Happy Valley confirms when the third and final will hit our screens - BBC releases first teaser

The air date for the third and final series of the hit BBC drama has been revealed.

The show, written by Sally Wainwright, will air its first episode on New Year’s Day, at 9pm on BBC One.

The news also came with a short teaser which sees Sarah Lancashire as Sergeant Catherine Cawood and James Norton as her nemesis Tommy Lee Royce.

Filming for the series took place in and around Halifax earlier this year with cameras spotted at Boothtown as well as other Calderdale locations.

The second series ended in 2016 with an average audience of 9.3 million.

The last we saw of Catherine Cawood she was walking through fields high above the Calder Valley after solving the serial killings as well as who was responsible for the murder of Vicky Fleming.

The episode ended with Catherine battling with the fear that grandson Ryan may turn out to be more like his father, murderer and sex-offender Tommy Lee Royce than she'd like.

Meanwhile Tommy Lee Royce, in prison for his various crimes from series one, receives a letter from son Ryan.

In series three, Catherine discovers the remains of a gangland murder victim in a drained reservoir which sparks a chain of events that unwittingly leads her straight back to Tommy Lee Royce.

Her grandson Ryan is now 16 and still living with Catherine, but he has ideas of his own about what kind of relationship he wants to have with the man Catherine refuses to acknowledge as his father.

Still battling the seemingly never-ending problem of drugs in the valley and those who supply them, Catherine is on the cusp of retirement.

There will be a screening of the first episode of series three later this month in Halifax.

Sally Wainwright said: “It's been brilliant getting back into Catherine's world for the final series of Happy Valley. I'm looking forward hugely to seeing Sarah, James and Siobhan in Halifax for the launch in December.”

Jason Horton, Acting Director for BBC England, said: “We’re so lucky at the BBC that we get to work with such incredibly talented people. I want to pay tribute to all the cast and crew for making such a successful series. I can’t wait to see it on the BBC soon.”