Happy Valley fans divided over who they think is taking Ryan to prison to visit Tommy Lee Royce

HAPPY Valley fans have been left divided over who they think is bringing Ryan Cawood to see his father in prison.

After a seven-year hiatus the hit BBC drama returned on New Year's Day for its final ever series.

Actress Sarah Lancashire has reprised her role as cop Catherine Cawood.

The first episode ended on a nail-biting cliffhanger as Catherine received intel from Sheffield prison - where her late daughter's rapist is serving time.

Viewers watched as earlier in the episode she had been told that her grandchild Ryan Cawood (Rhys Connah) had been visiting his father in prison.

His visits were apparently being aided by an unknown man and woman.

While Catherine at first didn't act on what she had heard because it was "fourth-hand information" she eventually started to worry.

As the first instalment came to an end, her colleague Inspector Mike Taylor gave her an update.

"Got some intel for you from the prison in Sheffield," he said, adding: "You're not going to like it.

The credits then rolled leaving viewers in suspense.

While fans are questioning whether Catherine's sister Claire has been bringing the teen to see his dad, speculation is rife online.

Some viewers have a theory that Catherine's now ex-husband Richard and their son Daniel are behind the visits.

Die-hard fans will know the couple split over Catherine's decision to raise Ryan - with her son also wanting nothing to do with his nephew.

Meanwhile, Frances Drummond, who became infatuated with Royce while he was behind bars, could also be a contender.

She's proven before how she would go to extreme lengths for the criminal, including fraudulently teaching at Ryan's school.

Neil Ackroyd, who is now in a relationship with Catherine's sister Claire is also in the frame.

Despite him now being closely involved with the family, we still don't know that much about him.

Finally, there's a pretty good chance Tommy has been enlisting the help of someone on the inside to facilitate the visits.

One thing is for certain, we'll find out soon enough and there's bound to be plenty of drama.

Happy Valley's final series continues on BBC One and iPlayer.