Happy Valley: What's life really like living on Sgt Cawood's beat?

Nestled astatine the bottommost of rolling hills connected the borderline of West Yorkshire, the fictional TV determination known arsenic Happy Valley has had a existent interaction connected the radical and places wherever it was filmed. Ahead of an explosive last episode, we walked Sgt Catherine Cawood's beat, speaking to the radical who telephone it home.

"People are talking astir Happy Valley each the time. It's brought much radical to the town," says property cause Sandra Horsfield successful Hebden Bridge.

The municipality is conscionable 1 of the locations which agelong on the bottommost of the Calder Valley which service arsenic the real-life backdrop for the TV bid which archetypal started successful 2014.

Sandra says the country could not person paid for amended vulnerability oregon advertising: "So galore radical privation to unrecorded here, the spot is buzzing."

As we chat, a tiny assemblage of waterproof-clad walkers stitchery astatine the model of Peter David Properties, peering successful astatine what's for sale.

Sandra's taken connected the relation of an unofficial circuit usher and she says galore fans of the amusement popular successful to inquire wherever scenes from the 3rd and last bid were filmed.

Sandra says that during filming, the stars would regularly beryllium seen popping down the constrictive precocious thoroughfare for a coffee, particularly Sarah Lancashire, who plays main quality and stern-faced copper Catherine Cawood.

"We saw 'Catherine' rather a lot. When she's retired and about, she's a quiescent person," Sandra adds.

Even connected a bedewed February afternoon, the precocious thoroughfare is busy. Hebden Bridge and the remainder of the Calder Valley has ever been a hotspot for tourists, with the chromatic buildings and looming hills a large pull.

Lisa Morgan, from adjacent Mytholmroyd, says she cannot hold for Sunday night, erstwhile she tin ticker the finale which brings the story, by Sally Wainwright, to a close.

As she huddles nether the autobus structure waiting for the 590 work towards Halifax, she tells maine she's "loved" the series, and it's been adjacent much peculiar due to the fact that it was filmed connected her doorstep.

"It's exciting, seeing places you cognize and you say, ohio I cognize that, I've been there. It's great."

Production companies picking the country for filming is nary astonishment and millions of radical seeing the stunning scenery of the Calder Valley is bully for the town, Lisa says.

"It's different, a quirky area."

A locomotion down the precocious thoroughfare successful Hebden Bridge makes that clear. The distinctive store frontages and the precocious hills surrounding the municipality springiness it a cosy, closed-in feel.

"I accidental you've got 2 antithetic styles of the Happy Valley," butcher and instrumentality of the amusement Daniel Gibbon tells me. He knows the country well. After all, the nutrient helium sells has travel straight from the hills supra the Calder Valley.

"In the summer, it tin beryllium fantastic, beauteous weather," helium says. "Then successful the winter, it's a spot wet, damp, miserable and windy connected the hills, but it's inactive a bully spot to live.

"It's truthful large to spot films coming retired this mode and showing our municipality connected the small screen."

Daniel says the occurrence of Happy Valley has had a immense affirmative effect, not conscionable connected shops and businesses successful wide successful the Calder Valley, but specifically connected the butchers who proviso nutrient to section pubs which helium says are decidedly busier arsenic a effect of the country being thrust into the limelight.

Next doorway to Daniel's premises is the Nisa store, wherever Happy Valley quality Neil Ackroyd, played by Con O'Neill, works successful the TV series.

A motion connected the model is advertizing for a caller adjunct manager to enactment successful what is surely the most-photographed store successful the town.

Store manager Martin Turner accidental helium has spent overmuch of his clip precocious batting distant nationalist attention, with newspapers and TV crews descending connected him to spot the shop.

"To beryllium honest, I've not adjacent watched it," helium laughs, admitting he's avoiding immoderate spoilers. "I'm conscionable waiting to binge ticker it erstwhile it's finished."

He says the store was closed for hours portion a mates of scenes were filmed involving Neil and Catherine.

"Filming took 5 oregon 10 minutes astatine the most, the remainder was putting up and taking the lights down," Martin explains.

On my mode retired of the town, pursuing the River Calder, I caput to Elland, which is referenced passim the Happy Valley series, and I spot PCSOs locomotion the streets successful what, dissimilar what the TV bid mightiness suggest, is simply a mostly harmless area.

On Albert Street is Sally Robinson's existent beingness home, which was transformed for TV from a mean looking extremity terrace into a pharmacy wherever Faisal Bhatti, played by Amit Shah, illegally dished retired medicine drugs to the area's criminals.

The country was picked due to the fact that Happy Valley writer Sally Wainwright's gramps utilized to unrecorded nearby.

"It's had rather a batch of recognition. Everyone astatine enactment has been talking astir it," Sally Robinson tells me.

The accidental to temporarily alteration her family's location into a prima of the tiny surface came aft a missive from the accumulation institution down Happy Valley landed connected Sally's doormat.

She tells me: "I had a missive done the station container with a program of what they wanted to bash and to get successful interaction with them. It's been rather breathtaking to spot it."

The surreal brushwood was short-lived, with her being astatine enactment portion outer filming took place, but her neighbours inactive locomotion past and remark connected their street's stardom.

Tim Swift, person of Calderdale Council, says he's pleased that the Calder Valley has joined a increasing database of places successful the territory which person featured connected the box.

He says helium hopes for a engaged summertime for the full country arsenic a result.

"If we look backmost to Gentleman Jack, that's what we saw there. There was a large marked summation successful tourism and that inactive continues," helium says.

He adds that radical from arsenic acold afield arsenic America marque the travel to spot places similar Shibden Hall successful adjacent Halifax, wherever overmuch of Gentleman Jack was filmed.

As a council, helium says, they've welcomed the cameras successful to the territory to "showcase the champion of Calderdale" and helium says helium hopes it volition proceed to beryllium a premier destination for movie crews.

However, Roger Benn, co-chair of Hebden Royd Business Forum, says there's a good equilibrium to beryllium sought truthful arsenic not to overcrowd the now-famous valley.

"There's besides a downside effect from the fig of tourists that travel due to the fact that it causes occupation specified arsenic parking for section residents," helium says.

He adds that his slogan is "you can't bargain a hammer successful Hebden Bridge", arsenic galore of the shops are restaurants oregon cafes which beauteous overmuch trust connected the tourer trade.

But businesses benefiting from visitors is, of course, ever a bully thing, helium says.

Back successful Hebden Bridge, Sandra astatine the property agents, says she's present gearing up to watching the finale of Happy Valley surrounded by friends.

She says she hopes a section concern mightiness surface the amusement truthful radical successful the municipality tin ticker it unneurotic for 1 past time.

But she's not giving up anticipation of catching a glimpse of her favourite star, James Norton, who plays on-the-run triple murderer Tommy Lee Royce.

"He has a batch of fans here. When they saw him past week connected his motorcycle and each his cogwheel and crying erstwhile helium looked astatine that view, everyone was like, 'oh my god', she laughs.

Happy Valley concludes connected BBC One and BBC iPlayer connected Sunday 5 February astatine 21:00 GMT.