Happy Valley Sarah Lancashire

I agree with others, it's been a brilliant series with excellent acting from everyone. As Ana says though, the little boy [Ryan] does have a Liverpool accent, but only people in the North would notice that I think.Sarah Lancashire's 'sister' also has a Lancashire accent and not a Yorkshire one.All the accents are a bit on the iffy side actually, but I don't think it matters too much.I agree with J52 Joe Armstrong looks exactly like a young version of his father.The characters are all very well rounded.
Not a good advert for Halifax is it?! Although I did enjoy 'Last Tango' I thought the writing for Happy Valley was much more realistic, Last Tango seemed to get a bit whimsical at times [actually, a lot.]Yes, Sarah Lancashire does cry very well [amazingly well.]

I don't often find anything on tv that makes me look forward to the next episode but ths was exceptional. Sorry it's over now.

Just caught up with the last episode....a great drama and just long enough to keep you interested,brill actors,I actually looked forward watching something on the tv!!

Not to me he wasn't - not with that accent! But that's obviously just me -the other cast members were brilliant.

The whole cast was brilliant. The young boy who played Ryan was exceptionally good and completely convincing.

I'd definitely vote for Sarah as best female in a drama.

So sorry to see the end of this, really do hope there will be more. It must surely be in the running for some awards.

violent but amazing! gripping and involving and the characters were not one dimensional as so often in TV dramas. I even felt sorry for Tommy at the end and could almost understand how he ended up being so damaged and violent.
Sarah Lancashire was awesome and couldn't be more different from eg her character in that 'shop' thing she was in on Sunday nights (oh oh memory playing up!)

I was surprised at the conclusion. I didn't expect a (relatively) happy ending.

Watched Newsnight on iplayer. Interesting that it was the man being interviewed that was most concerned about the depiction of violence against women in tv drama and that The Fall was mentioned as the series that started to make people feel awkward about such violence. Also interesting that it seemed more acceptable when the police officer was a woman [a sort of empowerment perhaps?]. I wish there had been more people inteviewed [eg on the Late Night Review on Friday]. At least I'm not alone in my uneasiness [which I'm still confused about as there usually isn't much on tv that bothers me].

Sorry, Tegan, brain gone...

I really like good drama, good acting, a well-thought out, meaty plot and Happy Valley fulfilled all my preferences, although I was shocked at some of the violence and would look away when it got really graphic. I don't think I need to see all the violence, blood and gore for it to be believable.

Newsnight; anno said there was a discussion last night about why it's women that tend to watch programmes about violence to women. I'd mentioned at the start of this thread that I was finding it difficult to watch such programmes [which is why I didn't watch Happy Valley after the first episode]. It's never bothered me watching such programmes before so not sure why I'm feeling this way; the Newsnight discussion might throw some light on my own feelings. I think it was that series last year that started to unnerve me [The Fall].

Great stuff, more please.

Fantastic acting as ever, I even found myself feeling sorry for Tommy Lee again, really awful upbringing and didnt have anything or anyone in the world, and it looks as if all was not as it seems with the dead daughter. I hope that this means a new series, lots of angles, such as the senior police officers and the councillor, and the girl Anne confessing that she felt a disappointment to her parents......lets hope we see more of this.

Newsnight?

Did anyone watch 'Amber' on BBC4 last night. I think I'm going to have to watch the rest of the series. Wish I'd seen Newsnight; I'll see if it's on iplayer.

It was great, wasn't it? Such good acting all round, and what a lovely 'silent' reaction to the claim that it was all her dad's fault that she was kidnapped and raped, he had only to give his accountant a rise, which is what he was going to do anyway! Unbelievably believable! I just wonder if there will be another series, because there was that reference to drug dealing at higher levels wasn't there?

I don't often watch TV series in a few parts but this had me hooked !

Interesting discussion on Newsnight just now about why women constitute the majority of the audience for dramas involving violence against women. One of the contributors was Ann Cleeve, one of my favourite crime writers. They didn't come to any clear conclusion.

Do you think the residents of Hebden Bridge will be happy about the way their town's image has been linked with rampant drug abuse?

Great finale to a wonderful series. The only thing that distracted, for me, was Ryan's scouse accent.

Surely they could have found a Yorkshire lad to play the part, or at least one who could make some attempt to sound as though he'd lived all his life in Hebden Bridge.

Funny, isn't it, I can read quite grim thrillers, but I had to turn off Happy Valley three weeks back.

Fantastic! Such excellent performances from everyone and such a convincing ending. The best drama I've seen all year. And you could hear what they said, it wasn't in the dark and no loud music to drown out the dialogue.

They announced at the end that a DVD is available....for series one!