Will Happy Valley season 3 be pushed back by writer’s new project?

When will Happy Valley season 3 premiere? This is a question that’s been asked by both us and many others many times over, but there has regrettably not been too much in the way of a firm answer on the subject — and to a certain extent, there still isn’t.

What we do know is that it’s looking more and more like it may be a good while until the new season comes out, given that writer Sally Wainwright is getting herself attached to new projects. Specifically today, that means a new eight-episode collaboration between BBC One and HBO entitled Shibden Hall. It is set in 1832, and will focus on Anne Lister, a woman of many skills. Here is how a description (per The Hollywood Reporter) describes the series:

“Charismatic, single-minded, swashbuckling Anne Lister – who walked like a man, dressed head-to-foot in black, and charmed her way into high society – has no intention of marrying a man. True to her own nature, she plans to marry a woman. And not just any woman: the woman Anne Lister marries must be seriously wealthy. Every part of Anne’s story is based in historical fact, recorded in the four million words of her diaries that contain the most intimate details of her life, once hidden in a secret code that is now broken.”

In a statement, here is what Wainwright had to say about adapting the project:

“Anne Lister is a gift to a dramatist. She is one of the most exuberant, thrilling and brilliant women in British history, and I can’t wait to celebrate her. Landowner, industrialist, traveler, mountaineer, scholar, would-be brain surgeon and prolific diarist, Anne returns from years of travel to her ancestral home, determined to restore it to its former glory, and determined to marry Ann Walker. It’s a beautifully rich, complicated, surprising love story.”

This series itself may still be a little ways out; we do not imagine it will air until next year. What this means for Happy Valley fans, especially given that we’ve heard almost nothing on season 3 scripts, could be that the show does not return until either late 2018 or even 2019. That is an extremely long period of time to wait until new episodes, but with the quality of this series, we do feel like it’ll be worth it. Plus, Shibden Hall sounds capable in its own right.

What do you think about the idea of this series? Be sure to share now in the attached comments!

Photo: BBC One