Happy Valley (TV series)
Happy Valley | |
---|---|
Genre | Crime drama |
Created by | Sally Wainwright |
Written by | Sally Wainwright |
Directed by | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
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Starring | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/> |
Opening theme | Trouble Town |
Ending theme | Trouble Town |
Composer(s) | Ben Foster |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of series | 2 |
No. of episodes | 12 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
|
Producer(s) | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
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Production location(s) | The Calder Valley (Hebden Bridge, Sowerby Bridge, Mytholmroyd, Heptonstall, Todmorden) |
Running time | 60 minutes |
Production company(s) | Red Production Company |
Release | |
Original network | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/> |
Picture format | 16:9 1080i |
Original release | 29 April 2014 present |
–
External links | |
Website | |
Production website |
Happy Valley is a British crime drama television series filmed and set in The Calder Valley. The series, starring Sarah Lancashire and Siobhan Finneran, is written and created by Sally Wainwright, and directed by Wainwright, Euros Lyn, and Tim Fywell. The first series debuted on BBC One on 29 April 2014, and the second series debuted on 9 February 2016. Wainwright has said that she would like to write a third series, but is busy with other commitments for the time being.[1]
Contents
Episodes
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Series | Episodes | Originally aired | Ave. UK viewers (in millions)[2] |
||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | ||||
1 | 6 | 29 April 2014 | 3 June 2014 | 8.21 | |
2 | 6 | 9 February 2016 | 15 March 2016 | 9.37 |
Series 1
Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) is a strong-willed police sergeant in West Yorkshire, still coming to terms with the suicide of her daughter, Becky, eight years earlier. Cawood is now divorced from her husband and living with her sister, Clare (Siobhan Finneran), a recovering alcoholic and heroin addict, who is helping her bring up Becky's young son, Ryan (Rhys Connah), the product of rape. Neither Catherine's ex-husband nor their adult son, Daniel, wants anything to do with Ryan. Catherine hears that Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton), the man responsible for the brutal rape that impregnated Becky and drove her to suicide shortly after Ryan was born, is out of prison after serving eight years for drug charges. Catherine soon becomes obsessed with finding Royce, unaware that he is involved in the kidnapping of Ann Gallagher (Charlie Murphy), a plot instigated by Kevin Weatherill (Steve Pemberton) and orchestrated by Ashley Cowgill (Joe Armstrong). Things quickly take a dark turn as the abductors scramble to keep the kidnapping secret, although Catherine is onto them.
Series 2
Eighteen months after the events of the first series, Catherine is back at work and has won the Queen's Police Medal (QPM) for gallantry, for rescuing Ann Gallagher (Charlie Murphy) from Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton), who is serving a life sentence in prison. But when Royce's mother is killed, Catherine finds herself implicated in a string of murders. While trying to prove her innocence, Catherine is tasked with investigating a human trafficking operation linked to the serial killings. Meanwhile, senior HMIT officers Detective Superintendent Andy Shepard (Vincent Franklin) and Detective Inspector Jodie Shackleton (Katherine Kelly) begin to suspect that the supposed fourth victim of the serial killer, Victoria Fleming (Amelia Bullmore), was in fact murdered by someone else. Gradually their investigation starts to lead them towards Victoria's actual killer – a police detective, John Wadsworth (Kevin Doyle), whom Fleming had been blackmailing. Catherine's grandson, Ryan, develops a friendship with a new teaching assistant, Miss Wheland (Shirley Henderson), who is in reality a prison groupie obsessed with Royce. Royce, whom the court has forbidden from having any contact with Ryan, is using Wheland to try to build a relationship with his son and to get revenge on Catherine. Ryan increasingly alarms his family by asking questions about his father and even suggests his father should be forgiven.
Cast
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- Sarah Lancashire as Sgt. Catherine Cawood
- Siobhan Finneran as Clare Cartwright
- Charlie Murphy as Ann Gallagher
- James Norton as Tommy Lee Royce
- George Costigan as Nevison Gallagher
Production
On 22 November 2012, Ben Stephenson announced the commissioning of Happy Valley for BBC One. The programme was written by Sally Wainwright, produced by Karen Lewis, and directed by Euros Lyn, Sally Wainwright, and Tim Fywell.[3][4]
Filming began in the Calder Valley in November 2013.[5][6] Locations in the area included Todmorden, Luddenden, Mytholmroyd, Bradford, Keighley, Sowerby Bridge, Hebden Bridge, and Heptonstall. Huddersfield, Halifax, Bradford, Leeds, and other West Yorkshire cities are mentioned, though not main filming locations. A former West Yorkshire police station was used for some scenes, and additional filming took place at North Light Film Studios at Brookes Mill, Huddersfield.[7]
The name "Happy Valley" is what local police in the Calder Valley call the area because of its drug problem.[8]
In the series one premiere episode, Ryan points out to Catherine, who is visiting her daughter Becky's grave in the next row, that visitors have left pens at Sylvia Plath Hughes' grave.
A second series was commissioned on 18 August 2014. Filming began in August 2015, and the first episode was broadcast on 9 February 2016.[9] The second series was written by Wainwright, produced by Lewis, and directed by Lyn and Wainwright.[10] Catherine's workplace is a former police station in Sowerby Bridge, and her home and local pub (two other main filming locations) are based in Hebden Bridge. The prison scenes were filmed at Oakham Enterprise Park in Rutland, which was Ashwell Prison until its closure.
Reception
The first episode aired on 29 April 2014 at 21:00. It garnered 8.64 million viewers, and it was the second most watched show of the week (commencing 28 April 2014) for BBC One.[11] The BBC reported that the show received an average consolidated audience of 8.21 million viewers, over six episodes, and an additional 8.1 million requests for the show on BBC iPlayer.[12] Radio Times called Happy Valley a "word-of-mouth hit" which "steadily became a success outside the normal audience for the slot and channel."[13]
After "Episode 1" aired, Ofcom received four complaints under the category "violence and dangerous behaviour", but they did not pursue the matter.[14]
Reviews from the media have been overwhelmingly positive, and the show has received 100% rating critic review on Rotten Tomatoes.[15] However, some reviewers have criticised the show for its graphic content, especially in "Episode 3" and "Episode 4". The Daily Mail's TV correspondent Alasdair Glennie questioned whether or not the BBC went "too far" in "Episode 4" with the brutal attack on police sergeant Cawood and the murder of one of her officers. The Daily Mail claimed that the BBC had received "15 complaints about ["Episode 4"], which aired between 9pm and 10pm after the watershed, while 45 viewers contacted the [BBC] corporation to say how much they enjoyed the show." Vivienne Pattison, a campaigner for stronger television regulations and a part of Mediawatch-uk, declared that the violence "is part of a worrying trend in TV drama."[16]
In response to the criticism, Happy Valley's creator-writer, Wainwright, defended the show as "a quality, well-written drama" and stated, "Judging by the amount of email, texts, tweets I've had, I don't think anyone is asking me to apologise."[17] In an interview with Radio Times, Wainwright said the level of violence had been carefully considered and it was done responsibly, by showing the psychological and physical damage suffered by Catherine.[18]
Other critics have praised the show. Vicky Frost of The Guardian wrote: "To get hung up on the violence of this BBC1 kidnap drama misses the point. It is beautifully written by Sally Wainwright, draws an astonishing performance from Sarah Lancashire—and between them, they have created something truly unmissable."[19] Another Daily Mail TV correspondent, Christopher Stevens, rated "Episode 4" with 5/5 stars, saying that "every instalment has been unmissable" and "BAFTA bosses might as well get next year's trophy inscribed now" for star Sarah Lancashire.[20] Gerard O'Donovan of The Telegraph called Happy Valley "complex, thrilling and brilliantly written and acted", and "one of the best watches of 2014."[21]
International
Land | Channel |
---|---|
Finland | Yle TV1 |
Sweden | SVT1 |
France | Canal+ |
Poland | Ale Kino+ |
Awards and nominations
Association | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|
BAFTA Television Awards | Best Leading Actress | Sarah Lancashire | Nominated |
Best Supporting Actor | James Norton | Nominated | |
Best Drama Series | Happy Valley | Won | |
BAFTA Television Craft Awards | Best Director: Fiction | Euros Lyn | Nominated |
Best Writer: Drama | Sally Wainwright | Won | |
Banff Rockie Awards | Best Procedural Drama | Happy Valley | Pending |
Broadcast Awards | Best Drama Series or Serial | Happy Valley | Won |
Broadcasting Press Guild Awards | Best Actress | Sarah Lancashire | Nominated |
Best Drama Series | Happy Valley | Nominated | |
Breakthrough Award | James Norton | Nominated | |
Writer's Award | Sally Wainwright | Won | |
Crime Thriller Awards | Best TV Drama | Happy Valley | Won |
Best Leading Actor | Steve Pemberton | Nominated | |
Best Leading Actress | Sarah Lancashire | Nominated | |
Best Supporting Actor | James Norton | Won | |
Edgar Awards | Best Television Episode Teleplay | Sally Wainwright ("Episode 1") | Won |
Monte-Carlo Television Festival | Outstanding Drama Series | Happy Valley | Pending[23] |
Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | Sarah Lancashire | Pending[23] | |
National Television Awards | Best Drama Performance | Sarah Lancashire | Nominated[24] |
RTS Programme Awards | Best Actor (Female) | Sarah Lancashire | Won[25] |
Best Drama Series | Happy Valley | Nominated[26] | |
Best Writer: Drama | Sally Wainwright | Nominated[26] | |
Best Editing: Drama | Jamie Pearson | Nominated[26] | |
RTS North-West Awards | Best Single Drama or Drama Series | Happy Valley | Nominated |
Best Performance in a Single Drama or Drama Series (Male) | Steve Pemberton | Nominated | |
Best Performance in a Single Drama or Drama Series (Female) | Sarah Lancashire | Won | |
Best Script Writer | Sally Wainwright | Nominated | |
Best Production (Craft) | Red Production Company | Nominated | |
Best Post-Production (Craft) | 'production team' ("Episode 4") | Nominated | |
Satellite Awards | Best Mini-Series Made for Television | Happy Valley | Nominated[27] |
Best Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television | Sarah Lancashire | Nominated[27] | |
South Bank Sky Arts Awards | Best TV Drama | Happy Valley | Pending |
TV Choice Awards | Best New Drama | Happy Valley | Won[28] |
Best Actress | Sarah Lancashire | Won[28] | |
Writer's Guild of Great Britain Awards | Best TV Drama - Long Form | Sally Wainwright | Won |
Home media
BBC Shop released Happy Valley series one on DVD, in regions two and four, on 16 June 2014. The DVD includes two discs, featuring 351 minutes worth of footage, and has an age certificate of 15.[29] All six episodes of the series were released on iTunes, both in standard and high definition.[30]
On 20 August 2014, the series was further released on Netflix in Canada and the USA, marketed as a "Netflix Original".[31]
References
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External links
- Use dmy dates from October 2015
- Use British English from October 2015
- 2014 British television programme debuts
- 2010s British television series
- BAFTA winners (television series)
- BBC television dramas
- British crime drama television series
- Edgar Award-winning works
- English-language television programming
- Television shows set in West Yorkshire