The final episode of BBC crime drama Happy Valley aired on Sunday night. Millions of Britons have been gripped to the third series as the show after a seven-year wait. However, a staggering 83 percent of Express.co.uk readers hope the show will return for a fourth series, a new poll has found.
The popular Yorkshire-based investigative series starred Sarah Lancashire as Sergeant Catherine Cawood. Fans watched her prepare for retirement, solve a gruesome murder and come face-to-face with arch-nemesis Tommy Lee Royce in a gripping finale.
Writer, creator and executive producer Sally Wainwright said the series always going to be a trilogy. She said: “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.”
She also told Radio Times magazine: “Just because it’s been successful, we weren’t going to let it drift on until it became a pale shadow of itself.”
Executive producer Will Johnston explained at a BFI screening for the premiere of the third series last December: “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.”
He continued: “When you get to it [the ending], 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.”
READ MORE: Happy Valley season three finale explained
In a poll that ran from 7pm on Wednesday, February 1, to 1.30pm on Tuesday, February 7, Express.co.uk asked readers: “Should Happy Valley continue for a fourth series?”
Overall, 1,098 readers responded, with the overwhelming majority, 83 percent (910 people) answering “yes” in support of Happy Valley returning for another series.
However, 16 percent (175 people) said “no” it should not continue, and a further one percent (13 people) said they did not know.
In the comments below the accompanying article readers shared their thoughts on the series and whether it should return.
Some readers praised the drama series in their comments, with username Fairsfare writing: “Gritty, blunt and excellent. Sarah Lancashire deserves a lot of praise for her performance but so do other members of the cast.”
While username sueby1 said: “Excellent writing, I am sure she will produce other crackers!” and went on to list possible storylines that could be explored in a fourth series.
However, other readers were not certain another series was best. Username Jacko060 said: “Things were neatly wrapped up at the end.”
And username womaninterrupted said: “Unlike a lot of people I was disappointed in the finale. Too many loose ends and I don’t know if it could be successfully stretched to a fourth series.”
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The finale of the show has become the most-watched television programme of the year so far, with 7.5 million viewers watching the drama’s conclusion.
The show aired weekly at 9pm on Sunday on BBC One from New Year’s Day, yet almost half the show’s audience is watching on catch-up on BBC iPlayer after it is broadcast.
This means that the total viewing figures are expected to exceed 10 million.
The show’s climax attracted the largest overnight audience of any drama on UK television since the series six finale of Line of Duty in May 2021.