Interview with James Norton

Was it easy to get back into the character?
Yes it was. Sally did such a good job of writing him. What was tricky was making sure we established the fact that he is a changed man with what he has been through, so I was slipping into a different version of Tommy.

Has Tommy changed in this series?
No, he is still a psychopath, he is still Tommy Lee Royce. It’s not like he has reformed but the images you see of him in prison may lead you to believe he has changed.

You have a new look for series two of Happy Valley, how does that feel?
We talked about how we wanted Tommy presented 18 months on from the first series. I think that for someone like Tommy going into prison, he has two choices: either collapse and be destroyed by it all or take control. We decided that it was going to be the latter, so shaving his head and showing that he has got fit is a way of telling the story of how he has taken charge.

Where do we first meet Tommy in series two?
We join Tommy when he is in the middle of a visit from a woman. This woman is someone who has reached out to Tommy and what is beautiful about Sally’s writing is that you’re never quite sure how much of it is purely manipulation and grooming and how much of it isn't.

Do Tommy and Catherine meet in series two?
Obviously being a murderous psychopath means there aren’t many opportunities to get out for a day release trip. However, the one opportunity I do get is for a funeral. I only got to film with Sarah Lancashire who plays Catherine for an hour which was really quite exciting, because both of us spend so much time thinking and talking about each other in the script.