Happy Valley season 4: will BBC crime drama continue, when is season 3 finale, what has Sally Wainwright said?

Fans of the BBC crime drama Happy Valley are preparing for its dramatic conclusion tonight (5 February) with the season 3 finale.

The latest edition of the series landed on New Year’s Day and has proved very popular among fans, with more than 5 million viewers tuning in. The Yorkshire-set series sees police sergeant Catherine Cawood, now on the brink of retirement when she is once again thrown back into the path of Tommy, her daughter’s rapist and the man she blames for her suicide.

Season three begins with the discovery of human remains which police believe to belong to a gangland murder victim. Cawood must lead the investigation into the killing whilst also dealing with her nemesis Tommy, and his child, her grandson, who is uncertain about the relationship that he wants to have with his father.

Whilst fans prepare to say goodbye to the series once again, many are asking if it will be renewed for a fourth season. So, what does the future of Happy Valley hold? Here’s everything we know far.

When does Happy Valley season 3 end?

Season three of Happy Valley began airing on BBC One on 1 January, almost seven years after season two premiered - all episodes of season three have aired weekly. The season finale will take place tonight at 9pm and will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer shortly after it is broadcast.

Will there be a season 4 of Happy Valley?

Sadly for Happy Valley fans there will not be a fourth season of the show. The series will come to a close with the season three finale in February. Writer, creator and executive producer on the series, Sally Wainwright, said: “I waited six years because I wanted to get to a point where Ryan would be old enough to start making choices about whether he wanted to have a relationship with his dad or not.

"And could he have a relationship with his dad, and how would Catherine feel about that? I really wanted to be able to explore that. It’s been great that we got Rhys back to play Ryan which has been fantastic, and he has done a really lovely job in that.

"That was always the intention, to have a gap and it has worked out just about right. Just the right period of time because he is now 16, so he can travel places by himself, he can make choices. He can do things behind Catherine’s back. The intention developed through conversations I had with Sarah to make it a three-parter, to make a trilogy. We always said this would be the final season and it is very definitely is the final season."

Executive producer Will Johnston also spoke about why the drama will end with season three. Speaking at a BFI screening, he said: "It definitely isn’t coming back – and again this is [from] Sally and Sarah who completely and rightly feel that you can have too much of a good thing."

"We’re really not doing any more. You’re a few weeks away from the ending but when you get to it, I really hope you’ll feel content that if that’s the last you ever see of the characters of Happy Valley, it was a big way to go out."

Where can you watch Happy Valley season 1 and 2?

All of Happy Valley season one and two, which have six episodes each, and the first five episodes of season three, are available to watch on BBC iPlayer now. Episodes are one hour long. The final episode from season three will be available on iPlayer after it has aired on BBC One.