Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright has credited star Sarah Lancashire for the hit drama's ending. The final episode, aired on Sunday, drew a record 7.5 million viewers, becoming the BBC's most-watched show of 2023.
In the climax, Catherine Cawood (Lancashire) faced off against Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton), who set himself alight rather than kill her. Wainwright revealed on Newsnight that Lancashire had pushed for changes to the original script.
'Sarah is to thank for that ending,' Wainwright said. 'I wrote the first draft, and everybody seemed quite happy with it – then she made it clear that she wasn’t happy with it.' Lancashire visited Wainwright's home to discuss the script, leading to revisions.
Wainwright praised the actress's input: 'Nobody knows scripts better than the actors. Her performance is just off the scales.' Norton also endorsed the finale, calling it his 'perfect ending' in a GQ interview, noting its 'gentle, domestic, human' qualities.
