Fans are heaping praise on Sarah Lancashire after last night’s episode of Happy Valley, and some are even calling her “the best actress in the world”.
The latest episode in the third series of the smash-hit BBC drama Happy Valley hit our screens last night, and once again, Sarah Lancashire has seen thousands of adoring fans taking to social media to shower her with praise and commend her performance as the show’s lead character, Sergeant Catherine Cawood.
The Oldham-born actress has consistently received critical acclaim for her portrayal of the strong-willed police Sergeant in the crime drama – but this latest series of the award-winning show has arguably seen her win over more fans than ever before.
The 58-year-old has impressed throughout her career by starring in long-running Manchester-based soap Coronation Street as Raquel Wolstenhulme, as well as appearing in Where The Heart Is, Clocking Off, Lark Rise to Candleford, and Last Tango in Halifax, and countless theatre productions.
But the Happy Valley role has earned Lancashire a BAFTA, a National Television Award (NTA), and two TV Choice Awards over the years, so you know she must be good in it.
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Fans are calling Sarah Lancashire the ‘best actress in the world’ after last night’s Happy Valley episode / Credit: BBC
In case you aren’t caught up on this series, and missed last night’s episode, (here’s your spoiler alert warning…) Lancashire’s character Catherine confronted her sister Clare – who is played by Siobhan Finneran – for taking her grandson Rhys to visit his evil dad Tommy Lee Royce in prison without her consent.
Fans were gripped with tension and left in utter shock after the episode’s dramatic cliffhanger – in which Catherine saw a vision of her late daughter Becky, before silently sobbing as she left the cafe where she’d had the row with Clare in.
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After the episode was over, both viewers and famous names took to social media in their thousands to praise Lancashire and her co-star Finneran for producing some of “the best TV ever”.
Many are also calling for Lancashire to take home this year’s best actress BAFTA nod.
One fan said: “The cafe scene was as good as seen in any movie. The tension was unbearable.”
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Another fan on Twitter added: Just when you think Sarah Lancashire can’t get any better she goes up another gear. Brilliant performance”, while a third added: “Good God, Sarah Lancashire is absolutely phenomenal in this, it’s like a superpower.”
“Sarah Lancashire is the absolute GOAT,” another fan added on Twitter.
“The magnitude of command and power and emotion that she distills into every moment, whilst maintaining absolute truth and subtly is something to behold.”
Another impressed fan said on Twitter: “I know everyone has been saying it all week but I’ve caught up with Happy Valley and I’m drained.
“Just give Sarah Lancashire the BAFTA now, it’s done.”
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“Sarah Lancashire is the best actress in the world and I’m not being hyperbolic. We need her to have an Olivia Colman Hollywood ascension,” yet another enthusiastic fan claimed.
Elbow get behind campaign to save Jodrell Bank from closure
Danny Jones
Manc band Elbow are among the latest to get behind the campaign to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from closing permanently.
The Greater Manchester natives famously played a sold-out gig at the important scientific and cultural landmark for a very special live album recording well over a decade ago, and know all too well the site’s national and, indeed, global heritage.
Choosing the Observatory and the rare chance to perform a show in the shadow of the world-renowned James Lovell Telescope, it probably remains one of their most significant standalone UK date ever.
With that in mind, the local lads have been left just as worried by the news of its impending closure as everyone else, and have therefore issued a fresh appeal to help keep it open.
Posting a timely statement on social media, the group wrote: “Jodrell Bank has long been close to elbow’s heart. In 2012, the band played beneath the Lovell Telescope for one of the most memorable shows in our history.
“The recent news that funding for the e-MERLIN radio telescope network is set to end in 2028 puts the future of the scientific work at Jodrell Bank under serious threat. It is a remarkable place, with an extraordinary history, and one that continues to play an important role in science, culture and education.”
In addition to reliving clips and images from the historic live set all the years later, they also pointed people towards their ‘elbow – Live at Jodrell Bank‘ album documentary, which has now been made available online for the very first time as part of wider efforts to raise awareness around the cause.
Directing people to key online resources shared by the institution and astrophysics centre itself following their unfortunate update late last month, the push to not only find the funding but sustain support for the facility continues to ramp up throughout the world of science, arts and industry.
For anyone who somehow missed the news – 2028 being the current deadline handed down as per budget cuts across the sector – concerned parties here in the North West and all over the country have since started petitioning to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from shutting down for good.
In addition to being described as a “huge blow” to the field by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), some have even gone so far as to describe the decision as a form of “vandalism” when it comes to research and British culture as a whole.
Having also served as the host venue for the annual bluedot Festival since 2016, the multi-genre science and arts celebration could soon be forced to find a new home.
The battle is far from over yet, and the community has time to rescue Jodrell Bank Observatory from its fate, but it will take lots of money and more notable public figures to make it happen.
Once again, you can do your bit by signing the petition mentioned above right HERE.
Featured Images — Emma Farrer (via Wikimedia Commons)/The Manc Group
TV & Showbiz
New BBC series based on bestselling book to film in Manchester with big-name actors
Emily Sergeant
A new BBC series based on a bestselling book is set to begin filming in Manchester.
The new series, titled You Are Here, is described as being an ‘honest, witty, and tender’ love story based on David Nicholls’ critically acclaimed novel of the same name – with the author having also written the eight-part adaptation set to be directed Lenny Abrahamson, who is best known for BBC‘s cult-classic miniseries Normal People, and the Oscar-nominated Room (2015).
Set along the Coast to Coast walking trail from the Lake District to Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire, You Are Here tells the story of Marnie and Michael.
When a mutual friend throws them together, Marnie and Michael unexpectedly find themselves setting off on an epic walk.
Against the odds, they end up on the brink of a relationship that neither was looking for, but might be exactly what they both need.
Treading the tricky path from loneliness to love, Marnie and Michael go coast-to-coast across the stunning English countryside, navigating an undeniable attraction along the way that is just as exhilarating as it is terrifying.
📚 Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyen lead the cast of You Are Here, adapted from David Nicholls' best-selling novel
Producers say the series is about finding a connection when you least expect it and overcoming the obstacles of midlife.
Set to be filmed across Manchester and the Lake District, it has been announced that respected actors Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyen will take on the lead roles of Marnie and Michael.
“I’m so delighted to be working on You Are Here with Element, the BBC, Starz, and Lenny, whose work I’ve admired for many years,” commented David Nicholls.
“And Matthew and Claire are both just dream casting, wonderful in comedy and drama, so detailed and thoughtful and sympathetic.
“The intention with the novel was to write a close-up study of a relationship, but set against this magnificent landscape, and that’s our ambition here too – to make something both intimate and epic, funny and dramatic, a romantic comedy with real emotion.
“We can’t wait to bring Marnie and Michael’s journey to the screen.”
Featured Image – Juankr and Josh Wool (via BBC Press Office)
Emily Sergeant -
16th January 2023 
