The final SHOWDOWN

Creator SALLY WAINWRIGHT on bringing her hit thriller to a close

-  HANNAH DAVIES

HAPPY VALLEY SUNDAY, 9PM, BBC1 DRAMA

The end is nigh. After three series of nail-biting cliffhangers and shocking twists, BBC1’s Yorkshire-set crime drama Happy Valley will bow out this Sunday, with the scene set for one of the most explosive finales in TV history!

Since the thriller began in 2014, viewers have been gripped as Sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) investigated a kidnapping, drug-related murders and gangland crime, all while dealing with constant grief and pain caused by her long-term nemesis, murderer and serial sex offender Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton).

Now, things are set to come to a head as psychopath Tommy initiates his plan to kill Catherine and escape to Spain with his teenage son Ryan (Rhys Connah), Catherine’s grandson.

Here, the show’s creator Sally Wainwright, 60, reflects on its success…

What originally inspired you to write Happy Valley?

It was partly because I saw a documentary called Shed Your Tears and Walk Away [released in 2009] about drug and alcohol problems in Hebden Bridge. But the other influence was [BBC1’s 80s drama] Juliet Bravo, which was filmed in Calderdale and was about a female police inspector. It’s actually one of my top 10 TV shows, so Happy Valley was my attempt to revisit that!

How would you describe this final series?

It’s really all about Catherine and about what happened to her in the past and this weird, crooked relationship she has with Tommy, who has affected her life so badly.