Happy Valley viewers praise Catherine and Tommy's 'masterclass' final showdown

Happy Valley viewers have been sharing their love for the drama's final ever episode, with a "masterclass" scene between Catherine Cawood and Tommy Lee Royce that did not disappoint.

Fans of the BBC One show had expected creator Sally Wainwright to kill off one of the two main characters in the finale, but were shocked to see Tommy (James Norton) set himself on fire in Catherine's (Sarah Lancashire) kitchen after a row about who had behaved the worst in their long-running hatred of each other.

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People have praised the scene for not including weapons or explosions and simply concentrating on the emotion between the two characters.

One viewer tweeted: "I could watch a whole extra hour of Catherine and Tommy screaming "no YOU f*** off!" at each other."

Another fan agreed: "Two of the best acting performances on British TV. Phenomenal."

Someone else wrote: "this scene just sums up why it’s the best show on tv, sarah lancashire and james norton’s acting is amazing, the interactions between catherine and tommy are amazing, the script is amazing, and it still manages to be funny? 10/10"

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Another person commented: "Pages and pages of script where every word is carried with so much emotion. A masterclass in acting."

Viewers were impressed that Wainwright's script made them feel sorry for hardened criminal Tommy as he realised how much he had missed out on in life.

One fan tweeted: "We all know Sally Wainwright’s a genius, but playing with the viewers’ emotions to the point we almost felt some sympathy for Tommy Lee Royce during that final confrontation was a masterstroke. And his realisation that Catherine gave Ryan a nice life was so powerful."

Someone else added: "Absolutely stonking hour of TV. I didn't breathe. Tommy Lee convinced that he was the victim, so baffled by Catherine's world view that you almost feel conflicted (until Catherine sets you straight again). Just perfection."

Another person agreed: "definitely didn’t have tommy lee royce making me cry on my happy valley finale bingo card but it’s a testament to james norton’s incredible performance (and sally wainwright’s amazing writing!)"

Fans also got to see Catherine make up with her sister Clare (Siobhan Finneran) and come to the realisation that grandson Ryan (Rhys Connah) was nothing like his father Tommy.

One viewer tweeted: "I love that #happyvalley didn’t pull any mad last minute plot twists/reveals/shock deaths. This show was always about its characters and was a character driven finale. Take a bow."