Happy Valley ending “slaps you in the face”, says director

The final chapter in the hugely popular BBC drama arrives this weekend.

By David Craig

Published: Thursday, 02 February 2023 at 12:00 am

Happy Valley fans are counting the minutes until Sunday night, when the fate of Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) will be revealed in the last ever episode – and according to the director, it will be well worth the wait.

The acclaimed drama, written by Sally Wainwright, returned from a seven-year absence at the start of the year, revisiting Catherine close to retirement age as she investigates a case with links to Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton).

This weekend, the sixth and final episode of Happy Valley season 3 will see Catherine work her final shift, with the official synopsis ominously promising that “scores are settled for good”.

Director Fergus O’Brien, who helmed episodes four through six of season 3, teased more about what the climactic finale has in store (via Shrine Podcasts).

“[It] picks you up, and just flings you around and slaps you against the wall and slaps you in the face and wallops you across the room,” he began. “It really takes you on a ride.

O’Brien continued: “The ending is really satisfying. It’s dramatic, but in a really interesting and clever way. I think people will go away feeling sad that it’s over, but I think they’ll be satisfied.”

On watching an advance cut of the finale, he said: “I remember looking at the time-code. I was 16 minutes in, and I couldn’t believe how much stuff has happened.

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Amt Shah as Faisal Bhatti in Happy Valley.
BBC/Lookout Point

The director, who has also worked on fellow Sally Wainwright drama Gentleman Jack as well as The A Word, went on to say that he felt “such pressure” when he was tasked with putting together the final chapters.

“You’ve such a pain in your gut with anxiety because you know you have to deliver and there are so many people… There is such love for the show. I mean, if we messed it up, could you imagine? We would just be crucified,” O’Brien added.

“It was terrifying but incredibly gratifying at the same time and to work with that calibre of writing and that calibre of acting talent, you can’t mess it up.”