BBC Director-General visits the set of Happy Valley on Sarah Lancashire’s final day of filming

This is the third and final series of the award-winning show, written and created by Sally Wainwright, in which Sarah Lancashire plays Sergeant Catherine Cawood.

The series has been filming at locations across Calderdale since early 2022.

The Director-General met the cast and crew at Dean Clough Mill in Halifax this afternoon as Sarah filmed her final scenes.

The second series of Happy Valley, shown in 2016, attracted an average consolidated audience of 9.3 million viewers on BBC One.

Tim Davie said: “It was a special moment to see Sarah film her final scenes for Happy Valley. She has brought to life a brilliant character, created by the exceptional Sally Wainwright.

“We’re so lucky at the BBC that we get to work with such incredibly talented people. I want to pay tribute to all the cast and crew for making such a successful series. I can’t wait to see it on the BBC soon.”

Happy Valley series three has been made by Lookout Point (Gentleman Jack, War & Peace) for BBC One and BBC iPlayer, in co-production with AMC Networks, which will be the exclusive home for series three in the U.S. and Canada.

The first two series each won the Bafta Television awards for both Drama Series and Writing: Drama for Sally Wainwright, with Sarah Lancashire winning the Bafta Television award for Leading Actress for series two.

James Norton and Siobhan Finneran will also return for Happy Valley series three - as Catherine’s nemesis, the murderer and sex-offender Tommy Lee Royce, and Catherine’s sister, the recovering addict Clare Cartwright, respectively.

When Catherine discovers the remains of a gangland murder victim in a drained reservoir it sparks a chain of events that unwittingly leads her straight back to Tommy Lee Royce in the latest series.

Her grandson Ryan is now 16 and still living with Catherine, but he 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.

Happy Valley series three (6x60’) was commissioned by Piers Wenger, Director of BBC Drama, and is a Lookout Point production for the BBC, co-produced with AMC. Happy Valley is written and created by Sally Wainwright.

Series three has been directed by Patrick Harkins and Fergus O’Brien, with Jessica Taylor as producer. Executive producers are Sally Wainwright and Sarah Lancashire, with Faith Penhale and Will Johnston for Lookout Point, and Ben Irving for the BBC.

BBC Studios, who wholly own Lookout Point, is distributing series three in addition to series one and two. In the U.S. and Canada, AMC Networks will be the exclusive home for series three which will be available on the AMC+ premium streaming bundle where series one and two are also now available to binge.

The first two series of Happy Valley are available to stream in full on BBC iPlayer now.