Happy Valley is simply one of the very best British police dramas and there is a lot of high quality competition. There are a series of unique factors that come together to make this such a gritty and compelling series.
First is the location - shot in the grim valleys of West Yorkshire around rural Hebden Bridge near Bradford, Halifax and Leeds which is unlike the more urban or picturesque locations often used in UK cops shows. The dreary weather, the working class cast, the ubiquitous thick Yorkshire accents and the economic struggles of the former coal mining area are front and centre.
Second is the fact that the central character, Police Sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire), is a rank and file cop and not a more glamourous Detective is a major departure from normal British police show casting. The tough daily routine of the uniformed constables she leads and not the murder investigations of the CID is what is mostly shown on screen.
Third is the elongation of the gap between series 2 and 3 done deliberately around the other central character, that of Cath Cawood's grandson Ryan (Rhys Connah). Rhys was 8 and 10 in the first two series but the plot lines and subject matter of Series 3 needed to be filmed around the reactions and impact on a mid-adolescent boy and so the writer and director Sally Wainwright waited 6 years for the character of Ryan to grow from a child to a near adult sized teenager and the impact of this decision adds a fantastic and realistic dimension to the story line.
Finally is the ending of the show in Episode 6 of Season 3 (as it is clear there will be no more seasons), which features a stunningly intense climactic encounter between Sergeant Cawood and the other central character psychopathic killer (and father of Ryan) Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) that rewrites all the norms of every preceding police drama of this type in a most satisfying and dramatic way.
Happy Valley has it all, fabulous dark and brooding locations, tough and gritty working class Yorkshire realism, superb and award winning acting from a stellar cast of veterans and newcomers like young Rhys Connah and a plot line that is taut, compelling, intense and gripping. In a country renowned for its incredible quality police dramas, Happy Valley is a true standout.
First is the location - shot in the grim valleys of West Yorkshire around rural Hebden Bridge near Bradford, Halifax and Leeds which is unlike the more urban or picturesque locations often used in UK cops shows. The dreary weather, the working class cast, the ubiquitous thick Yorkshire accents and the economic struggles of the former coal mining area are front and centre.
Second is the fact that the central character, Police Sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire), is a rank and file cop and not a more glamourous Detective is a major departure from normal British police show casting. The tough daily routine of the uniformed constables she leads and not the murder investigations of the CID is what is mostly shown on screen.
Third is the elongation of the gap between series 2 and 3 done deliberately around the other central character, that of Cath Cawood's grandson Ryan (Rhys Connah). Rhys was 8 and 10 in the first two series but the plot lines and subject matter of Series 3 needed to be filmed around the reactions and impact on a mid-adolescent boy and so the writer and director Sally Wainwright waited 6 years for the character of Ryan to grow from a child to a near adult sized teenager and the impact of this decision adds a fantastic and realistic dimension to the story line.
Finally is the ending of the show in Episode 6 of Season 3 (as it is clear there will be no more seasons), which features a stunningly intense climactic encounter between Sergeant Cawood and the other central character psychopathic killer (and father of Ryan) Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) that rewrites all the norms of every preceding police drama of this type in a most satisfying and dramatic way.
Happy Valley has it all, fabulous dark and brooding locations, tough and gritty working class Yorkshire realism, superb and award winning acting from a stellar cast of veterans and newcomers like young Rhys Connah and a plot line that is taut, compelling, intense and gripping. In a country renowned for its incredible quality police dramas, Happy Valley is a true standout.