Happy Valley's Rhys Connah says his mum was convinced he was joining a kids' TV show when cast

Happy Valley star Rhys Connah has revealed that his mother was somewhat confused when her son joined the cast of the hit BBC drama. The series came to its end on Sunday, February 5 with Rhys' character's father Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) meeting a fiery end at his own hands.

Now in his first ever TV interview on ITV's Loose Women, 16-year-old Rhys has discussed his time on the show. Host Ruth Langsford questioned him: "What did your mum think from the title, Happy Valley? What did she think this drama would be about?" The young actor then replied: "She thought it was going to be a family-friendly kids' show," to the audience's laughter.

"Just reading the title, it's like 'oh Happy Valley, this is going to be nice'. Yeah, it wasn't nice, it was a very disturbing show." Rhys then admitted that he wasn't actually allowed to watch the show when it first aired, albeit his own bits in the show.

Read more: Happy Valley actor avoided by people in the street after playing abusive husband

Rhys described how his mum wouldn't initially let him watch Happy Valley (ITV)

Speaking of this, Rhys said: "When the show first came out, I was hanging around upstairs and when I came on, my mum would say, 'Rhys come on'. I'd run down the stairs, see my bit and go, 'It's me!' and then I'd run back upstairs." The teenager has starred in every series of Happy Valley and writer Sally Wainwright even waited seven years between the second and third edition so that Rhys could grow up.

Unfortunately for fans of Happy Valley, Rhys confirmed that series 3 would be the last. He ruled out future series, saying: "Sadly, there are no plans for a season 4. I'm very sorry everyone." You can watch Happy Valley in its entirety now on BBC iPlayer. For more TV and showbiz stories, subscribe to our newsletter here.

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