Happy Valley fans thrilled as BBC confirms date for…

Happy Valley fans thrilled as BBC confirms date for new series after seven-year wait

Happy Valley fans, the wait is over - the epic BBC drama is set to return in less than a month.

The BBC confirmed that the multi award-winning series from Sally Wainwright will return on New Year's Day at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. It has been a long wait for viewers - the last episode of the previous series aired almost seven years ago on 15 March 2016, quickly going down in TV history as one of the most iconic shows with unbearably tense scenes that left millions on the edge of their sofas.

Starring Sarah Lancashire as Sergeant Catherine Cawood and James Norton as killer Tommy Lee Royce, this latest series will feature a time jump with Catherine's grandson Ryan, still played by Rhys Connah, now a young adult. And the chilling synopsis for the events set to unfold in the new year is sure to leave viewers enthralled all over again.

A teaser from the BBC reads: "When Catherine discovers the remains of a gangland murder victim in a drained reservoir, it sparks a chain of events that leads her straight back to Tommy Lee Royce [James Norton]. Her grandson, Ryan [Rhys Connah], is now sixteen and has ideas of his own about the kind of relationship he wants to have with the man Catherine refuses to acknowledge as his father, leaving Catherine’s sister Clare [Siobhan Finneran] caught in the middle. In another part of the valley, a local pharmacist gets in over his head when a neighbour is arrested."

But news of Happy Valley's imminent return is bittersweet - the upcoming third series will also be its last. Nevertheless, patient fans couldn't contain their excitement at the news that it will be back on their screens in a matter of weeks.

Sarah Lancashire, James Norton and Rhys Connah are back in the New Year (BBC)

"Only been waiting nearly seven years, cannot wait for this level of excellence to be back on the screen," one person wrote on Twitter.

Another added: "2023 getting off to the best start possible."

A third fan claimed that they had "Never been this excited", while someone else said: "Can not wait to see how the story ends."

Although several fans echoed the sentiment that they will have to steel themselves to see the nail-biting twists and turns that the latest series has in store. "I'm so excited about this, although not sure my nerves will be able to stand it!" one fan said.

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