James Norton says Happy Valley season 3 ending 'won't disappoint'

James Norton says Happy Valley season 3 ending 'won't disappoint'

The actor returns to the third season after a seven-year gap.

James Norton in Happy Valley series 3
BBC/Lookout Point/AMC/Alex Telfer
 

By Morgan Cormack
Published: Tuesday, 13th December 2022
When it comes to upcoming BBC dramas, 

Happy Valley is at the top of many people's lists for most-anticipated returns.

With the release date for the third and final season quickly approaching, excitement is building to see just how things between beloved Sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) and Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) will develop.

While exact plot details for the Sally Wainwright-created series are being kept firmly under wraps, we can only wonder what will unfold in season 3.

Speaking about the long-running animosity between the two lead characters, Norton has described how the air of mystery surrounding the series' ending is one that will keep viewers engrossed.

"I think the reason this series is particularly exciting is because everyone knows it’s the last and so everyone is going to be waiting for something to happen, and everyone is sort of predicting and guessing how Sally wants to end it," he explained.

"I have been predicting for the last seven years how she is going to end it so it was really wonderful to read the script and hear her ideas – and they don’t disappoint."

He added that the new season is "as big and bold as ever" and is a project he is "immensely proud" of.

Throughout the previous two seasons, Royce has been the archetypal series villain, and talking about embodying that role once again, Norton admitted that his character is "an enigma and a puzzle and a kind of terrifying mess".

"Genuinely, I am still kind of working him out," he added.

"I did a lot of work into psychopathy and was introduced to some behavioural psychologists and criminal psychologists who were really wonderfully helpful in excavating Tommy and the mindset that he has... It’s quite a sad, lonely space that Tommy lives in."

Season 3 will make way for a different version of Tommy too, with Norton revealing he is "quite affable and in control" – but that's because of something more sinister.

"Tommy has information about something we don’t know about yet. That information, that situation, is giving him a sense of contentment," Norton said.

The tension between Royce and Cawood has also contributed to Happy Valley building up a loyal legion of viewers. Speaking about the relationship, Norton revealed why he thinks the pair form such an endearing on-screen dynamic.

"Tommy constantly forces his way into her life and her consciousness. They are in the best way, in that sort of old-fashioned, epic adversaries pitched against each other.

"They are obsessed with each other, there’s a kind of deep, deep hatred in the way that when you think about someone that you hate, they inhabit part of your consciousness."

Happy Valley season 3 will premiere on New Year's Day at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The first two series are available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.

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