James Norton is sitting with a coffee in Soho, Central London, pondering the end of Happy Valley. Sally Wainwright’s masterpiece changed his life, changed the face of British TV drama and has had a lasting impact on the region in which it is filmed. But after three perfect series – in 2014, 2016 and now 2023 – it will finish, forever, this week.
“It’s really wonderful to be in something that, in the moment, causes a real sensation,” says Norton. “This show really captures the collective imagination. By definition, it’s already in that category of ‘event television’. But I think Happy Valley is much bigger and more timeless than that.”
Norton is right. Happy Valley is a genuine modern classic. A strong argument can be made for it being the greatest British television drama of this century.
“It has done important things for the way women are portrayed, how violence is portrayed, but also on the state of the nation,” says Norton.
“The way Sally deals with the poverty and drug abuse and crime in that area. It is a perfect example of a community that was thriving in the industrial glory years of textile and coal, but when all that industry closed, were just forgotten. But Sally writes it as a community full of warmth and humour and this dry northern soul.
“There’s so much that contributes towards this being a special piece of entertainment. So it is elevated beyond just this moment when it’s airing.”
The intimate moments – Catherine and Clare drinking wine and discussing the future at
