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Wales Online
Lifestyle
Stephanie Colderick

BBC Happy Valley series 3 start time, cast, plot and locations as Sarah Lancashire drama returns

It has been almost seven years since the last series of Happy Valley aired on BBC One and now the Sarah Lancashire drama is back. There will be old and new faces in the show which will be packed with drama.

This is the third and will be the final series of Happy Valley which first aired in 2014 and stars Sarah Lancashire in the lead role of Catherine Cawood. The drama follows police officer Catherine through her dramatic personal and work life.

READ MORE: What became of Tim Vincent, the Wrexham boy done good

When is Happy Valley series three on?

Happy Valley returns to BBC One for its third and final series. The first episode will air on BBC One at 9pm on Sunday, January 1.

The show will be aired weekly and will not be dropped as a box set onto BBC iPlayer, meaning fans will have to wait each week to watch more. Happy Valley will air episode two on Sunday, January 8 and the show is expected to remain in the same slot on Sundays at 9pm on BBC One throughout. There will be six episodes in the series.

What is the Happy Valley series three plot?

Once again Catherine and Tommy, the man who raped Catherine's daughter and the man Catherine places as responsible for her daughter's suicide, come face to face in series three. Catherine discovers the remains of a gangland murder victim in a drained reservoir which sparks a chain of events that unwittingly leads her straight back to Tommy.

Tommy is back to cause trouble in series three (PA)

Catherine is desperate for her grandson, Ryan, to have no contact with his father Tommy however Ryan has other ideas. Series three will show how Ryan and Tommy's relationship develops. Elsewhere Catherine is still battling the drug problem that is rife in Calder Valley, where Catherine lives and works, as she nears retirement.

Who is in the Happy Valley series three cast?

Sarah Lancashire as Catherine Cawood: Star of the show Sarah Lancashire is back in her role as main character Catherine Cawood. Sarah has played Catherine since the show began and has also starred in MotherFatherSon and Last Tango in Halifax.

Siobhan Finneran as Clare Cartwright: Also back in her role of Clare, Catherine's sister, is Siobhan Finneran. She has previously starred in the ITV period drama Downton Abbey, the ITV crime drama The Loch and BBC drama The Syndicate among many other roles.

James Norton as Tommy Lee Royce: Back to cause more trouble is Tommy Lee Royce who is played by James Norton. James is best known for his roles in Grantchester and McMafia, as well as the 2019 film Little Women.

Rhys Connah as Ryan: Playing Catherine's grandson Ryan is Rhys Connah. Rhys has grown up with Happy Valley, first appearing in the show in 2014. His other credits include the films The Messenger and The Runaways.

Con O'Neill as Neil: Neil is Clare's boyfriend and he is played by Con O'Neill. In 2022 he starred in the film The Batman and has also been in the 2019 TV series Chernobyl.

George Costigan as Nevison Gallagher: Local businessman Nevison Gallagher is played by George Costigan. He is best known for playing Bob in the 1987 film Rita, Sue and Bob Too and has also starred in Gentleman Jack and Line of Duty.

Catherine and Clare are sisters in the show (BBC/Red Productions)

Karl Davies as Daniel Cawood: Son to Catherine is Daniel Cawood who is played by Karl Davies. Karl has starred in Emmerdale and the 2021 drama The Tower.

Susan Lynch as Alison Garrs: Alison had a big role in the second series of Happy Valley where she saved her son from a life in prison by shooting him dead. Alison is played by Susan Lynch who has starred in Bloodlands and Unforgotten.

Rick Warden as Mike Taylor: Playing Inspector Mike Taylor is Rick Warden who has starred in the drama Dunkirk and BBC medical drama Casualty.

Charlie Murphy as Ann Gallagher: Daughter of Nevison, Ann was kidnapped in the first series of Happy Valley and is played by Charlie Murphy. Charlie has also starred in Peaky Blinders and 2022 series The Capture.

Derek Riddell as Richard Cawood: Richard Cawood is Catherine's ex-husband and he is played by Derek Riddell. He is best known as Dr Jamie Patterson in No Angels and has also starred in Doctor Who, Waterloo Road and Shetland.

Vincent Franklin as Andy Shepherd: Playing DSI Andy Shepherd is Vincent Franklin. Vincent has previously appeared in Bodyguard, Doc Martin and Gentleman Jack.

Amit Shah in undisclosed role: The BBC have said Amit Shah will be playing a "pivotal" role in the third series and the role is still unknown. Amit has starred in The Long Call and The Witcher.

Mollie Winnard in undisclosed role: Mollie Winnard will also take a key role in the series. She has previously been in All Creatures Great and Small and Four Lives.

Mark Stanley in undisclosed role: Another actor set to be key in the third series is Mark Stanley. He has been in Game of Thrones and the crime drama Trigger Point.

Filming took place in Yorkshire (Huddersfield Examiner)

Where was Happy Valley series three filmed?

Happy Valley is filmed and set in Yorkshire. Filming took place in Calderdale in West Yorkshire and was largely shot on location in the real-life Calder Valley.

Halifax was also used a lot as a filming location and film crew were spotted in Boothtown, a suburb of Halifax and Hebden Bridge which is west of Halifax. The Old Halifax swimming pool was transformed into a police station for the new series, and the Harveys department store in Halifax was also used as the backdrop for some scenes.

Other locations include the former Sowerby Bridge Police Station, and Park Wood Crematorium in Elland, a market town in Calderdale, West Yorkshire.

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