‘Happy Valley’ is back: First look at ‘Grantchester’ and ‘Downton’ stars in Season 3
The first images have been released for the new season of Happy Valley!
BBC One’s acclaimed crime drama series premiered back in 2014, helping to launch the career of James Norton before he joined Grantchester.
A second season aired in 2016, with nearly 10 million viewers watching the finale in the UK.
Six years on, we’re getting ready for “the final chapter of the Happy Valley story.”
Filming began in and around West Yorkshire, England earlier this year on six brand new episodes.
James Norton is back as murderer Tommy Lee Royce, and we’ve got a sneak peek of his character in prison here:
Norton previously commented: “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.”
He joked: “Thinking we should all go on one last barge holiday, for old times’ sake.”
Last Tango in Halifax star Sarah Lancashire is also reprising her role as Sergeant Catherine Cawood, alongside Siobhan Finneran (yes, that’s Miss O’Brien from Downton Abbey) as Catherine’s sister, Clare.
Finneran said earlier this year: “I’m so thrilled to be returning to Happy Valley as Clare, and delighted to now be able to answer the question: “Please tell me there’s going to be another Happy Valley???” with a resounding “Yes there is.””
The official synopsis for Season 3 reads: “When Catherine discovers 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 sixteen 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.”
Here’s a look at Catherine’s teenage grandson Ryan in the upcoming episodes:
Yes, that’s original actor Rhys Connah, who played Ryan as a kid in the first two seasons!
Also appearing will be a ton of returning faces, including Con O’Neill, George Costigan, Charlie Murphy, Derek Riddell, Karl Davies, Susan Lynch, Rick Warden, Vincent Franklin, Amit Shah, Mark Stanley, Mollie Winnard, Ishia Bennison, Shane Zaza, Chord Melodic, and Mete Dursun.
Newcomers in Season 3 include Oliver Huntingdon (The Rising), Jack Bandeira (Sex Education), Alec Secareanu (God’s Own Country), and Anthony Flanagan (Gentleman Jack).
Sally Wainwright, who also created Last Tango in Halifax and Gentleman Jack, has once again written all the scripts.
The third and final season of Happy Valley will premiere in the UK on BBC One and streaming on BBC iPlayer this winter.
In the US, it’ll be exclusively on the AMC+ premium streaming bundle.
While it was sadly announced recently that Happy Valley writer Sally Wainwright’s Gentleman Jack has been axed, there are rumours that Last Tango in Halifax could come back for a sixth season.
Meanwhile, Wainwright also has a new adventure period drama for Disney+ on the way!
The first two seasons of Happy Valley are available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.