Aberystwyth actress Gwyneth Keyworth on Welsh BBC comedy, 'Death Valley'
For those who haven't seen the show, 'Death Valley' contains a lot of humour. Commenting on what can audiences expect and look forward to with the show, and explaining how it differs from other crime mystery murders, Gwyneth said: 'The humour. We all love solving crimes, guessing what is going to happen and piecing it all together. It's like playing a good game of Cluedo.
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
ROLAND WHITE reviews last night's TV: It's split opinion, but this delightful whodunnit deserves a second series
Death Valley (BBC1) The final episode of the first series of Death Valley opened at a school reunion. 'It's so hard juggling the aromatherapy with being a mumfluencer,' moaned Rhiannon Hopkins to her former classmate. I can't have been the only viewer hoping Rhiannon would come to a sticky end. Perhaps not ending up as the actual corpse, but definitely getting locked away for a very long time. Mumfluencer indeed. Just the word should carry a five-year term. In the end, it was a mechanic called Dean who was battered to death in the boiler room with a spanner, which at least was another Cluedo weapon ticked off for pathologist Helen Baxter. 'God,' she sighed. 'I'd love a lead pipe killing — that's the hard one.' Death Valley has divided opinion. To call it quirky would be an understatement. Interviewing Dean's wife, DS Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth) complained: 'It's quite hard to get what you're saying — maybe you could try speaking between sobs.' If you take your whodunnits very seriously, this is not for you. It's basically a delightfully gentle comedy with a bit of violent death thrown in. But it's cleverly written, with plenty of well-judged sad bits as contrast. And the characters have depth and back stories. The star turn is Timothy Spall. He plays retired actor John Chapel, who is best known for playing TV detective Charles Caesar. In the first episode, he helped Janie solve the murder of a property developer, and she's been his sidekick ever since. They bicker like an old married couple. If Chapel were 30 years younger, this would end in a romance that would probably be revealed in a tear-jerking Christmas special. As it is, one of the mysteries about widower Chapel is his love life. There is obviously somebody, but who? This was revealed right at the end. I won't ruin the surprise for catch-up viewers, but the result was more bickering between Chapel and Janie (named Jane, by the way, after Miss Marple and Mallowan after Agatha Christie's second husband). A lot of loose ends were tied up in last night's episode. Janie finally made it up with her boss, DCI Clarke, a worryguts whose main fear is that he's not up to the job. Played by Steffan Rhodri, he is just one of an excellent supporting cast. He told her that she's been promoted to inspector, and Chapel had been recruited as an official consultant. Oh, and the mysterious suicide of Janie's best friend, Sian, a constant theme through the series, was finally cleared up. You know what this means, don't you? The decks are now clear for a second series. Perhaps we might even get that Christmas special. Pathologist Helen might even get her perfect corpse — coshed by somebody called Colonel Mustard with a candlestick in the conservatory.
Scotsman
14 hours ago
- Scotsman
Death Valley BBC: will there be series 2
Death Valley's first season comes to an end tonight - but will it be back for more? 📺 Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Timothy Spall leads the cast in Death Valley. The crime drama pairs a retired TV star with a detective in Wales. But will more episodes of the show be coming? Death Valley has been one of the most pleasant TV surprises of the year. The cozy and charming crime drama has captured the hearts of viewers who have tuned in. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The final episode of the first season is set to air tonight (June 29). However you might be wondering if it will be back for more. What happened at the end of Death Valley? Timothy Spall and Gwyneth Keyworth starin Death Valley on BBC1 | BBC/BBC Studios/Simon Ridgway Spoilers for Death Valley up to and including series 1 episode 6. The full boxset is available to watch on BBC iPlayer right now. For its series one finale, Death Valley takes on a case of a murder at Janie's (Gwyneth Keyworth) school reunion. It is also one that has links back to a traumatic incident in her past. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Throughout the season, the show has pieced out details about Sian - a close friend of Janine's who died when they were young. Her necklace becomes a key piece of evidence in DC Evan Chaudhry's cold case - a hiker killed in a hit and run. It appears as if Sian had drunkenly killed him - and this had perhaps played into her suicide. However with the help of John Chapel (Timothy Spall), Janie is able to piece together what really happened. Sian's older sister Rhiannon (Remy Beasley) actually was the one who killed the hitchhiker - and as Dean (the victim from the episode) had begun to figure this out, she also murdered him at the reunion. The episode concludes with Janie finally getting that DI promotion - despite having annoyed DCI Clarke (Steffan Rhodri) previously having continued to work with John after being told not to. Earlier in the episode, John was also officially made a consultant. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But that was not all the episode had in store for viewers, there was one final revelation. John's girlfriend was not actually the lady of the manor and is instead Janie's mother Yvonne (Melanie Walters). Will there be a series 2 of Death Valley? The show certainly ended on an open note - with plenty more to explore in John and Janie's relationship - especially now he is dating her mother. He has also been brought on as a consultant, so the duo can continue to work together in future episodes. The narrative door remains open then, it is just a question of if it has been a success for the BBC. It actually beat Ludwig in the ratings for its first episode and was the Beeb's biggest audience for a new BBC Scripted Comedy title in five years, Hello Magazine reports. Death Valley has not officially been renewed - but it has proven to be a hit and those involved are eager to return. The show's co-lead Gwyneth Keyworth said: 'I really hope so. I haven't been told anything yet. But I'd be desperate to do it. Getting to hang out with Tim again would be an absolute treat.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Fingers crossed then, as we wait for an update from the BBC. Let me know if you want a second series of Death Valley by email: .
Scotsman
14 hours ago
- Scotsman
Death Valley BBC: will there be series 2
Death Valley's first season comes to an end tonight - but will it be back for more? 📺 Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Timothy Spall leads the cast in Death Valley. The crime drama pairs a retired TV star with a detective in Wales. But will more episodes of the show be coming? Death Valley has been one of the most pleasant TV surprises of the year. The cozy and charming crime drama has captured the hearts of viewers who have tuned in. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The final episode of the first season is set to air tonight (June 29). However you might be wondering if it will be back for more. What happened at the end of Death Valley? Timothy Spall and Gwyneth Keyworth starin Death Valley on BBC1 | BBC/BBC Studios/Simon Ridgway Spoilers for Death Valley up to and including series 1 episode 6. The full boxset is available to watch on BBC iPlayer right now. For its series one finale, Death Valley takes on a case of a murder at Janie's (Gwyneth Keyworth) school reunion. It is also one that has links back to a traumatic incident in her past. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Throughout the season, the show has pieced out details about Sian - a close friend of Janine's who died when they were young. Her necklace becomes a key piece of evidence in DC Evan Chaudhry's cold case - a hiker killed in a hit and run. It appears as if Sian had drunkenly killed him - and this had perhaps played into her suicide. However with the help of John Chapel (Timothy Spall), Janie is able to piece together what really happened. Sian's older sister Rhiannon (Remy Beasley) actually was the one who killed the hitchhiker - and as Dean (the victim from the episode) had begun to figure this out, she also murdered him at the reunion. The episode concludes with Janie finally getting that DI promotion - despite having annoyed DCI Clarke (Steffan Rhodri) previously having continued to work with John after being told not to. Earlier in the episode, John was also officially made a consultant. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But that was not all the episode had in store for viewers, there was one final revelation. John's girlfriend was not actually the lady of the manor and is instead Janie's mother Yvonne (Melanie Walters). Will there be a series 2 of Death Valley? The show certainly ended on an open note - with plenty more to explore in John and Janie's relationship - especially now he is dating her mother. He has also been brought on as a consultant, so the duo can continue to work together in future episodes. The narrative door remains open then, it is just a question of if it has been a success for the BBC. It actually beat Ludwig in the ratings for its first episode and was the Beeb's biggest audience for a new BBC Scripted Comedy title in five years, Hello Magazine reports. Death Valley has not officially been renewed - but it has proven to be a hit and those involved are eager to return. The show's co-lead Gwyneth Keyworth said: 'I really hope so. I haven't been told anything yet. But I'd be desperate to do it. Getting to hang out with Tim again would be an absolute treat.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Fingers crossed then, as we wait for an update from the BBC. Let me know if you want a second series of Death Valley by email: . Have you got a story you want to share with our readers? You can now send it to us online via YourWorld at . It's free to use and, once checked, your story will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers.
