Sarah returns to screen

HAPPY return . . . for Oldham actress Sarah

HIT TV series Happy Valley returns tonight on BBC 1 (9pm)

Set in the Yorkshire Valleys, it stars Oldham’s Sarah Lancashire as police sergeant Catherine Cawood.

Dedicated and professional in her job, Cawood’s personal life is littered with family tragedies. The policewoman has a broken marriage and an estranged son.

The show captured the imagination of viewers, drawing an impressive 7.8 million for its series one finale in 2014 - but even so writer Sally Wainwright had to convince Last Tango In Halifax star Sarah to return.

The series also features another Oldham actress, Siobhan Finneran, as Cawood’s siser Clare.

As the second series of Happy Valley gets underway tonight, Cawood’s shaven-headed nemesis Royce is in jail as the series picks up 18 months after the first.

The dynamic between Cawood and Royce was a highlight in 2014, but series two will see the unhinged man find a pen pal - played by “Harry Potter” actress Shirley Henderson.