Must Watch reviews Happy Valley

Tuesday 10 January 2023, 11:27

Every week, the Must Watch podcasters review the biggest TV and streaming shows.

This week, Hayley Campbell and Scott Bryan review Happy Valley.

BBC's returns with it's latest series of Yorkshire's favourite crime drama featuring the professional and personal life of of Police Sergeant Catherine.

Hayley says, "There’s an authenticity to it there that is rare.”

“The first series came out in 2014 and the second one was 2016 so it's been ages since we’ve seen Happy Valley. In this season Catherine Cawood discovers the remains of a gangland murder victim in a drained reservoir and this sparks a series of events that lead her to Tommy, the father of her grandson, Ryan, and also her late daughter's rapist.”

“I love that Sally Wainwright, the writer and creator of the show, who also co-directed the first three episodes of this season, has said that she didn’t want to do another series until she had the time to do it properly. A long wait for that reason is fine by me. But also, by waiting, the grandson Ryan – who is played by the same actor who was in the earlier seasons – is now 16. So he’s old enough to make his own decisions about how he interacts with his father which adds a whole new dimension to the show that wouldn’t have been there if he was still a child.”

“This show will always be lumped in with “crime dramas” because it’s got police in it, but I think this stands on its own. Wainwright does a lot of research talking to retired female police officers, so there’s an authenticity to it that is rare, but mostly I love it as a character study. Sarah Lancashire’s Catherine Cawood is one of those characters I think about often – this absolutely knackered, fed up policewoman who is fundamentally warm-hearted but will bluntly tell you to get a grip when you need it.

Sally Wainwright has said that “Men can police just by being big and muscular and tough. Women have to police by personality.” And that’s exactly what Cawood does. I’m so, so happy to have her back.”

Scott says, “There's sublime acting here, with a real sense of plot unpredictability.”

“It looks at front-line work and the psychological trauma that can come from it, and the really grim things that a police officer might be subjected to."

"But it is not just that. It is not just a crime drama, it also looks at a woman who is in pain because she lost her daughter at the age of 18, so is left raising her own grandson. And her grandson's father happens to be one of the worst people imaginable. It looks at whether you can ensure that you can raise someone who can then make the right decisions for themselves. The handling of this subject is magnificent.

“I think Sally Wainwright is an incredible writer and the dialogue feels utterly authentic. There's great wordplay and great dark humour. There's also not a wasted character. There's sublime acting here, with a real sense of plot unpredictability.

“The entire cast came along to be involved in the current series again. That is unheard of in television, because actors usually become involved in other projects and become unavailable.

"Happy Valley is special to the people who are in it and it is equally special to viewers as well.

Scott says, “I have a list on my phone of the best TV shows of 2023, it will be an ongoing list and number one is Happy Valley.”