Hollywood is pulling the plug on Happy Valley star Sarah Lancashire's latest drama about American TV chef Julia Child

Happy Valley star Sarah Lancashire has seen her dreams of Hollywood stardom take a hit with the cancellation of her latest show.

Lancashire, 59, received rave reviews from critics playing acclaimed American chef Julia Child in the show 'Julia', which has just finished its second season on Sky.

The actress, who rose to fame playing feisty barmaid Raquel Watts in Coronation Street from 1991 to 1996, was described as a 'British acting treasure' by Vanity Fair, while Hollywood 'bible' Variety called her performance 'gripping, funny and magnificent'.

Lancashire reportedly earned $50,000 per episode to star as Child, a middle-aged woman who introduced French cuisine to America through her long-running 1960s TV show “The French Chef.”

The BAFTA-winning actress spoke about her love for the role, saying: 'She's unlike anyone I've ever come across. She is pioneering. She is a frontier woman.”

Julia Child, a TV chef, introduced French cuisine to America through her long-running 1960s television show “The French Chef”

Although she admitted she had never heard of Child before she started filming, she came to love the character: “I don't want a word to be said to her,” Lancaster said in a recent interview.

The actress began filming the first series of Julia just before production was halted by the pandemic.

She called resuming the show under strict Covid rules “very difficult” and called being away from her family in Britain for months “the hardest thing ever”.

A spokesperson for Max, which aired the show in the US, praised the “dynamic cast led by Sarah Lancashire, cooking Julia.”

He said: 'Thanks to their beautiful work across two seasons of this heartfelt, sensual and inspiring show, we can forever celebrate Julia Child's incredible legacy.'

The Oldham, Lancashire native played matriarch Sgt. Catherine Cawood for three seasons in the BBC1 series 'Happy Valley.'

Last night a source said: 'This is a real shock. Critics and fans loved Julia and it was Sarah's big break in the US. This will be a huge blow to her. The second season has earned her the best reviews of her career.'

Social media immediately blew up with heartbroken fans mourning the show's cancellation.

'How can they cancel the funniest and most charming show ever? This is a travesty. It's the best show there is!' wrote a fan on X, formerly Twitter.

Another said: 'I can't believe they canceled Julia. Sarah Lancashire is a delight and the best thing on TV.'

Lancashire has not yet commented on the cancellation, but an agent at a major Hollywood talent agency told the MoS: 'Don't write her off. She has won an army of new fans in Hollywood and while this is clearly a short-term setback for her career, there is no doubt that she will be offered other roles.

“Happy Valley isn't coming back, so it'll be interesting to see where she goes.”