Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright has given a major update on the long-awaited third season of the BBC show - and fans will be so pleased!
MORE: Happy Valley season three: everything we know so far
It's been six years since Catherine Cawood has appeared on our screens and it seems as though that time difference will be reflected in the new series.
WATCH: Are you looking forward to season three?
Confirming that filming for season three has wrapped, Sally revealed that viewers will find Catherine "seven years on" from the events that took place in series two.
"I think it's going to be good. I think it's going to be exciting," she told RadioTimes.com. "We've got some very good stories."
MORE: 11 things I am worried will happen in Happy Valley season three
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She added: "Everyone's back – all the characters you'd expect to see are back. We're seven years on. The plan was to wait for Ryan to be older so that he can make his own choices about whether he wants to have contact with his dad or not. So it really explores that."
The new series is set seven years on from season two
What will happen in season three?
Season three will see Catherine reunited with her nemesis Tommy Lee Royce [James Norton] when she begins investigating a new murder case.
The official synopsis from the BBC reads: "When Catherine discovers the remains of a gangland murder victim in a drained reservoir, it sparks a chain of events that unwittingly leads her straight back to Tommy Lee Royce.
"Her grandson Ryan is now sixteen 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."
James Norton is returning for season three as Tommy Lee Royce
When will Happy Valley season three be released?
Given filming for the upcoming season began in January and only recently wrapped, viewers may expect to see new episodes on their screens towards the end of the year at the earliest.
Charlie Murphy, who plays Ann Gallagher, teased that fans may expect a release date before the end of the year, saying: "Timeline-wise, probably [2022]."
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