Catherine Cawood (Last Tango in Halifax alumnus Sarah Lancashire) doesn’t have a great life. “I’m Catherine, by the way,” she says breezily, to a man planning to set fire to himself. “I’m 47, I’m divorced, I live with my sister – who’s a recovering heroin addict – I have two grown-up children. One dead and one who doesn’t speak to me. And a grandson!” It’s just a sample of the dry humour that laced the first episode of Happy Valley. From Catherine apathetically purchasing a pair of sunglasses to avoid scorching her eyebrows (“Yes, thank you, we’re on top of it”) when a man is threatening to kill himself in a local kids’ park to her Laodicean attempt to turn down a dinner-date offer with her ex-husband to “I’m too old to be shagging in cars.” Initially Catherine seems hard as nails, a difficult heroine to like but as her back-story unraveled I grew to love Lancashire’s brittle sergeant. Her breakdown in front of her grandson’s headmistress was grim to watch so there’s a lot of credit to be laid at her doorstep; Lancashire is the perfect actress to front Happy Valley. Her vendetta against Lee Royce is the warp and woof of the series and something that I hope will reach a satisfying culmination. The hilly West Yorkshire setting is utilized well by director Euros Lyn – another previous collaborator with Wainwright – and the camera appears to adore shots set at sundown. Happy Valley could have easily been set in a nonspecific metropolis but Wainwright’s penchant for her native county means the show is aesthetically pleasing as well as beautifully acted. Happy Valley is a delicious concoction; it balances its dry humour with some heartfelt moments and there’s a strong lead in flinty Catherine. Pemberton and Lancashire chip in compelling performances and the pretty backdrop employed so well makes it a visual pleasure as well as superbly-crafted drama. Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
