THE BBC drama is set to return for its third and final outing and now the show’s star James Norton has teased the drama of what is to come in Happy Valley.
Set in Northern England, the crime drama series is back for its third run and its first brand new series in seven years.
James has given details on the ‘hatred’ in the new series
He plays the role of Tommy
Sarah Lancashire leads the cast
James Norton rose to stardom thanks to his role on the show which allowed him to be cast in other projects including fellow drama Grantchester.
Co-starring Sarah Lancashire and Siobhan Finneran, the new series will delve into Sarah’s character Catherine Cawood dealing with a new gangland murder and sparks off a chain of evens that lead her right back to Tommy, played by James.
Now James has teased how the two characters come to blows in explosive scenes on the BBC show.
Speaking to British Period Dramas, James said of the relationship between the two characters: “The relationship between Catherine and Tommy is kind of everything, at least for Tommy. Tommy has Catherine and Ryan, they are the big two poles of his existence. Catherine has her family and does not want to think about Tommy.”
He added: “They are obsessed with each other, there’s a kind of deep, deep hatred in the way that when you think about someone that you hate they inhabit part of your consciousness. There’s a sort of, not love at all but, there is a kind of connection and affinity.
“There’s a certain kind of shared experience they have in that they both obsess about each other. In that way they are inextricably linked and will always be in some way married together.”
The third series will pick up with Tommy still behind bars for his multitude of crimes but James revealed he had seen a shift in his character in the seven years he has been off-screen.
He said: “Unlike the Tommy we have seen of the first and second series he feels quite affable and in control, I think that’s probably because we arrive in the third series and Tommy has information about something we don’t know about yet. That information, that situation is giving him a sense of contentment.”
With it being the final series, James hopes the audience will take to it as much as the previous two, especially as a result of the long wait.
Revealing his hopes for the final outing, the accomplished actor said: “I think the reason this series is particularly exciting is because everyone knows it’s the last and so everyone is going to be waiting for something to happen, and everyone is sort of predicting and guessing how Sally wants to end it.
“I have been predicting for the last seven years how she is going to end it so it was really wonderful to read the script and hear her ideas – and they don’t disappoint.”
Sarah is back with the show as Catherine
Happy Valley Season 3 launches on 1st January 2023 on BBC One with all episodes streaming on BBC iPlayer.
