Rhys Connah smiling in Happy Valley
TV

Rhys Connah returns as Ryan in Happy Valley’s final series to uncover his past

Ryan is back in Happy Valley and he's no longer a kid anymore!

Catherine Cawood’s grandson, Ryan, returns to Happy Valley for the third and final series.

From losing his mother to being abducted his by his father, Ryan has had it really rough on the show.

But this series Ryan is determined to uncover the truth about his life and learn more about his upbringing.

Who plays Ryan in Happy Valley – and how old is he?

Rhys Connah wearing a muddy football kit in Happy Valley
Ryan Cawood’s real father is Tommy Lee Royce (Credit: BBC One)

Who plays Ryan in Happy Valley?

Rhys Connah takes on the role of Ryan Cawood in the BBC One series Happy Valley.

Rhys began acting when he was only eight years old.

Despite being a newcomer, he has had roles in a few major films and TV shows including The Messenger and The White Princess.

However, the young actor is mainly known for playing Catherine’s grandson Ryan in the gripping drama.

Ryan is the child of Catherine Cawood’s late daughter Becky and the twisted criminal Tommy Lee Royce.

When Ryan was a newborn, his mother took her own life after being raped by Tommy.

Since his mother’s death, Ryan has been under the care of his Police Sergeant grandmother, Catherine (Sarah Lancashire).

But Ryan certainly hasn’t had it easy on the series as he’s been kidnapped and almost murdered by his own father.

And even when Tommy was finally put behind bars, it still didn’t keep him from trying to contact his son.

Throughout the last series of Happy Valley, we saw Tommy writing letters and sending them to him via a woman obsessed with him.

What is Ryan up to in Happy Valley series three?

In season 3, Ryan is now 16 years old and he’s determined to find out more about Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) and his upbringing.

He also has his own ideas about the kind of relationship he wants to have with the man Catherine refuses to acknowledge as his father.

The show’s writer, Sally Wainwright, told Radio Times: “Well, he’s someone who’s trying to make sense of his past and find out the truth about his past.

“And you know, it’s so complex. And it’s so complex for the adults in his life to try and explain things to him without it being too distressing for him. So it’s kind of all the complexities of that really.”

In an interview with BBC, Rhys also shared that Ryan is “old enough” to learn the truth about some of the lies he’s been told throughout his life.

He said: “Ryan is 16 now and he’s just finishing high school. The main place you pick up with him is that he’s been told all these lies throughout his life about his past and stuff like that. He’s bringing them into question and he’s finally old enough to learn the truth about some of them.”

Rhys Connah talking with Mark Stanley in Happy Valley
Rhys Connah looks unrecognisable in the new season of Happy Valley (Credit: BBC One)

How old is Rhys Connah?

In the new season of Happy Valley, Rhys will be playing Ryan, seven years on from the last series, as a fully-fledged teenager.

It wasn’t that long ago when Rhys was just a fresh-faced eight-year-old on the show, but now the young lad is all grown up and he looks totally different!

Rhys Connah is currently 16 years old.

Does Rhys Connah have a girlfriend?

Rhys Connah doesn’t appear to have a girlfriend.

The actor hasn’t revealed his relationship status and there is no sign of a girlfriend on his Instagram @rhysconnah.

So we can assume that Rhys is currently single.

Rhys Connah posing next to a train in Happy Valley
Rhys Connah features alongside Jodie Comer in The White Princess (Credit: BBC One)

What else has Rhys Connah been in?

Shortly after filming the first season of Happy Valley, Rhys went on to play Young Jack in the horror film The Messenger.

The film followed a tortured soul named Jack, who spent his days speaking to the dead and helping to deliver their messages to their loved ones.

Rhys also got to star alongside The Umbrella Academy star Robert Sheehan in the film.

In 2016, Rhys starred in the feature film To Walk Invisible: The Bronte Sisters, which also featured his co-star Charlie Murphy.

He also played alongside Jodie Comer in The White Princess that same year.

The young actor then played the lead role of Ben in the film The Runaways in 2018.

Rhys Connah looking over his shoulder in Happy Valley
Rhys will be appearing in the third and final series (Credit: BBC One)

What is Rhys Connah doing now?

Rhys has recently played the lead character in the short film The Snow Maze.

The filmed followed 10-year-old Adam who was an isolated boy tormented by bullies at school.

Until the arrival of a new classmate and the discovery of an old key changes everything.

At the moment, there is no more news about what projects Rhys will be up to next.

But we’re excited to see him in the final series of Happy Valley!

Read more: Entertainment Daily Awards 2022: Vote for your Best Cosy Crime Drama now!

Happy Valley will start on Sunday January 1 at 9pm on BBC One.

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Are you looking forward to the new series of Happy Valley? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.


Aaliyah Ashfield
Digital Marketing Apprentice