Happy Valley Page #6

Season #1 Episode #1

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cash. Without arousing any

suspicion at the bank. And I don’t

know where we’d - you’d - keep her,

there are aspects I haven’t thought

through. Yet. But the basic...

ASHLEY:

You’re talking about (

amused, the closest he

gets to smiling)

kidnapping her?

KEVIN refuses to be ridiculed.

KEVIN:

She’s just finished college, she

doesn’t have a job. No-one except

them would miss her. Just for a few

days. That’s all it’d take.

ASHLEY:

I thought you liked old Nev.

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE ONE. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT 29.

KEVIN:

No. No, Ashley.

(his face hardens)

I don’t like old Nev. Did you know.

Him and my dad. Were best friends.

At school. They grew up in the same

street. They cooked the idea up

together, they kicked it all off

together. Then my dad went off to

college. To train to be an

accountant. And when he came back.

Nevison offered him a job.

(he sneers)

They were partners! And somehow

Nevison side stepped that. Like he

does side-step things. He’d got the

lawyers in. And my dad - being my

dad - he just accepted it.

ASHLEY weighs things up. Maybe it isn’t so daft.

ASHLEY:

Can I think about it?

KEVIN:

Oh, that’s what Nevison said. When

I asked him for a rise. So I can

get Melissa into a better school.

He thought about it and then he

said no.

ASHLEY glances out of the window down the field where the

kids are playing.

CUT TO:

18 EXT. UPPER LIGHTHAZELS FARM. DAY 2. 13.10 18

KEVIN leaves the house. LEWIS and the OTHER LAD see him go.

They watch him. They’re puzzled, concerned. Has ASHLEY dealt

with it? LEWIS gives KEVIN a hard stare as he heads off, but

KEVIN - somehow - manages to give the hard stare right back

as he walks away. LEWIS downs tools (well, sand bags) and

heads across to the farmhouse.

CUT TO:

19 INT/EXT. UPPER LIGHTHAZELS FARM, FRONT DOOR. DAY 2. 19

13.11

LEWIS appears at the door, initially full of bluster, but as

soon as he opens his mouth to ASHLEY he’s polite, because

he’s scared of him.

LEWIS:

What did y’say?

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE ONE. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT 30.

ASHLEY’s thoughtful. KEVIN’s given him pause for thought.

ASHLEY:

He’s sorted, he’s fine, he’s

chicken sh*t, nobody needs to worry

about him.

LEWIS:

(confidentially)

I’m not happy wi’ this new fella.

He means the OTHER LAD in the yard.

ASHLEY:

He’s fine.

LEWIS:

He’s too quiet.

ASHLEY:

He comes recommended.

LEWIS:

He keeps looking at me funny.

ASHLEY:

Give him a break. He’s been inside

for eight years, he’s only just got

out.

(LEWIS isn’t happy. ASHLEY

nods at the kettle)

Get kettle on. The’s summat I wanna

talk through wi’ yer. Both of yer.

(he goes to the door and

calls across the yard)

Tommy!

Immediately continuous

CUT TO:

20 EXT. UPPER LIGHTHAZELS FARM. DAY 2. 13.12 20

The OTHER LAD looks up, and - as we look into his intense

light blue psychopath’s eyes - we realise that this is TOMMY

LEE ROYCE. It’s a huge moment.

ASHLEY:

D’you wanna a cup o’ tea?

TOMMY downloads the bag he’s dealing with and heads for the

house.

CUT TO:

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE ONE. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT 31.

21 EXT. HEPTONSTALL. DAY 2. 13.30 21

CATHERINE and CLARE wander along the lane away from the

graveyard. RYAN’s exploring ahead of them, out of ear-shot.

CLARE:

Was that Richard? I heard. Last

night.

CATHERINE takes a moment to think of an appropriate answer.

CATHERINE:

We didn’t do anything we haven’t

done a thousand times before.

CLARE:

Ey - I’m not judging anybody.

CATHERINE:

I felt sorry for him. Losing his

job. And she just goes on at him

apparently, and

CLARE:

What?

CATHERINE doesn’t want to lay it all at his door, that isn’t

the real reason she slept with him.

CATHERINE:

I get lonely. I didn’t want Tommy

Lee Royce buzzing round in my head

all night, I wanted something else.

CLARE:

Did it work?

CATHERINE:

No.

She looks tired. Haunted. F***ed off.

CLARE:

He might not even be living round

here any more, he might’ve

CATHERINE:

Clare. He’s the sort that thinks

Manchester is abroad. It wouldn’t

occur to him to go anywhere else,

he wouldn’t know how to be anywhere

else. He’s like a rat, he’ll never

be more than three feet away.

CUT TO:

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE ONE. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT 32.

22 EXT. CATHERINE’S HOUSE, HEBDEN BRIDGE. EVENING 2. 16.45 22

The day’s fading. CATHERINE, CLARE and RYAN arrive home after

their afternoon out. RYAN’s headed straight for the house. He

finds a wholesome bunch of flowers propped up by the front

door.

RYAN:

Granny, the’s some flowers.

CUT TO:

23 INT. CATHERINE’S HOUSE, KITCHEN/HALLWAY. EVENING 2. 23

16.46

CATHERINE opens the little envelope (marked ‘Catherine’) that

came with the flowers. She reads the card inside.

CLARE:

Who they from?

CATHERINE:

(amused, self-conscious)

Richard.

CLARE:

You’re playing wi’ fire, y’know

that, don’t you?

Just then, from upstairs/over the bannister

RYAN:

(oov)

Y’gonna read me a story, Gran?

CATHERINE looks weary, and murmurs

CATHERINE:

Five minutes. To myself.

(then loud)

Have you got changed?

RYAN:

I will have by t’time y’get up

here!

CATHERINE:

(calling up)

And what about running a bath?

CLARE:

I’ll bring y’up a cup of tea.

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE ONE. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT 33.

CATHERINE indicates that that would be very welcome, then

sets off upstairs. CLARE’s thoughtful when CATHERINE’s gone:

she’s worried about her.

CUT TO:

24 EXT. SOYLAND MOOR. DAY 3. 15.00 24

Next day, mid-afternoon. The glorious winter skies across the

moors.

CUT TO:

25 EXT. UPPER LIGHTHAZELS FARM. DAY 3. 15.01 25

KEVIN’s packing the car up, ready to head off home again. 10year-

old MELISSA - happy, red-cheeked, the wind in her hair,

like she’s been happily playing on the moors since the crack

of dawn, appears from over near the farm. The other three

kids are happily playing further off with the dog.

MELISSA:

Dad! Ashley says. Have you got time

to pop over to the house for two

minutes before we head off home.

MELISSA races off as soon as she’s delivered her message to

rejoin the gang. Nervous of what he’s started, but excited by

the possibilities, KEVIN heads off towards the farm building.

CUT TO:

26 EXT. UPPER LIGHTHAZELS FARM, YARD. DAY 3. 15.02 26

KEVIN heads towards the door, just as ASHLEY emerges. ASHLEY

indicates “This way” and at length murmurs

ASHLEY:

Okay. I need one or two more

details off you, but in principle,

yeah. It’s a departure, but me and

Lewis and Tommy are confident it’s

something we can handle.

KEVIN isn’t quite sure how to respond. He feels he ought to

be delighted, but in fact he’s terrified.

KEVIN:

Well that’s -

He nods, wants to say “Great”, but he’s more stunned than

anything.

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE ONE. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT 34.

ASHLEY:

Obviously I’ve got overheads, so

here’s what I can offer you.

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