Popular crime drama Happy Valley is back almost seven years since the last series was screened for the third and final series. Starring Sarah Lancashire, the drama follows police sergeant Catherine Cawood and her complicated and tragic family life.
The third series promises to bring all the drama and characters that viewers know and love but almost seven years since series two was aired, it can be easy to forget the plot of the previous episodes. From arrests, mystery killings and romance there is plenty to catch up on.
With series one screening way back in 2014 and series two in 2016, here is a quick catch-up guide so you are totally up to speed. Happy Valley series three begins on BBC One at 9pm on Sunday, January 1 2023.
What happened in series one of Happy Valley?
In series one viewers meet the lead character Catherine Cawood, who is played by Sarah Lancashire. Catherine is a police sergeant in Calder Valley, an area with a serious drug problem.
Catherine lives with her sister Clare who is a recovering drug addict and Catherine's grandson Ryan who has behavioural problems. Viewers learn that Ryan's father is Tommy Lee Royce who raped Catherine's daughter Becky.
Becky took her own life shortly after Ryan was born and Catherine is convinced the rape had a huge impact on her daughter's mental health. The main crime of the series is committed by Kevin Weatherill and a local gang run by Ashley Cowgill.
Kevin comes up with a plan to kidnap his boss' daughter, Ann, after his boss Nevison Gallagher, won't give him a pay rise. Ashley gets two of his employees, Lewis Whippey and Tommy, to help out with the kidnapping.
Catherine is devastated when her colleague PC Kirsten McAskill is brutally run over when she pulls Lewis and Tommy over for speeding and hears Ann struggling in the boot. Most of the series shows Catherine tracking down Lewis and Tommy and saving Ann while dealing with the death of her own daughter.
The final part of the series shows Catherine rescuing Ryan from being kidnapped by Tommy and resisting the urge to kill Tommy while she has the chance.
What happened in series two of Happy Valley?
In series two Catherine investigated murders and ultimately found out they were committed by young local farmer Daryl Garrs. Tommy's mother is found dead and Catherine herself is one of the suspects.
While in prison Tommy instructs a woman, Frances Dummond, to kill Catherine. Frances obeys Tommy as she is madly in love with him and believes his fake promise that he will marry her when he is out of prison.
Meanwhile, Catherine is tasked with a human trafficking operation that is linked to a string of murders of prostitutes occurring across Calder Valley and DCI John Wadsworth is drugged and blackmailed by his mistress Vicky Fleming. John then kills Vicky out of desperation and uses his police knowledge to make the murder look like the ones Catherine is investigating.
Daryl confessed all the human trafficking murders to his mother Alison who shot him dead so Daryl didn't end up in jail. Catherine then arrested Alison after Alison survived an overdose. Catherine also discovers that John killed Vicky and the series ends with John confessing to her and then he jumps off a bridge.
Elsewhere in the series, Catherine's sister, Clare, struck up a relationship with old friend Neil Ackroyd, a recovering alcoholic. This worried Catherine and she ended up falling out with her sister over Clare's new relationship.
Later in the series, Catherine had to arrest Neil for drunken behaviour in public when he began drinking again. Despite this at the end of series two Neil promised to look after and take good care of Clare.
Also in the series Catherine was concerned for her grandson Ryan, who she believed had a nasty streak like his father Tommy. Unknown to Catherine, Ryan was in contact with his father, writing him letters and series three is expected to show the impact his relationship with his father had on Tommy.
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