Entertainment
Recap of Happy Valley season 1 and 2 ahead of Sarah Lancashire and James Norton drama’s final outing-Ruth Lawes-Entertainment – Metro
Here’s our refresher guide.
Catherine Cawood may be retiring – but not before more than her fair share of drama (Picture: BBC)
Happy Valley is finally back on our screens after a seven-year gap – so here is everything you need to know to get yourself up to speed ahead of season 3.
Sally Wainwright’s blockbuster drama debuted in 2014 and followed no-nonsense sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) and villain Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) in Yorkshire.
The final season of the BBC series lands in the New Year and sees the soon-to-be retiring officer investigate a gangland murder after human remains wash up at a reservoir.
Cawood is also juggling caring for her grandson Ryan (Rhys Connah) who has ideas of his own about how the kind of relationship he wants to have with his father, Royce, who raped his late mum and is serving time in prison.
Elsewhere in the not-so-sleepy village, a pharmacist, who is covertly managing a shady operation, gets way in over his head when a neighbour is arrested.
The first instalment of the series lands on New Year’s Day, with subsequent episodes dropped every Sunday evening on BBC One and iPlayer.
As viewers prepare to tune into the first thrilling episode, here is a crash course in seasons 1 and 2 of Happy Valley.
James Norton returns as the psychopathic Tommy Lee Royce (Picture: BBC/Lookout Point/Matt Squire)
What happened in Happy Valley season 1?
The first season of Happy Valley followed Catherine Cawood still coming to terms with the suicide of her teenage daughter, Becky, eight years ago.
Divorced from her husband and living with her sister Clare (Siobhan Finneran), Cawood is also bringing up Becky’s young son Ryan (Rhys Connah).
Ryan was conceived after Becky was raped by Tommy Lee Royce and she died by suicide months after the brutal crime.
Ryan appears as a teenager in Happy Valley season 3 (Picture: BBC/Lookout Point/AMC/Matt Squire)
Cawood is determined that Royce, who was imprisoned for drug charges, has nothing to do with his son and becomes obsessed with his whereabouts after he is released from prison.
Meanwhile, Cawood is also investigating the kidnap of Ann Gallagher (Charlie Murphy) who has been taken by her father’s pal and accountant Kevin Weatherill (Steve Pemberton) for ransom.
Royce and fellow brute Lewis Whippey (Adam Long) execute the evil plan which nearly goes awry when they’re caught for speeding, with Ann tied up in the boot, by PC Kirsten McAskill (Sophie Rundle).
The nail-biting drama has won widespread acclaim (Picture: BBC/Lookout Point/Alex Telfer)
Evil Royce determined to continue with the kidnap takes hold of the situation and runs over and kills McAskill, devastating the force.
Hot on his trail, Cawood learns that Ann is being held hostage at Royce’s mother’s house and rescues her from the cellar, before learning the murderer has been secretly spending time with Ryan after school.
Growing frantic and having murdered his accomplices, Royce spots Ryan walking past the narrowboat he is camping out in and snatches him from the street.
Spotting her grandson’s bike outside the barge, Cawood storms in and, after threatening to kill his own son, finally apprehends and arrests Royce.
What happened in Happy Valley season 2?
The second series of Happy Valley is set 18 months after the events of the first season and sees Cawood win an award for bravery, while Royce is serving a life sentence for his crimes.
They do, however, bump into one another when Royce is granted leave from prison to attend his mother’s funeral, with Cawood being one of the suspects involved in her death.
Furious, Royce enlists pharmacist Frances Drummond (Shirley Henderson), who has become infatuated with him, to kill his arch nemesis Cawood in revenge, even befriending Ryan as part of the plan.
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Meanwhile, Cawood has been tasked with investigating a human trafficking operation that is linked to the murders of prostitutes across Calder Valley.
After suspecting Sean Balmforth (Matthew Lewis), an alleged rapist, after DNA shows up in his van, lonely and bullied farmer Daryl Garrs (Robert Emms) confesses to his mother he is responsible for the murders.
To prevent him from going to prison, his mum Alison (Susan Lynch) fatally shoots him and takes an overdose, before being arrested by Cawood for his murder.
Cawood also works out her colleague DCI John Wadsworth (Kevin Doyle) was behind the murder of his mistress Vicky Fleming (Amelia Bullmore), who had been blackmailing him.
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The series ends with Wadsworth confessing to Cawood he killed her before jumping off a bridge.
Happy Valley continues on BBC One and iPlayer on Sunday at 9pm.
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