BBC’s hit show Happy Valley finally returned to screens on New Year’s Day, almost seven years since its previous installment. The West Yorkshire based crime drama features an ensemble cast of British stars, who together boast countless credits across screen and stage.
Many familiar faces from Happy Valley’s previous seasons have reprised their roles for its last outing, alongside a host of new actors who are taking their first steps in Calder Valley. Members of Happy Valley’s cast have starred in Peaky Blinders, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, and in Hollywood blockbusters alongside such heavyweights as Johnny Depp, Matt Damon and Robert Pattinson.
Here, we take a closer look at the cast of Happy Valley season three:
Sarah Lancashire as Sgt. Catherine Cawood
Oldham-born Sarah Lancashire has had an extensive TV career, and is best known for starring as Raquel Wolstenhulme – later Watts – in more than 530 episodes of Coronation Street. The 58-year-old also starred in ITV’s Where the Heart Is from 1997 to 1999, and the first series of BBC drama Clocking Off in 2000.
Her film credits include 2016’s Dad’s Army, Danny Boyle and Richard Curtis’ 2019 rom-com Yesterday, and the 2021 film adaptation of Everybody's Talking About Jamie.
Discover, learn, grow. We are Curiously. Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Siobhan Finneran as Clare Cartwright
Sgt. Cawood’s sister Clare is played fellow Oldham actress Siobhan Finneran, 56. Like her co-star, Finneran also appeared in Corrie, Where the Heart Is and Clocking Off.
She is best-known for her seven-series run as Janice Garvey in ITV sitcom Benidorm, and the lady’s maid Sarah O’Brien in the first three seasons of Downton Abbey. She also had supporting roles in Doctor Who alongside Jodie Whittaker, the revival of Cold Feet, and the Sean Bean prison drama Time.
Finneran made her film debut as Rita in the 1987 comedy-drama Rita, Sue and Bob Too.
Derek Riddell as Richard Cawood
Scottish actor Derek Riddell, 56, is best known for playing Dr. Jamie Patterson in the Channel 4 comedy-drama No Angels from 2004 to 2006. He has also appeared in Doctor Who, Ugly Betty, Waterloo Road and The Missing.
He had a supporting role in Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018.
George Costigan as Nevison Gallagher
George Costigan is best known for starring alongside Finneran Rita, Sue and Bob Too, in which he played the adulterous businessman Bob. Since growing up in Salford, the 75-year-old has had a prolific career in TV, having appeared in many shows including The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, A Touch of Frost, Inspector Morse, The Bill, Holby City, Dalziel and Pascoe, and Casualty.
His film credits include 1989 rom-com Shirley Valentine, 2003’s Calendar Girls, and 2010 Clint Eastwood-directed drama Hereafter.
James Norton as Tommy Lee Royce
James Norton is an accomplished actor best known for starring in ‘indie’ films and several hit TV series, including main roles in Grantchester, War & Peace, McMafia, and The Nevers. The 37-year-old also starred as conman Robert Freegard in 2021 Netflix thriller Rogue Agent and had a supporting role in Great Gerwig’s Little Women.
Norton has been tipped as one of the frontrunners to replace Daniel Craig as James Bond.
Shane Zaza as PC Shafiq Shah
Shane Zaza has had a successful career in theatre, having portrayed the titular monarch in 2013’s Henry V and as Victor Frankenstein in the 2018 Royal Exchange production of Frankenstein. He has also appeared in The Bill, Casualty, Spooks and Waterloo Road.
His other TV roles include the Black Mirror episode Nosedive and the 2018 Doctor Who episode Demons of the Punjab. He also had a minor role alongside Tom Hanks in 2006’s The Da Vinci Code.
Charlie Murphy as Ann Gallagher
Irish actress Charlie Murphy, 34, is known for appearing in Peaky Blinders as Jessie Eden from 2017 to 2019, and for the recurring role of Makee in the TV adaptation of video game series Halo. She starred as Siobhán Delaney in the RTÉ drama Love/Hate for five seasons between 2010 and 2014, a role which saw her named Best TV Actress at the 2013 Irish Film and Television Awards.
Karl Davies as Daniel Cawood
Marple-born Karl Davies starred as Robert Sugden in Emmerdale from 2001 to 2005, and again in 2009, for a total 176 episodes. He has also appeared in The Bill, Midsomer Murders, and enjoyed a brief stint in the second season of Game of Thrones as the ill-fated Alton Lannister.
The 40-year-old also had a supporting role in HBO’s hit limited series Chernobyl, and is set to star in the upcoming fourth season of ITV crime drama The Bay
Vincent Franklin as DSI Andy Shepherd
Vincent Franklin, 56, boasts a prolific career in both film and TV. He has appeared in the Mike Leigh films Topsy-Turvy, Vera Drake and Mr Turner, and starred alongside Edward Norton in The Illusionist and Matt Damon in The Bourne Identity.
His TV roles include Doc Martin, Being Human and The Office. He also starred as PR guru Stewart Pearson in political comedy The Thick of It, and Mike Travis in the BBC thriller Bodyguard.
Con O’Neill as Neil Ackroyd
Con O’Neill, 56, has appeared in many TV series including Heartbeat, Midsomer Murders and the BBC sitcom Uncle. He appeared in two episodes of the Doctor Who spin-off Class, and played plant director Viktor Bryukhanov in Chernobyl.
He also starred alongside Robert Pattinson as Chief Mackenzie Bock in The Batman. O’Neill won a Laurence Olivier Award in 1988 for playing Michael “Mickey” Johnstone in the stage musical Blood Brothers.
Rick Warden as Insp. Mike Taylor
Rick Warden is perhaps best known for the role of 1st Lt. Harry Welsh in HBO’s acclaimed miniseries Band of Brothers. He also starred in BBC’s Dunkirk as Major Phillip Newman RAMC, and the historical drama Rome as Quintus Valerius Pompey.
Susan Lynch as Alison Garrs
Susan Lynch, 51, has appeared in many films including 1998 comedy Waking Ned, 2001 drama Nora, and the 2001 Johnny Depp detective thriller From Hell. One of her earliest roles was a brief appearance alongside Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in Interview with the Vampire.
More recently, she has had supporting roles in Ready Player One and Downton Abbey. Her TV credits include Killing Eve, Sex Education, and the 2018 Doctor Who episode The Ghost Monument.
Lynch also won the British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 2003 drama 16 Years of Alcohol.
Mollie Winnard as Joanna Hepworth
Mollie Winnard’s first acting credit was as Zoe in two episodes of the BBC drama Love, Lies and Records. She is perhaps best known for appearing 30 episodes of Coronation Street as Kayla Westbrook, later Kayla Clifton.
She later appeared in BBC miniseries Four Lives and Channel 5’s comedy drama All Creatures Great and Small
Mark Stanley as Rob Hepworth
Leeds-born Mark Stanley is best known for playing ranger of the Night’s Watch and friend of Jon Snow, Grenn, in HBO’s Game of Thrones. He is also known for his film roles in war drama Kajaki and spy thriller Our Kind of Traitor.
He appeared in season three of ITV drama The Bay, miniseries White House Farm and The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe, in which he starred as John and Anne Darwin’s son, Mark.
Amit Shah as Faisal Bhatti
Amit Shah’s most notable roles include Sunny in BBC’s Hospital People, Fred in Channel 4’s Crashing, and Torque in Netflix’s The Witcher. He has also appeared in His Dark Materials and Doctor Who.
His film credits include Johnny English Strikes Again, Ordinary Love, and Last Christmas.
READ NEXT:
Pervert loner jailed after police spotted him acting suspiciously at Manchester Pride
Man and woman linked to Manchester's notorious Waterloo Gang jailed after turf war shootings
- Drunk easyJet passenger who grabbed stewardess by neck on Manchester flight is jailed
Bitcoin scammers made so much money they 'handed out £5,000 gift cards in the street'
Woman on trial accused of murder after ex-husband 'tortured to death' in his own home
