.Paul Roukchan and Vnya Essin play hit men Rusian and Yakov. Matt Nable plays Thaddeus, who is the leader of the ‘The Community’
More Bay Of Fires stars include Yael Stone (Orange is the New Black), Nicholas Bell (The Newsreader), Tony Barry (Harrow), Oscar Redding (The Twelve), Bob Franklin (Please Like Me) Kim Ko (Wentworth), Matt Nable (Mr Inbetween), Stephen Curry (June Again), Roz Hammond (How to Please as Woman), Pamela Rabe (Wentworth), Robert Rabiah (Safe Harbour) Emily Taheny (Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell), Nikolai Nikolaeff (Stranger Things) Andre de Vanny (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries), Ilai Swindells (Retrograde), Anthony Sharpe (Fires), and Rhys Muldoon (Les Norton), Imi Mbedla (Australia’s Got Talent), Ava Caryofyllis (Dirt Music), Mackenzie Grant (The Next Step), Ben Knight (Upper Middle Bogan) Peter Sammak (Rake), Jalen Sutcliffe (Black Comedy) and newcomer Mitchem Everett.
Bay Of Fires episode guide
Episode 1
Targeted by two hitmen, successful CEO of ProperAus Finance, Stella narrowly escapes with the help of a mysterious woman called Airini. Stella is instructed to pick up her kids, Otis and Iris, and prepare to leave town immediately if she wants to stay alive. After sneaking home to pack a bag, Stella is horrified to discover that her boyfriend, Johann, is leading the hitmen trying to kill her. She meets with Airini and is given a new identity, a burner phone, and three one-way tickets to a small town in Tasmania- Mystery Bay. They are to remain there until further notice.
The family arrive in Mystery Bay- fondly renamed as Misery Bay- a strange town with equally strange inhabitants. The locals aren’t exactly welcoming of the new arrivals and are mostly unhelpful, hostile, or just downright confusing. They meet Jeremiah, a rough tow truck driver, Jodie, the owner of the rarely frequented pub, Connor, the local mechanic and Magda and Heather, who have a beloved pet pig called Truffles. Francis - a dodgy real estate agent, eventually gives them keys to their new house, which Stella tells the kids they will be living in longer than expected. They soon discover it is falling apart- the floorboards are rotten and there are gaping holes throughout various rooms. During the night, the family are woken by trucks passing through the property’s front yard. Just as Stella decides to go outside and assess the danger, she falls through the floor to a cellar below.
Episode 2
Jeremiah turns up at Stella’s house to fix the rotten floorboards, so Stella and the kids go to stay in the local motel until it’s done. Frankie the town matriarch, and her younger brother Arthur, begin asking questions about Francis selling Stella the house. Frankie introduces herself to Stella. In the spirit of being neighbourly Frankie brings Stella a casserole. Stella, Otis and Iris get more acquainted with the townspeople. Iris befriends Graham, an older blind man who lives in the motel. Otis meets Elysha, the daughter of Thaddeus and Bethel who run “The Community” on the edge of town, and Stella finds herself somewhat less irritated by Jeremiah. They also meet Bong Cha- the discerning motel owner and her helper Sammi, a young tech guy also living in the motel.
When Stella and Otis relationship becomes particularly strained, she calls Airini in the hopes of leaving, but Airini insists that the family must remain in Mystery Bay. Stella decides to reveal the truth to Otis in the hopes of regaining trust and connection. However, it only adds to his criticism of her parenting skills and resentment towards her. Upon returning to the house when Jeremiah is finished, the floorboards have been redone, and to Stella’s surprise - it’s beautiful. Stella begins to feel more comfortable with Jeremiah who is proving to be more helpful and less grumpy than she initially thought. She takes the kids for a picnic by the lake, and for the first time since the beginning of the ordeal, Stella feels somewhat happy but that feeling doesn’t last long.
Episodes 3 to 8
We will update shortly so do check back.
Is there a Bay Of Fires season 2?
Yes the Australian broadcaster ABC has announced there will be a Bay Of Fires series 2, but not until 2025.
Behind the scenes, locations and more on Bay Of Fires
Bay Of Fires was filmed on the West Coast of Tasmania, and is produced by Archipelago Productions and Fremantle Australia. “We were lucky to film on palawa land in Queenstown, Strahan and Zeehan which has this heritage Gaiety theatre in which we filmed some great scenes.” said Block Two Director Wayne Blair.
