Happy Valley to return for third and final season this Christmas

There’s very good news for fans of Happy Valley, as the BBC has confirmed the third and final season will be released this Christmas as part of its festive schedule.

Fans were delighted when it was announced last year that the drama, created by Sally Wainwright, would be returning for a third season – with Sarah Lancashire reprising her role of Sergeant Catherine Cawood for the last time.

The BBC recently gave us our first look at the upcoming season of Happy Valley ahead of its highly-anticipated release, with new images giving fans an idea of what to expect from the upcoming six-part series.

Catherine is pictured with a bloodied nose in the aftermath of a police raid, while the notorious Tommy Lee Royce – played by James Norton – is seen sporting a radically different look in his prison cell.

BBC

BBC

The broadcaster also gave first-look glimpses of Catherine’s sister Clare (Siobhan Finneran) and teenage grandson Ryan (Rhys Connah).

The third season will see Catherine discover the remains of a gangland murder victim, which sparks a chain of events that unwittingly leads her straight back to Tommy Lee Royce, Ryan’s biological father and the man responsible for her daughter’s suicide.

Read More: Filming for Happy Valley season three has begun with Sarah Lancashire spotted on set

Her grandson Ryan is now sixteen, and 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.

BBC

BBC

It was clear at the end of the second season – released in 2016 – that Catherine was worried Ryan may have too much of his father in him, and season three is set to explore the pair’s relationship.

The BBC also announced who will be joining the cast for the BAFTA-winning six-part drama, including familiar faces Ishia Bennison as Joyce, Shane Zaza as Shafiq, Chord Melodic as Sledge, and Mete Dursun as Gorkem.

There will be some new faces for the third instalment too, specifically The Rising’s Oliver Huntingdon, Sex Education’s Jack Bandeira, God’s Own Country’s Alec Secareanu and Gentleman Jack’s Anthony Flanagan.

Happy Valley will form part of the BBC’s Christmas TV lineup, but the season three premiere will be held in Halifax on December 14th – fans can now apply for tickets here to see it first.

An exact start date for season three is yet to be confirmed.