Death Valley: does it deserve a welcome in the hillsides?

The Herald Scotland

25-05-2025

**
I can imagine the pitch meeting only too well.
'So, what do you have for us?'
'A murder mystery.'
'Sounds quirky. Always risky, quirky, when dealing with death. Unless it's Only Murders in the Building, that's genius. Is it like Only Murders in the Building?'
'Well, the central character is a retired actor who used to play a detective on TV, and he solves cases with a kooky young woman Detective Sergeant, so it is a bit like Only Murders.'
'Kooky. That's as bad as quirky. Where's it set?'
'Vale of Glamorgan, hence Death Valley. Plenty of local actors involved, including Steffan Rhodri, aka Dave Coaches from Gavin and Stacey, and Gwen from Gavin and Stacey plays the mum of the young woman DS.'
'Gavin and Stacey, eh? That's more promising, but I still think it would be more at home in a sleepy afternoon slot rather than Sunday evening. So sorry, it's a no.'
'Did I mention we've got Timothy Spall, bona fide national treasure, lined up to play the retired telly detective?'
'Talk about burying the lead, mate! We'll have six episodes and don't stint on the scenery.'
Given the series' reliance on Spall, the first episode takes too long to introduce his character. Police have been called to the home of a property developer who appears to have shot himself. As forensics officers gather evidence, there's a telly on in the background showing old re-runs of Caesar, starring John Chapel (Spall) as the crime-cracking supremo with a literary bent.
Turns out Chapel lives in the village, and the officer in charge of the shooting investigation, DS Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth), is his number one fan. But Chapel is a recluse and doesn't want to help. Then he does want to help, but now Mallowan has cooled on the idea of having a civilian involved.
In short, a monumental amount of faffing goes on before we can get down to business, by which time the Janie character has become seriously annoying. It is a pity because under other circumstances, Kirstie Allsopp-lookalike Keyworth would be a likeable sort. And perhaps the gentle humour would land better. Are jokes about star signs still a thing?
Spall is incapable of a duff performance, and his delightfully hammy Chapel/Caesar is reason enough to keep watching. But national treasure or not, the national patience has its limits.
With the full series on iPlayer now, the better news for writer Paul Doolan is that Death Valley settles down and starts to grow on you, and a couple of starry guest appearances liven things up no end. This, however, was a patchy start.
One of the highlights of the weekend (apart from the Bob Servant night on BBC4 on Saturday), was the documentary Liza: a Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story. The 101-minute film lived up to its title, with the standout turn Mia Farrow passing judgment on all who had crossed Minnelli's path, for good and ill. A portrait of Farrow next, please.