The creator of Happy Valley has revealed the reason why the smash-hit BBC drama has that title, and she’s admitted it’s pretty “dark”.
In case you’re not currently up to speed, the third series of one of the BBC’s most-popular dramas is currently airing on our screens, with new episodes gripping millions of viewers with tension every Sunday night, and the show’s esteemed cast – led by Oldham-born actress, Sarah Lancashire – raking in all the praise from critics and fans each week.
First hitting our screens back in April 2015, and going on to win the BAFTA for Best Drama right off the bat, Happy Valley follows the story of Lancashire’s character, Sergeant Catherine Cawood, who is a strong-willed police Sergeant in West Yorkshire.
The show is set and has been largely filmed in the Calder Valley in West Yorkshire since it first aired, although the recent series has also ventured out across the rest of the North of England for filming.
Local areas regularly name-checked in the show include Todmorden, Mytholmroyd, Bradford, Keighley, Sowerby Bridge, Hedben Bridge, and Heptonstall.
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Huddersfield, Halifax, Bradford, Leeds, and other West Yorkshire cities are also often mentioned, but they have not main filming locations.
At the start of the first series, viewers learn that Catherine is still coming to terms with the suicide of her teenage daughter, Becky, eight years earlier.
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Catherine is now divorced from her husband and living with her sister, Clare – played by Siobhan Finneran – who is a recovering alcoholic and heroin addict, and is helping her bring up Becky’s young son, Ryan, who is the product of rape.
Throughout the three series, the show deals with a wide range of other heavy topics and storylines, including kidnappings, serial killings, human trafficking, and more, but one of the common threads running through many of storylines is the reason for the show’s name – drugs.
It turns out the name Happy Valley has taken some some real-world inspiration.
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The show’s creator, writer and director, Sally Wainwright, has explained in a recent interview that she took inspiration from the crimes really taking place in the Calder Valley to name the award-winning BBC drama.
She explained: “So Happy Valley… I always work closely with police advisors, who are old police officers who have worked in the area, and one of them told me that is what they call the Valley because of issues with drugs, so for me, it reflected the show.
“It’s dark, but it has also got a lot of humour in it. I think less so in season one, more so in season two.
“We want to continue that in season three. It’s still very much about the dark side of life, but it’s also about how within that people always find ways of being funny and warm and human.”
Wainwright has also given her take on why she believes the show has gained so much popularity over the past few years, and why viewers just seem to be so wrapped-up in all the action, explaining: “It does always seem to capture people’s imaginations when you are writing about things that are on the wrong side of the law.
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“It’s about transgressive behaviour and I suppose humans are fascinated by transgressive behaviour.
“I guess that’s why people are so fascinated by crime.
“It’s a kind of vicarious thing, that we don’t indulge in ourselves but like to watch other people doing it, or we like to see them get caught, or we like to follow the people who sort things out.”
Happy Valley is currently airing on Sunday nights at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
Featured Image – BBC
TV & Showbiz
Mancs can apply to be paired up with two potential partners for a ‘unique’ Channel 4 dating show
Emily Sergeant
Those who consider themselves to be pretty unlucky-in-love can now apply to take part in one of the most “unique” dating shows on TV.
Following the undoubted success of the first series – which has been airing on E4 for the past couple of weeks now, before concluding last Thursday (9 May) – Channel 4 has now put out a nationwide casting call for people to take part in the next series of its newest dating game show, Love Triangle.
And the show’s producers are calling on singletons from Greater Manchester to stick an application in.
Unfamiliar with Love Triangle?
Based off the US and Australian programmes of the same name, the UK version is a so-called “supersized” take on the show, and it seeks to “turn everything you know about dating on its head”.
In what is a first of its kind for UK television, the brand-new relationship format asks six courageous singles to reject all the conventions and pitfalls of modern app-based dating in favour of a “radical” new approach.
Channel 4 is currently casting across the UK for the next series of Love Triangle / Credit: Channel 4
The six contestants will first choose a love match from two potential suitors.
One match embodies each single’s usual wants, type, and desires, while the other reflects their deeper and more “fulfilling” romantic needs.
After choosing one of the suitors to date, the other will then make a “shocking surprise return” to form a love triangle, and then, after dating and living with both suitors, each single faces a choice – they must pick one of their matches to “pursue lasting love”.
The casting call for contestants on the Channel 4 website reads: “In this unique relationship series reflecting dating in the real world, unlucky-in-love singles are matched with two potential partners, who each tick different boxes of their wants and needs, in the hopes of finding long-lasting love.”
To apply for the show, you just need to be 18 years of age or older, a resident of the UK, and crucially, single and “looking for love”.
Do you fancy yourself a bit of a brainbox? Reckon you’re ready to put your general knowledge to the test in the hopes of winning some money? And by ‘some money’, we just mean the small matter of £1 million?
If you answered yes to those questions, then you’ll probably keen to know that ITV has put out a casting call for people to take part in the next series of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?.
That’s right… it’s been confirmed that Jeremy Clarkson is back hosting another series of the world-famous reality game show – which was revived to great success by ITV back for the first time back in 2018 – later this year, and that means the show’s producers are, of course, looking for contestants who believe they’ve got what it takes to make it to the million.
Brainy Mancs are wanted by ITV producers for a new series of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? / Credit: ITV
A casting call on the ITV website reads: “If you would like the chance to sit opposite Jeremy in the world-famous hotseat, then apply now, as could be just 15 questions away from becoming a millionaire.”
Applications for the new series of the show are now live and currently being accepted up until the cut-off date of 15 November 2024, but the earlier you apply the better, as the audition and casting process is set to take place between 22 July and 11 October 2024.
To apply, you must be aged 18 or over on the date of submitting the form, and you must be a British citizen or have the right to reside in the UK, as well as ensuring you meet the eligibility requirements listed on the ITV website before you start completing this application form.