James Norton reflects on what Happy Valley meant to him and his career

And so when RadioTimes.com recently spoke to Norton about his role in the new Netflix movie Joy, we couldn't resist asking him how he looks back on that experience now that 18 months have passed since the episode aired.

"It's funny now, having a bit of distance," was his response. "Because it was 10 years of my life, you know, the first two series, and then there was a seven year gap, and then we did the third series, and then there was, like, this amazing response.

"And, I mean, it makes feel old when I realised that was a moment in my life, that was a decade, a chapter. I mean, it was everything – I owe so much to that job. I've said it many times, but... not only was it just an incredible, enjoyable experience for an actor to play a great role, beautifully written, so so nuanced and rich, but more pragmatically, it did so much for my career.

He continued: "It was the first time I played a big role in a series which got a lot of attention and set me off, allowed producers and directors to sort of trust me with other roles where I was able to go on that transformative journey.

"I don't think I would have maybe had the same opportunities without Tommy and Sally [Wainwright]'s trust, so I owe it loads I always feel a deep affection towards that experience."

Norton said that he also felt affection towards the character "even though he was a monster," and explained that "somewhere deep down there's a kind of sad, lost child in Tommy".

He added: "I kind of just wanted to comfort that kid as much as I could, and to just have that response, just amazing."

Speaking more specifically about the finale, Norton said that he knew "that we were making something really special," as soon as they started filming the climactic scenes.

"There's something wonderful about filming when, like, the stage, the acting space... we were in a studio for that final scene. So, you know, you're in this massive, like aircraft carrier, [with] hundreds of people, lights, toys, you know, it's a crazy hive of energy and activity.

"And then it all kind of like, it's like a sort of fruit or onion. It goes right, right right down, and in the middle you've got this tiny room, and it's the sacred sort of stage which we're shooting on, and I remember that day, the whole studio were like, really quiet.

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"And usually it's, like, quite noisy, and there's gossip and there's banging and clattering. And that day felt like we were in a church, because everyone knew that we had, like, come to this moment where these two characters had this face off, and everyone had read the script.

"There wasn't any false endings. Those were all rumours. We knew what was going to happen.

"The fire brigade were there because, you know, the burning so everyone was just like charged. And then Sarah comes in, one of the greatest actresses living, giving one of her greatest performances, giving the finale.

"And I just remember sitting there going, 'F**k me. It does not get better than this. This is amazing.'"

Happy Valley is available to watch in full on BBC iPlayer, and Joy is now showing in select UK cinemas and on Netflix – sign up from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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