Procedural crime thriller series Happy Valley is returning for a third and final season, the BBC has confirmed, six years on from the release of the show's second series. The new six-part series will see the return of the show's major cast members, including Sarah Lancashire and James Norton and is set to be the finale season of the award-winning crime drama. The release date for season three has now been confirmed and we don't have long to wait! Here's everything else we know about Happy Valley season three.
What's going to happen in Happy Valley season 3?
For one thing, a time jump. In a new interview released in July 2022, creator and writer Sally Wainwright told Radio Times the show will be set seven years on from season two, teasing, "I think it's going to be good. I think it's going to be exciting. We've got some very good stories. Everyone's back – all the characters you'd expect to see are back. We're seven years on. The plan was to wait for Ryan to be older so that he can make his own choices about whether he wants to have contact with his dad or not. So it really explores that."
Previously, she said said she hopes this will be "the best season yet," and if the BBC's synopsis is anything to go by she's not wrong;
"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."
Who's going to star in Happy Valley season 3?
First off, just being able to say 'Happy Valley season three' feels great doesn't it? We've only been waiting since 2016, we've earned this. Well, the wait was worth it, as the BBC has confirmed that a full list of new and returning cast members will be starring in the show.
It was previously announced that lead Sarah Lancashire would be returning to star as Sergeant Catherine Cawood, alongside James Norton as Tommy Lee Royce and Siobhan Finneran as Clare Cartwright.
Now, the BBC has confirmed that more existing cast members are coming back to the show. Rhys Connah will be returning as Ryan Cawood, with Con O'Neill back as Neil Ackroyd.
Other returning cast members include: George Costigan (Nevison Gallagher), Charlie Murphy (Ann Gallagher), Derek Riddell (Richard Cawood), Karl Davies (Daniel Cawood), Susan Lynch (Alison Garrs), Rick Warden (Mike Taylor) and Vincent Franklin (Andy Shepherd).
Plus, there are some brand new actors set to star. New cast members include: Amit Shah (who starred in Crashing alongside Phoebe Waller-Bridge), Mark Stanley (The Girl Before and Anne Boleyn), and Mollie Winnard (who we've recently seen in All Creatures Great and Small and Four Lives). The new names will be joining Happy Valley season three in "pivotal roles", the BBC have said. However, the characters they'll be playing haven't yet been announced.
Exciting!
When did filming start on Happy Valley season 3?
The BBC confirmed that filming officially started on the third and final season of Happy Valley, back in January 2022.
The broadcaster announced in an Instagram post, "🎬 Filming has begun in West Yorkshire on the third and final series of Sally Wainwright’s smash hit, multi-BAFTA award winning BBC drama Happy Valley 🙌". Yay!
What is Happy Valley season 3's expected release date?
The BBC has finally confirmed the release date for season three. Happy Valley will return on New Year's Day (Sunday 1st January) 2023 at 9pm on BBC One.
The six-parts will be available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, where, incidentally, you can re-watch series one and two right now, in preparation. See you there.
