BBC's new Welsh-made drama Death Valley is a ‘mix of Line of Duty and Poirot
BBC's new Welsh-made drama Death Valley is a 'mix of Line of Duty and Poirot
Starring Timothy Spall and Gwyneth Keyworth, Death Valley debuts this Bank Holiday weekend
BBC's new comedy crime drama Death Valley will star Timothy Spall and Gwyneth Keyworth
(Image: BBC/BBC Studios/Jay Brooks )
BBC's Death Valley is a new comedy crime drama series which gazes upon a retired actor played by Timothy Spall, and a young detective played by Gwyneth Keyworth, who become an unlikely crime-fighting duo in the Welsh valleys.
In a BAFTA Cymru Q&A session held in Cardiff on Monday, May 19 the show's writer Paul Doolan told audiences that the show was like a cross between "Line of Duty" and "Poirot" as it melds the different elements of the old and the new of crime dramas together.
Paul is responsible for comedy giants such as Trollied and Mammoth (also set in Wales), and now his most recent series is about to grace our screens this weekend. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter .
Death Valley, a comedy crime drama which follows an eccentric national treasure John Chapel (Timothy Spall) a retired actor who used to be the star of a hit fictional TV detective show who helps the Welsh detective sergeant Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth) solve crimes around a small village.
The programme will air on Sunday, May 25 at 8.15pm on BBC One, however if you're like me and love a good binge watch then the whole boxset will be launching on BBC iPlayer at the same time.
Timothy describes his character as "a bearded recluse who has become a bit of a curmudgeon described by one of the locals as a 'grumpy old b**tard!"
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In contrast to the grumpy male lead, Gwyneth's character Janie is a police officer, and she really wants to be good at her job. She described her character has not having "a social life and her whole existence is for work. But she is also upbeat and quirky!" The pairs dynamic makes for a companionship we rarely see on TV, but something that works quite well in the nature of a series like this.
Gwyneth Keyworth plays Janie, a Welsh detective with an obsession for old TV detective shows
(Image: BBC/BBC Studios/Jay Brooks )
Paul explained why he created this retired actor and obsessive TV detective fan. He said: "When it came to drilling down what the partnership at the centre of it would be, my agents represent quite a lot of famous TV detectives. I am such a fan and there is something quite interesting about the dynamic of a TV detective and their biggest fan.
"I then took this idea and explored whether it would be more interesting to solve murders together and what if the fan was also a detective? The different layers then became a retired actor who played a detective who helps his number one fan, who's an actual detective solve murders!"
The series is set in Mountain Ash, in the Cynon Valley and it was created by BBC Studios Comedy Production with support from Creative Wales. Gwyneth who is originally from Aberystwyth shared that she enjoyed filming in Bannau Brycheiniog meanwhile the English actor Timothy, although acquainted with the country shared how "Wales is extremely beautiful."
The series will comprise of six 45 minute episodes, and each episode will feature a new storyline, as the series follows a crime a week structure.
When creating the series, Paul said: "It was that classic thing of writing what you wish was on TV. I'm a huge murder mystery fan and a massive comedy fan but felt that you hardly see them combined in a satisfying way.
"So many crime shows are relentlessly grim with these joyless, troubled detectives. When murder mysteries try to do comedy, it often falls flat. You get this kind of overly cosy, twee sensibility. Or a spoof which is crammed full of jokes but doesn't have a satisfying mystery. I wanted to see a comedy, crime drama that was funny but would still satisfy the people that love a proper mystery."
Death Valley airs on Sunday, May 25 at 8.15pm on BBC One and the whole boxset launching on BBC iPlayer at the same time.
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