BBC One released some Q&A press releases for the new series of Happy Valley coming up in February. This interview is with Siobhan Finneran, who plays Clare Cawood, the sister of lead character Sargeant Catherine Cawood.
Q: Were you pleased with the amazing reaction to series one of Happy Valley?
A: I was thrilled with the response, but I did feel from my first reading of the script it would be a brilliant watch. Sally’s [Wainwright] writing is the best, it makes you desperate to get to work and get on with it and for me Sarah’s [Lancashire] performance as Catherine was magnificent, totally outstanding and nothing has come near to it since on TV and I am doubtful anything ever will!
Q: What we can expect from series two of Happy Valley?
A: Series 2 takes us back to Catherine, her family and her job and has a look at where she has managed to get to in the 18 months since we last saw her and how she and her family have/haven’t coped with all the events of Series 1 and its on-going presence in their lives.
Q: Tell us a bit about Clare and her story in this series?
A: Clare has always been Catherine’s support, sounding board and comfort giver but she too is struggling when we return. She is not the “rock” we thought she was and the impact of everything they’ve been through has taken its toll on an already fragile Clare. She is also dealing with her best friend being terminally ill and a new love interest. She needs Catherine’s help now but is Catherine too wrapped up in her own troubles? We find out about their family history and why they have such an amazing bond that seems unbreakable.
Q: Are there any anecdotes you can tell us about during filming?
A: Sarah and I have known each other for 30 years and it is an absolute pleasure, in fact an honour, to be on set with her on Happy Valley, we laugh like drains and generally have a great time together. I sometimes wonder how they manage to get us to stop laughing, talking and eating!
Q: What were the biggest challenges you all faced during the shoot?
A: The biggest challenge in Hebden is usually the weather and the lack of available pies, there’s a good bakery but you have to be there early. Sarah and I never tire of asking if anyone is doing a pie run!
Q: What projects do you have coming up?
A: I am filming something in the new Year but I can’t talk about it yet!
See Also: Q&A with Sally Wainwright and Q&A with Sarah Lancashire.
If you haven’t seen series 1 of Happy Valley yet, it’s available on Netflix, Amazon Video and iTunes. I highly recommend it.
I feel totally out of the loop after reading your review of Happy Valley. I think we will finally go for Netflix—being one of the two holdouts in all of North America! This is the kind of series I love, so will try to get on with it!
If you search the blog for Happy Valley you will find my recaps of season one. But if you plan to get Netflix, don’t read them first, because there are many, many spoilers.