When Happy Valleyreturned to BBC1 for its third and final season this year, few could have predicted that Tommy Lee Royce's hair would prove such a talking point. James made his Happy Valley debut as Tommy with a bright blonde short back and sides in season one, which he shaved into a tattoo-baring buzzcut for Tommy's prison stint in season two. When the first teaser trailers for season three dropped, fans were quick to note Tommy's latest transformation - a full beard and brown shoulder-length hair.
Speaking exclusively to Grazia, James explained that hitting on Tommy's look each season was a collaborative process that writer Sally Wainwright was very much a part of. 'Sally was always really keen for Tommy to have a really strong look,' he says, 'and that's one thing I'll miss actually - getting to the first episode of a new series and deciding what Tommy's look should be this time around.'
Season three's transformation required hair extensions. 'I grew my hair for a long time and I grew the beard in the lead-up to filming,' reveals James, 'and then they burnt in -' burnt?! 'well no, not burnt, they melted in these little plastic things that held the hair and I had long hair for a month or so while we shot.' James had a head of pre-bonded hair extensions. It's a form of hair extension that involves melting a small keratin bond directly onto hair with a heat gun. The bond fuses to the hair and the extensions are held in place. Applied well they can be close to undetectable - a must when it comes to filming a high-profile TV series like Happy Valley.
Taking to Instagram this week, James posted a series of behind-the-scenes selfies to illustrate the season three hair transformation in full. Scroll through them all below:
James Norton's Tommy Lee Royce Hair Transformation In Pictures - Grazia 2023
1 of 71. The Grow Out
James grew out his own hair and beard in the lead up to Happy Valley season three filming, to give the hair professionals on set a good base to work with.
2 of 72. The Bonded Extensions
It wasn't long enough though. Using bonded hair extensions - the least detectable kind - the Happy Valley hair department set about applying shoulder-length hair extensions to James's existing lengths.
3 of 73. The Brush Through
The team brushed through each layer of hair extensions to ensure seamless, natural-looking application. You can see they're halfway through here.
4 of 74. The Grey Hairs
Attention to detail is key with any form of hair extension application, but especially when you're creating a look for a TV series watched by millions. In season three we revisit Tommy after a seven-year stint in prison and he's grown a few grey hairs in the interim.
5 of 75. The Wet Through
Tommy's final look was never intended to look groomed. Once all the hair extensions were in it was time for a wet through and air-dry to encourage a few natural-looking waves.
6 of 76. The Waves
And here are the results. You can see James's natural lengths dry and waved in a similar fashion to his hair extensions - the Tommy Lee Royce season three look is nearly complete.
7 of 77. The Topknot
And now for the topknot. Pulled onto the crow of James's head in a haphazard bun, the actor is ready for his close-up.