James R | On 26, Oct 2021

Happy Valley will return to our screens for a third season, BBC One has confirmed.

The Yorkshire-set series from Last Tango in Halifax’s Sally Wainwright most recently aired in 2016, when its second season attracted an average audience of 9.3 million. Now, Lancashire will officially return to her iconic role of Sergeant Catherine Cawood for six new episodes, long discussed by Sally Wainwright and Sarah Lancashire as the final chapter of the Happy Valley story.

James Norton and Siobhan Finneran are also confirmed to return as Catherine’s nemesis, the murderer and sex-offender Tommy Lee Royce, and Catherine’s sister, the recovering addict Clare Cartwright, respectively. Further returning cast members and new additions will be announced in due course.

Happy Valley Season 3 will see Catherine discover the remains of a gangland murder victim in a drained reservoir it sparks a chain of events that unwittingly leads her straight back to Tommy Lee Royce. Her grandson Ryan is now 16 and still living with Catherine, but he has ideas of his own about what kind of relationship he wants to have with the man Catherine refuses to acknowledge as his father. Still battling the seemingly never-ending problem of drugs in the valley and those who supply them, Catherine is on the cusp of retirement.

Season 3 will be directed by Patrick Harkins and Fergus O’Brien, with Chris Clough as series producer, and Jessica Taylor as producer. It was commissioned by Piers Wenger, Director of BBC Drama, and is a Lookout Point production for the BBC, co-produced with AMC. It will premiere on BBC One in the UK and on AMC in the USA, where it will be available on the AMC+ premium streaming bundle.

Wainwright says: “I’m delighted to find myself back in the world of Catherine Cawood and her family and colleagues for the final instalment of the Happy Valley trilogy. It’s been wonderful to see the lasting impact this series has had on audiences all over the world. I’m thrilled that Sarah, James and Siobhan are back on board for what I hope will be the best season yet, and thrilled once again to be working with the wonderful team at Lookout Point, the BBC and our new colleagues at AMC.”

Lancashire adds: “It’s time to let the dog see the rabbit.”

Norton comments: “To take on Tommy one final time is a wonderful and daunting privilege, and something I’ve been looking forward to since we wrapped the last series, 6 years ago. I’m so excited to be working with the insanely talented Sally and Sarah again. Thinking we should all go on one last barge holiday, for old times’ sake.”

Piers Wenger, Director of BBC Drama, says: “When Happy Valley first launched on the BBC in 2014, it changed the landscape of crime drama completely. Sally has crafted a magnificent conclusion that is sure to make this third and final series one of television’s most highly anticipated and unmissable moments. Huge thanks go to Sally, Sarah and the Lookout Point team, plus James and Siobhan, for coming together for this special moment, and we’re delighted to welcome AMC on board this final series.”

Filming will take place in and around West Yorkshire in 2022.

 

Happy Valley returns for second season in 2016

22nd August 2015

BBC drama Happy Valley is returning for a second season next year.

The Yorkshire-set series from Last Tango in Halifax’s Sally Wainwright starred Sarah Lancashire and made it onto our list of top TV series from 2014. Now, the BBC has confirmed that it will return for another run with a host of new stars.

Sarah Lancashire and James Norton will return as police sergeant Catherine and villain Tommy Lee Royce, as she begins to suspect there may be another serial killer on the loose and “makes a gruesome discovery that will have shocking repercussions for her and her family”.

The pair will be joined by Harry Potter’s Matthew Lewis, Katherine Kelly, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Shirley Henderson, Kevin Doyle and Amelia Bullmore.

Doyle plays a new detective, DS John Wadsworth, who arrives on the block with his own set of problems, while Henderson plays a female admirer of Tommy.

“I am thrilled to be embarking on a second series. We were delighted and overwhelmed with the viewers’ response to series one and it’s clear that there’s a huge appetite to see more of the characters and drama among the TV-viewing public,” says Wainwright.

Speaking to the Guardian last year, Wainwright said she wanted to make the season “funnier than it was”.

“I always planned to alternate really dark scenes with comic ones and, in Happy Valley 2, I’d like to get that balance better. I think there genuinely is a lot of humour in police work because the job is so grim that really dark jokes are a way of getting through it,” she said.

“I always thought of it as a one-off,” she added. “And I had to think very long and hard about how to take it forward.”

The show, which has been nominated for and won over 30 awards, including Best Drama Series award at the BAFTAs, is produced by Juliet Charlesworth (Scott & Bailey, Danny And The Human Zoo and Clocking Off) and directed by Sally Wainwright and Neasa Hardiman. Executive Producers are Nicola Shindler and Sally Wainwright for RED Production Company and Matthew Read for BBC One.

Filming will begin next week in Yorkshire.

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