The air date of the third and final season of Sally Wainwright’s smash hit, multi-BAFTA award-winning BBC drama Happy Valley has been confirmed along with a new teaser trailer telling us all we need to know before Happy Valley is next on.
Sarah Lancashire returns to her iconic role of Sergeant Catherine Cawood for six new episodes, long discussed by both Sally Wainwright and lead actress Sarah as the final chapter of the Happy Valley story. Season 3 sees the characters still grappling in the aftermath of Becky's death , the return of season 2's Alison who killed her son and of course more from the show's villian Tommy Lee Royce.
Happy Valley last aired on BBC One back in 2016 and reached an audience of 9.3 million. And it was so good that both series one and two won the BAFTA Television Awards for both Drama Series and Writing: Drama for Sally Wainwright, with Sarah Lancashire winning the BAFTA Television Award for Leading Actress for series two.
Fans will be delighted that filming is complete after almost a six-year break...
When is Happy Valley coming back?
Happy Valley series three returned on New Year's Day - Sunday 1 January in 2023. It premiered on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 9pm.
Happy Valley creator and writer Sally Wainwright said, “I'm delighted to find myself back in the world of Catherine Cawood and her family and colleagues for the final installment 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.”
The BBC made the announcement and fans cannot wait.
One fan wrote, 'Best drama on TV! Cannot wait"
And another fan put, "Please tell me this is true made my day"
Happy (Valley) New Year 🎉Sally Wainwright’s multi-BAFTA award winning Happy Valley returns to @BBCOne and @BBCiPlayer from 9pm on 1 January 2023More info ➡️ https://t.co/N9bG67ywTO pic.twitter.com/cxcBLDRMhZDecember 2, 2022
Happy Valley season 3 - plot details
Season three will pick up on elements of the previous seasons, and the action starts 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, leaving Catherine’s sister Clare [Siobhan Finneran] caught in the middle. In another part of the valley, a local pharmacist gets in over his head when a neighbour is arrested.
But still battling the seemingly never-ending problem of drugs in the valley and those who supply them, Catherine is on the cusp of retirement.
Catherine has since been pictured with a bloodied nose in the aftermath of a police raid, while Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) – with a radically different look – is seen in his prison cell, alongside first-look glimpses of Catherine’s sister Clare (Siobhan Finneran) and teenage grandson Ryan (Rhys Connah).
How many seasons of Happy Valley?
There are currently three seasons of Happy Valley. You can find all episodes of the first two series available on BBC iPlayer.
Meanwhile episodes 1-4 of Happy Valley season 3 can also be found on iPlayer, with episodes 5 and 6 airing shortly.
Charlie Murphy is also in the cast of Obsession on Netflix.
How to watch Happy Valley in the UK and US
Happy Valley series three will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, and the first two series of Happy Valley are available to watch in full on BBC iPlayer now.
In the U.S. and Canada, AMC Networks will be the exclusive home for series three which will be available on the AMC+ premium streaming bundle where series one and two are also now available to binge.
Related BBC Features:
- BBC Crossfire - Where is it filmed and is it based on a true story? Keeley Hawes’ new drama explained
- The Capture Season 2
- Inside Man
- Bloodlands Series 2
- The Control Room
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