secrets from the set DEATH VALLEY

TV Times goes behind the scenes of BBC1's quirky whodunnit

- 

COTTAGE INDUSTRY

At the start of the six-part series, retired actor John Chapel (played by Timothy Spall) is living a semi-reclusive life in the Welsh countryside. Although the interiors of his home were filmed in a studio, Death Valley’s production team went on the hunt for a real-life cottage that suited the character’s personality to use for exterior shots.

‘We wanted to find one that was intriguing and pretty, but not too chocolate box-y,’ says producer Nikki Wilson, in an exclusive interview with TV Times. ‘We originally found one in picturesque village Merthyr Mawr, but then we saw a house in St Hilary and we all went, “That’s the one!”

‘All of the conversations still had to happen with the owner to make sure they were comfortable with us filming there. But we’ve got a brilliant location manager, Iestyn Hampson-Jones, who’s great at putting people’s minds at rest and persuading them to let us film their beautiful properties.’

DREAM TEAM

The heart of the show is the crime-solving partnership that John forms with DS Janie Mallowan, portrayed by Gwyneth Keyworth, so finding the right actors to play them was key.

‘We actually cast Gwyneth first,’ says Nikki. ‘A lot of 30-something Welsh actresses sent us audition tapes, but from the word go, all of us just went, “Gwyneth is Janie.” Her casting really informed the character, too; she’s got such an amazing energy.