Happy Valley to return for third and final series

Sarah Lancashire won the Bafta for best leading actress for series two

Acclaimed hard-hitting police drama Happy Valley is to return for a third and last series.

The award-winning show follows Sarah Lancashire as police officer Catherine Cawood, tackling crime in the Yorkshire borough of Calderdale.

James Norton will return to play the murderer and sex offender Tommy Lee Royce, with Siobhan Finneran reprising her role as Catherine's sister.

The second series ended in 2016 with an average audience of 9.3 million.

Spoiler alert - some minor plot detail on previous series and upcoming episodes below.

On her return to the part of Catherine, Lancashire said: "It's time to let the dog see the rabbit," while Norton described taking "Tommy on one final time" as "a wonderful and daunting privilege".

For the six-part series three, which begins filming in early 2022, Catherine discovers the remains of a gangland murder victim in a drained reservoir. It sparks a chain of events that again unwittingly leads her straight back to Royce.

The first two series created by Sally Wainwright each won Bafta TV awards for best drama series and best writing. Lancashire also won a Bafta for best leading actress for series two.

Her character in both series was seen grappling with intense and brutal storylines that centred around cases of rape, multiple murders, drugs, kidnapping and human trafficking.

James Norton plays Catherine's nemesis Tommy Lee Royce

Norton's character Royce was often implicated in such terrible crimes.

Catherine had to deal with this brutality while trying to navigate a complicated home life, which involved raising her grandson after his mother, who was raped resulting in the pregnancy, took her own life.

While Happy Valley series one and two garnered more than healthy audiences and rave critic reviews, there was disquiet expressed by some over the amount of violence and graphic content, but Wainwright defended such scenes.

Line of Duty rumours

Wainwright, who hinted at the return of the series at the Edinburgh TV Festival earlier this year, said of the announcement: "It's been wonderful to see the lasting impact this series has had on audiences all over the world.

"I'm thrilled that Sarah, James and Siobhan are back on board for what I hope will be the best season yet."

Martin Compston has played Steve Arnott since Line Of Duty began in 2012

Piers Wenger, director of BBC drama, said: "When Happy Valley first launched on the BBC in 2014, it changed the landscape of crime drama completely.

"Sally has crafted a magnificent conclusion that is sure to make this third and final series one of television's most highly anticipated and unmissable moments."

Meanwhile, rumours surrounding a seventh series of another "not-to-be-missed" cop drama, Line of Duty, continue to circulate.

Earlier this month, the series' creator joked about newspaper stories claiming the show was to make a comeback, despite no confirmation from the BBC.

Jed Mercurio tweeted: "Tabloids announce new season of fake #LineofDuty clickbait," claims TV insider."

The speculation over the show has been sparked by its enormous popularity, one which led to May's BBC finale pulling in 15.24 million viewers, which made it the UK's most-watched drama series of the 21st Century.