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Entertainment
Kirsten McStay & Jasmine Allday

Happy Valley's Sarah Lancaster 'stepped in' to change 'not right' grand finale

There's been much speculation on how Happy Valley will end as the final episode looms but according to reports, Sarah Lancashire stepped in to makes changes to the grande finale as she felt it wasn't "right".

Sarah plays Sargent Catherine Cawood in the popular BBC drama which ends this weekend. And as Tommy Lee Royce, played by James Norton, managed to escape from the courthouse and is now on the run, fans reckon there will be one final showdown between Sergeant Cawood and her arch nemesis, writes The Mirror.

And now, it has been claimed that Sarah stepped in to make a change to the grand finale which James has now described as a "magical" ending to the BBC hit drama.

Speaking to The Big Issue, James Norton said: "We had one version of the end that didn’t feel quite right, Sally [Wainwright] knew it and Sarah spoke up and said it doesn’t feel right. A month later, we got a new script and it all fell into place. It was magical."

Sarah Lancashire stepped in to change the final episode (BBC/Red Productions)

James admitted he would have loved nothing more than to continue the show but deep down he knew that all good things must come to an end. He also said that hopes fans love the ending and won't be "disappointed" with how they've all decided to end the show.

He said: "Selfishly, I love Happy Valley, creatively and commercially. So I’m slightly conflicted because personally, I would love to keep going. But deep down I’m with Sally. This is the right call. So I hope the ending doesn’t disappoint."

It was said that final scenes for the drama were filmed in multiple ways in a bid to stop the ending being leaked.

A source told Mail Online: "The scripts were seen by those who needed to see them but even they haven't given away how things will come to an end because the scenes were filmed in different ways.

James Norton, who plays Tommy Lee Royce, said all good things must come to an end (BBC/Lookout Point/Matt Squire)

"From the beginning of the planning of series three, Sally and her team wanted to end the show in a sensational way and give viewers an ending they won't forget - she also didn't want any spoilers to ruin things. It is going to be epic, and all the more so because nobody knows the ending. It has been really cleverly done to keep fans guessing right up until the very end."

Happy Valley's creator Sally Wainwright previously revealed the dark origin behind the show's title.

She explained: "I always work closely with police advisors, who are old police officers who have worked in the area, and one of them told me that is what they call the Valley because of issues with drugs. For me, it reflected the show.

"It’s dark, but it has also got a lot of humour in it. I think less so in season one, more so in season two. We want to continue that in the new season. It’s still very much about the dark side of life, but it’s also about how within that people always find ways of being funny and warm and human."

The final episode airs on Sunday (February 5) on BBC One at 9pm.

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