Happy Valley series 3 starts tonight (January 1) and creator Sally Wainwright has defended the drama ahead of the return of the show.
It’s been a long wait for Happy Valley fans, with series 2 airing back in 2016.
As fans anticipate if series 3 will be as good as the popular first two series, writer Sally Wainwright has promised fans that series 3 will be just as good.
Here’s everything you need to know…
Happy Valley creator defends show ahead of new series
Speaking with the Radio Times, Happy Valley’s creator Sally Wainwright has shared that fans will not be disappointed with the new series.
Series 3 sees Sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) anticipating her retirement, before she gets tied up in a case of a gangland murder victim who is linked back to Tommy Lee Royce.
Catherine’s grandson, Ryan, is now 16 and has his own ideas about his relationship with his father, who Catherine refuses to acknowledge.
Sally shares that the new series will give fans what they’ve been waiting on: “I was really anxious not to write a duff third season. I really don’t think it is. There’s a very definite climax.”
She promises a “very big face-to-face showdown” between Tommy (James Norton) and Catherine.
Sally adds it is “the kind of cathartic showdown that people have waited for. It’s pretty dramatic.”
We can’t wait!
Read more: Happy Valley recap: What happened in series 1 and 2?
Sally Wainwright shares why Happy Valley series 3 has taken so long
Series 3 has been a long and much-anticipated wait for Happy Valley fans, waiting seven years since series 2.
Sally Wainwright told the BBC the reason for the long wait involved Ryan’s age.
She shared: “I waited six years because I wanted to get to a point where Ryan would be old enough to start making choices about whether he wanted to have a relationship with his dad or not.
“And could he have a relationship with his dad, and how would Catherine feel about that? I really wanted to be able to explore that.
“It’s been great that we got Rhys back to play Ryan which has been fantastic. He has done a really lovely job in that.
“The intention developed through conversations I had with Sarah to make it a three-parter, to make a trilogy.
“We always said this would be the final season and it is very definitely is the final season.”
Well, we hope the wait will be worth it!
Happy Valley returns on Sunday January 1 2023 at 9pm on BBC One.
So are you excited for series 3? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think.