BBC Death Valley's full list of Welsh filming locations

Wales Online

25-05-2025

BBC Death Valley's full list of Welsh filming locations
When things are set in Wales we just can't help ourselves, we have to try and figure out where they are. So, here is a full list to ease your minds.
You may recognise some of the locations used to film the new BBC series Death Valley
BBC's Death Valley is the latest series filmed and set in Wales which will be popping up on our screens this weekend. This can only mean one thing, that at least 50% of the Welsh population will be cwtched up with a cuppa ready to watch the premier tonight, May 25 saying "hold on, that looks like Cardiff."
Now, here at Wales Online, we are awfully thoughtful, and we thought wouldn't it be nice to save you the trouble of endless research trying to figure out where everything is set.
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From Cardiff to Bridgend, here is a full list of where Death Valley is set. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter
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At a BAFTA Cymru event ahead of the series' debut on May 25, Director of BBC Wales Rhuanedd Richards said that she was delighted that the comedy crime drama was set in her home town of Mountain Ash. However, despite being set in the Cynon Valley most of the series was filmed elsewhere across South Wales.
Throughout the series there are a few locations which keep cropping up, this includes the cottage of John Chapel (Timothy Spall). The gorgeous cottage, which has beautiful stonework and flowers everywhere is located in St Hilary in the Vale of Glamorgan.
The café used throughout the series, where Timothy Spall enjoys a good macchiato is actually in Penarth, in Brød Bakery, a Danish bakery chain which has shops across Cardiff.
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A classic filming hack in Wales is using St Fagan's Museum of Welsh Life, for any sets that need to look a bit dated and that is what they did to film the old episodes of Caesar, the detective series starring John Chapel (aka Timothy Spall) within Death Valley. Although, the modern day police station where Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth) and DCI Clarke (Steffan Rhodri) work was actually filmed in Mountain Ash Town Hall.
During the first episode of the series we see a murder take place in the glamorous home of a property developer named Carwyn. Let's face it, if you are planning a storyline on the death of a property developer house, you need a nice house to film in. This house in question was actually in Duffryn in the Vale of Glamorgan. Later on in the episode, the building site was filmed in Abbey Woods, Cwmbran.
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The gorgeous house from episode one was located in the Vale of Glamorgan
In the second episode, John and Janie join a walking group as they attempt to solve the murder of one of the members. The walking group are taking a hike through Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons), right next to the beautiful Blaen y Glyn waterfalls. Gwyneth Keyworth even said that this was her favourite location to film. Throughout the episode we can see the group go in and out of the pub, for these scenes they used a combination of both the Kings Arms in Pentyrch, Cardiff and The Old Ford Inn in Llanhamlach, Brecon.
Waterfall at Blaen-y-Glyn Waterfalls, by Dave Sealey
(Image: Dave Sealey )
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The third episode was filmed primarily in Llantwit Major, as the crime fighters investigate the death of a best man at a wedding. The church used was St Illtud's in Llantwit Major
Episode four sees the pair investigate a murder in amateur dramatics group, who are filmed rehearsing at Penarth Conservative Club. This isn't the first time Penarth has been used as a filming location for the series and they also used Penarth Pier for the exterior shots of the theatre - you'll recognise that from a recent episode of Doctor Who.
The 1929 Art Deco pier pavilion
(Image: Jo Ridout, Media Wales )
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Later on in the series, we see the use of Insole Court in Cardiff as a stately home during a murder mystery in episode five and Brynteg Comprehensive School in Bridgend for a school reunion in the last episode of the series.
Death Valley will air on Sunday, May 25 at 8.15pm on BBC One, however the whole boxset will be launching on BBC iPlayer at the same time.