Rhys Connah started as a child actor in the show. He talks about how things have changed a decade on.
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His mum killed herself days after he was born because she was raped by violent criminal Tommy Lee Royce. That's according to Catherine, who blames Tommy for her daughter's death and has always just wanted to convince Ryan not to have anything to do with him, and to make sure he doesn't turn out like him.There was such a long delay between series two and three so Ryan, now 16, could get old enough to make up his own mind.
Connah, from Heywood, Greater Manchester, got the part after going to an after-school drama club. At first, he was sheltered from the more grisly storylines. "I didn't really have an idea of the show," he says. "I went in only knowing my own scenes." "I was the coolest kid in school because I got to walk in like, 'Guess what, I got to swear and no-one could shout at me, no-one could say anything. I got to swear loads all day.'"
"When Ryan goes to visit him, he's not some gang leader or some violent prisoner. He's a nice, comforting person. And he is Ryan's dad, biologically. "So instead of some violent serial killer, he's just this slightly misunderstood person who's made some mistakes in the past and wants to change for the better."The first two series of Happy Valley both won best drama series at the Baftas, and it would be a surprise if the third doesn't complete the hat-trick.
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