Valley finale off to a tea
Baddie actor Norton’s verdict on hit Yorkshire crime drama finale
JAMES Norton reckons the incendiary climax of Happy Valley was “sort of perfect”.
His villainous character Tommy Lee Royce set fire to himself as 7.5 million viewers tuned in, the most for a drama since Line of Duty’s series six finale in May 2021.
Writer Sally Wainwright penned a nailbiting final showdown between Royce and Sgt Catherine Cawood, played by Sarah Lancashire.
Norton said the domestic setting for Sunday night’s climax embodied what made the show so great.
He said: “The ending was sort of perfect, in a Sally Wainwright sort of way. It was fireworks but it wasn’t fireworks. It was sitting over a kitchen table and that is where
Happy Valley really thrived. That’s the heart of the whole show – cups of tea over kitchen tables in kitchens in Yorkshire.”
The show was set and filmed in West Yorkshire’s Calder Valley.
Norton revealed the usual kitchen filming location, in a real house, had to be rebuilt in a studio for the finale.
He added of the scene: “Sarah and I had received the scripts earlier, and people who were there in the crew, but it was kept fairly quiet as to who was able to read it.
“You’ve got Sally Wainwright at her absolute best. Sarah Lancashire, opposite me, giving her absolute best. These absolute heroes, these queens of our industry, are the best there are. It was genuinely one of the most special moments of my career.”
She then visited the grave of her daughter Becky, the mother of Royce’s son Ryan after he raped her.
In a tender scene, Sgt Cawood kissed her daughter’s headstone before getting a text confirming Royce had died in hospital.
But while calling Royce’s actions “despicable”, James thought of him not as a psychopath but as someone troubled by a terrible upbringing.
Wanting a family life with son Ryan, played by Rhys Connah, showed Royce had feelings, he said.
Helped by Sgt Cawood’s sister Clare, played by Siobhan Finneran, Ryan had been visiting Royce in jail.
Speaking to GQ, James said of Royce: “My final conclusion on Tommy is that I don’t think he is a psychopath, he’s just incredibly damaged. The fact that he can find this incredible love for Ryan.
“That is what drives him, and all of this plan to get to Marbella. He could have gone on his own.
“The more we went through the series, I felt that I was able to tap into [Royce’s] humanity.”