HAPPY VALLEY PRODUCTION.
T he fact that the second episode of Happy Valley ’s third series trounced the artist formerly known as Prince Harry and his wife Meghan’s Harry: The Interview by 5.3 to 4.1 million viewers tells you everything you need to know. This is a hugely beloved series. The finale of the BBC One show attracted 7.5 million. Its third and final outing sees Sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) discover the remains of a gangland murder victim in a drained reservoir. This sparks an unfortunate chain of events, leading her back to Tommy (James Norton), the father of her grandson Ryan and her late daughter’s rapist. In the final episode, (spoiler alert!) viewers saw extreme violence – things turned nasty in a car, with Tommy
“Highly polished, glossy, big-budget, expensive-looking shows. Happy Valley plays to our English sense of realism, which I think is subliminally buried in our national cinematic consciousness. It draws from our strong documentary tradition, our kitchen sink dramas. There’s a grittiness and naturalism which is very British. So, people feel very comfortable with looking at something not shouting at itself to be seen. The
making use of a beet knife to fight off a group of thugs. The bloody struggle culminated with Tommy being strangled before grabbing a rock to stave in the last remaining mobster. Johann Perry, cinematographer on the series, claims – storyline and acting aside – much of the success of the series is down to its adherence to a visual naturalism. “We’re used to watching a lot of very flashy shows on Netflix,” he begins.
“ Happy Valley plays to our English sense of realism, which I think is subliminally buried in our national cinematic consciousness”
75. APRIL 2023
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