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.
ADVERTISEMENT
Huddersfield, Halifax, Bradford, Leeds, and other West Yorkshire cities are also often mentioned, but they have not main filming locations.
Happy Valley creator reveals the ‘dark’ reason behind the show’s name / Credit: BBC
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
The name Happy Valley has taken some some real-world inspiration / Credit: BBC
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
“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
Castlefield is being transformed into Gotham amidst more Hollywood filming in Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
Castlefield, with its iconic viaduct and cobbled streets, is once again being used for big-budget filming as the latest Batman/DC Universe title, Clayface, looks to be setting up in the eye-catching Manc corner.
Whether it’s football kit reveals and brand shoots, BBC dramas or the next upcoming Netflix series, production crews can’t get enough of Castlefield, it would seem.
For those who hadn’t heard, work on the new Clayface movie revolving around the cult favourite Batman villain is well underway, and the North West has been used as the backdrop on multiple ocassions this month already.
You can see early glimpses of the set being put together down below.
Come on, how cool is it that we get to stumble on stuff like this right on our doorstep so often?
Speaking to The Manc, a source detailed that the set is being assembled today (Tuesday, 16 September) ahead of a single day of principal photography on what we can only assume is more Clayface filming sometime tomorrow.
While she could not confirm with us directly, she said, “If you’re a comic book nerd and look at the posters, you’ll be able to figure it out.” We’ve certainly been studying all the easter eggs already.
It might not quite be as dark and gritty as Gotham City, but this particular part of Manchester has been used in TV and film – especially period dramas – many times for good reason.
The Victorian-era steel structure, dark red brick and overall industrial aesthetic work so well when it comes to creating a believable and cinematic world.
Besides perhaps the most famous instance of Peaky Blinders shooting in these parts, you can add multiple music videos, several Manchester United and Man City shirt launches, and so many more that we’re starting to lose track.
As for Clayface, this isn’t even the first time the upcoming DC ‘body-horror’ flick has popped up in Greater Manchester.
Last week saw the equally striking Art Deco facade of the old The Plaza Super Cinema in Stockport turned into a fictional movie premiere to stunning effect:
Speaking of, another childhood favourite is filming here in Manchester right now, too.
Besides perhaps the most famous instance of Peaky Blinders shooting in these parts, the new Narnia adaptation by Greta Gerwig may just be one of the biggest projects that has ever landed underneath the familiar ‘birdcage’.
ln fact, it just so happens that there are actually multiple noteworthy small and silver screen works fighting over the Castlefield shooting schedule at the moment…
Warrington-born Adolescence star Owen Cooper becomes youngest ever male Emmy winner
Emily Sergeant
Owen Cooper has made history.
The Warrington-born actor who burst onto the scene as a newcomer in the Netflix smash-hit drama series Adolescence, starring alongside other big names like Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty, and Ashley Walters, has become the youngest winner ever in any male acting category at last nights Emmy Awards 2025.
He took home the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series.
Youngest Emmy winner ever in any male acting category.
At just 15 years old, Cooper beat out his fellow co-star Ashley Walters for the award, as well as other renowned actors like Javier Bardem, Peter Sarsgaard, and Rob Delaney.
Adolescence, if you haven’t had a chance to watch it yet, is a four-part limited series about a 13-year-old boy who is accused of murdering one of his classmates – with each episode remarkably being filmed in one unflinching and continuous shot.
The truly gripping story unfolds in real time as the main characters search for answers in the wake of a shocking tragedy.
Who is actually responsible? Why did it happen? And could it have been prevented?
Adolescence gained universal critical acclaim when it debuted on Netflix earlier this year / Credit: Netflix
Cooper was a complete screen newcomer starring as the young boy Eddie Miller, accused of murder, and the show tells the story of how a family’s world is turned upside because of it.
Taking to the stage to accept his award last night, Cooper – who began taking weekly acting lessons with The Drama Mob here in Manchester – said: “[The win] is just so surreal. Honestly, when I started these drama classes a couple years back, I didn’t expect to be even in the United States, never mind [at The Emmys].
“So I think tonight proves that if you listen and you focus and you step out your comfort zone, you can achieve anything in life.”
Elsewhere on the night, Adolescence cleaned up as a whole.
Co-creator and star of the show, Stephen Graham, took home the Best Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series award, as well as a Writing award alongside co-writer Jack Thorne, while Erin Doherty claimed the Best Supporting Actress accolade in the same category, and director Philip Barantini won the Best Director award.
Emily Sergeant -
20th January 2023 
