Happy Valley filmed alternative endings to protect against spoilers

By James Hibbs

Published: Tuesday, 24 January 2023 at 12:00 am

Fans may be frantically trying to guess the ending to Happy Valley right now as we race towards the series finale, but it turns out they’re not the only ones – even the cast don’t know how it all plays out.

That’s because the show filmed alternative versions of the ending, with Faisal star Amit Shah revealing as much when speaking on the most recent episode of the Obsessed with… Happy Valley podcast.

Shah said of his character: “I still don’t know how it all ends up for him because we filmed the final scenes in various different ways. Sally [Wainwright, creator] was actually directing those. So it’s quite open and we did different options, so I’m not entirely sure how he’s gonna end up.”

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Sarah Lancashire as Catherine Cawood in Happy Valley.
BBC/Lookout Point/Matt Squire

This wouldn’t be the first series to film alternative ending scenes, with Game of Thrones being a particularly high profile show to have previously done so, in an effort to avoid spoilers from leaking.

There are just two episodes of Happy Valley still left to air, with Tommy Lee Royce star James Norton previously teasing that the finale will leave fans “reeling”. Whether that means Catherine will meet her end in the episode remains to be seen, although there is a fan theory speculating as much currently doing the rounds.

However, we do know that whatever happens, it will be a definitive ending to the series. Executive producer Will Johnston previously said that the show “definitely isn’t coming back” beyond season 3, explaining it was a decision made by Sally Wainwright and Sarah Lancashire, “who completely and rightly feel that you can have too much of a good thing.”

He continued: “We’re really not doing any more. You’re a few weeks away from the ending but when you get to it, I really hope you’ll feel content that if that’s the last you ever see of the characters of Happy Valley, it was a big way to go out.”