HAPPY VALLEY: FURTHER CASTING AND FIRST LOOK IMAGES FROM THIRD AND FINAL SERIES

New pictures from the third series of Sally Wainwright’s multi-BAFTA award winning hit Happy Valley have revealed more about the much-anticipated final instalment.

The six-part series, featuring Sarah Lancashire in her iconic role of Sergeant Catherine Cawood for the last time, is made by Lookout Point for BBC One and BBC iPlayer, in co-production with AMC Networks.

Catherine is pictured with a bloodied nose in the aftermath of a police raid, while Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) – with a radically different look – is seen in his prison cell, alongside first-look glimpses of Catherine’s sister Clare (Siobhan Finneran) and teenage grandson Ryan (Rhys Connah).

Announced today, the final series will also see the return of Happy Valley favourites Ishia Bennison as Joyce, Shane Zaza as Shaf, Chord Melodic as Sledge, and Mete Dursun as Gorkem.

They join the previously announced new and returning cast members: Con O’Neill, George Costigan, Charlie Murphy, Derek Riddell, Karl Davies, Susan Lynch, Rick Warden, Vincent Franklin, Amit Shah, Mark Stanley, and Mollie Winnard.

Happy Valley newcomers Oliver Huntingdon (The Rising), Jack Bandeira (Sex Education), Alec Secareanu (God’s Own Country), and Anthony Flanagan (Gentleman Jack) will also appear in series three.

When Catherine discovers the remains of a gangland murder victim in a drained reservoir, it sparks a chain of events that unwittingly leads her straight back to Tommy Lee Royce.

Her grandson Ryan is now 16 and still living with Catherine, but he has ideas of his own about what kind of relationship he wants to have with the man Catherine refuses to acknowledge as his father. Still battling the seemingly never-ending problem of drugs in the valley and those who supply them, Catherine is on the cusp of retirement.

Most recently airing on BBC One in 2016, Happy Valley is adored by viewers and critics alike, with series two attracting an average audience of 9.3 million. The first two series each won the BAFTA Television awards for both Drama Series and Writing: Drama for Sally Wainwright, with Sarah Lancashire winning the BAFTA Television award for Leading Actress for series two.

Happy Valley series three will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, and the first two series are available to watch in full on BBC iPlayer now. Further information about Happy Valley series three will be announced in due course.