"The landscape is a whole character" - How Halifax locations play an important role in Happy Valley

At the Halifax screening for the third series, producer Jessica Taylor spoke about how important the Calderdale locations are to Happy Valley.

"Our location manager is Luc Webster," Jessica said. "Luc is very familiar with Calderdale. He knows everybody in the area. It's his job to start the pitch and go out and find the locations."

A number of well known locations have been used throughout the three series including West View Park in Halifax, The Moorings in Sowerby Bridge and Ryburn Valley High School.

Jessica noted how invested the show's creator, Sally Wainwright, is when it comes to locations. She said: "Sally is really specific about the locations, she knows it all so well, she's grown up here. If she has a street in mind or writes a scene with the location in mind she is really specific about it. She'll say I know that street that's where my grandad lived.

"So when you try and fob her off and say I don't think you mean that street Sally, no, no, no, it is that street I know where it is."

Happy Valley follows the lives of residents in the Calder Valley and the valley itself is a major part of setting the scene.

"The landscape becomes part of the whole series," Jessica added, "it's a whole character and Sally is really passionate that we get the ‘hillage’, as she calls it, in the back of the shot."

"When Luc is looking for locations he'll go out and scout with the director and they'll come back with ideas who will present them to Sally.

"Sally will have approval on everything. You don't do anything without Sally's approval. It's quite a long process but every detail is passed by Sally."

Happy Valley returns to our screens on New Year’s Day (January 1) at 9pm on BBC One. The six episode series will be the final outing for the popular BBC drama and will once again follow Sergeant Catherine Cawood, played by Sarah Lancashire.