THE BEST TV DRAMA EVER?
Why Sally Wainwright’s masterpiece is so damn good
There are still some people out there who have never watched Happy Valley because they saw the title and assumed it would be a light-hearted look at a plucky village policewoman’s escapades.
Of course, the name is ironic, and the series is in fact the most heavyweight of dramas, touching on some of the darkest subject matter imaginable, yet it’s also often very funny, as well. And, as the third and final series approaches its big finale, it’s reached new heights of popular and critical acclaim, and is now arguably one of the greatest series ever made…
NOT A COP SHOW
Referring to the title, the show’s creator, executive producer, and sometime director Sally Wainwright says, “For me, it reflected the show. It’s dark, but it has also got a lot of humour.” Indeed, one of the main inspirations for Happy Valley was a 2009 documentary called Shed Your Tears And Walk
Away, focusing on drug and alcohol problems in Hebden Bridge, where Happy Valley is set, but Wainwright also wanted to create a show with a complex, formidable, relatable woman at its core. She took inspiration from classic 1970s police series Juliet Bravo and the more recent US drama Nurse Jackie, and Wainwright is adamant Happy Valley isn’t a crime drama as such, but more of a character study. “It is not a police show. It’s a show about Catherine, who happens to be a police officer,” explains Wainwright. “It’s not a crime show. It’s really about Catherine and about what happened to her in the past and this weird crooked relationship she has with this man who affected her life so badly”.
PERFECT ROLES
What happened in Catherine Cawood’s past is that her daughter was raped by psychotic local criminal Tommy Lee Royce, and subsequently took her own life. This gut-wrenching trauma underpins everything that Catherine does, but as Wainwright puts it, “She has got this streak of tragedy that strikes through her, but she is somebody who, prior to that, was very amusing and entertaining and good fun”. Wainwright wrote the character of Catherine for Sarah Lancashire, who is just perfect, bringing a profound humanity to the role, even when she’s being really harsh to her poor sister Clare (Siobhan Finneran, also superb). Along with the role of a lifetime for Lancashire, her nemesis Tommy – handsome, charismatic but sickeningly
nasty – is brilliantly brought to life by James Norton.
SUPERB SUBPLOT
Wainwright famously waited seven years to make this final series, and that’s because she wanted to make Tommy’s son (and Catherine’s grandson) Ryan a key player in the final chapter of the story. Now the character (and Rhys Connah, the actor playing him) is 16 years old, he can decide for himself how close he wants to get to his father, and this tortured Catherine/tommy/ryan triangle is proving to be utterly enthralling. As if that main storyline isn’t gripping enough, Wainwright has also written a deeply involving subplot featuring a triangle of new characters – chemist Faisal (Amit Shah), abusive teacher Rob (Mark Stanley), and his prescription drug-addicted wife Joanna (Molly Winnard). Touching on issues of coercion, grooming and abuse, this storyline is almost unbearably intense, but as brilliantly written and performed as the rest of the series.
STICK THE LANDING
So what, then, makes Happy Valley so special? And just how good is it? There are plenty of very well-written, well-acted and thoroughly compelling dramas out there with similar characters, stories and themes. But somehow Wainwright has created a cop more real, more human, and funnier than all those others, and a crime-driven storyline more engrossing, more convincing and more entertaining than any crime drama. The only question now is how the series ends and whether Wainwright will stick the landing. But surely it’s odds on that the final confrontation between Catherine and Tommy will make for as powerful a drama as anything we’ve ever seen. ■
Happy Valley continues on BBC1, Sunday, 9pm
‘It’s dark, but it’s also got a lot of humour’
You’ve likely come across Rosie Jones during her guest appearances on numerous British comedy shows, including The Last Leg and QI, or maybe you were lucky enough to catch her when she was just starting out at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017. If you haven’t, it’s safe to say that you’ll be seeing her very soon. Starting the year by writing her third children’s book, Rosie, 32 – who has ataxic cerebral palsy – is also heading off on her first stand-up tour, as well as being a patron for the UK Kids Comedy Festival and being “in talks” (her words) about a third series of her show Trip Hazard…
Welcome to 2023! How was your festive season?
I’m one of those people who actually wants to spend time with their parents, so I went and stayed with them in York for ten days, which was lovely. I was planning on doing nothing, but I ended up writing my third children’s book. Every
‘Women are funnier than men’
email notification I get now, I worry it’s my editor telling me she hates it!
What made you want to write children’s books in the first place?
Long before I wanted to be a comedian, I wanted to be a children’s author. It’s important for kids to have role models from all different backgrounds, so that’s why I created Edie Eckhart. I never had someone like her when I was growing up and I wish I had.
Is that also why you wanted to be patron for the UK Kids Comedy Festival?
Absolutely. I enjoy performing to adults, but you can really make a difference with children. Seeing me – a disabled lesbian – up on stage can help open their minds and create a more understanding generation.
Speaking of performing, you’re heading on your first stand-up tour this year. Are you nervous?
I don’t want to sound completely arrogant, but no! I’m just excited. I’ve been doing comedy for six years, and I never get over the wonderful feeling that comes when you make people laugh. That doesn’t mean I haven’t had some absolute stinkers of gigs, though. Once I performed to a couple and their blind dog who started howling every time someone laughed. If you can get through an hour of that, you can get through anything.
Who are the comedians that you love to see perform?
Growing up, Billy Connolly and Victoria Wood were my idols. Now, I love people like Kerry Godliman and Flo & Joan. All my favourite comedians are women, because women are funnier than men!
Do you think that there’s enough diversity in comedy?
I’m very lucky that I started out when there was a real push to make sure it wasn’t just straight, white men doing stand-up. While I think I originally started being hired to tick boxes, once I had my foot in the door, I made sure they couldn’t kick me out.
And now you’re basically the face of Channel 4…
People will have seen a lot of my face over these past few years with Trip Hazard and Dine Hard. And long may it continue!
Who would be your dream guest to appear on Trip Hazard?
Joanna Lumley narrated the second series and when I met her, we got on like an absolute house on fire, so definitely her. Olivia Colman did the voiceover for the first series, so maybe the three of us could go on a trip around the world. Joanna already has her travelling shows, so it seems like a natural fit.
Is it true you also worked on Netflix’s Sex Education?
Yes. I was in the writer’s room for series two. That show is incredible, and I wanted to diversify it even more by introducing a disabled character. With Isaac, I could show that disabled people can be arseholes, too! ■
Rosie Jones is the patron of the UK Kids Comedy Festival. You can see her on tour from 26 January. For tickets and information, visit Rosiejonescomedy. com/live/ and Ukkidscomedy festival.co.uk/