Death Valley is a new BBC One comedy crime drama starring Timothy Spall and Gwyneth Keyworth. If you're a fan of shows like Death in Paradise and Ludwig, this is sure to be one for you. The series sees retired actor John Chapel (Spall), who's best known for playing a fictional TV detective, team up with Detective Sergeant Janie Mallowan (Keyworth) to solve murders.
Every episode is available now on BBC iPlayer, so you can get stuck right in. So, without further ado, let's meet the Death Valley cast and all the key characters...
John Chapel (Timothy Spall)
A retired actor who is best known to his adoring fans for playing a detective in the hit TV series Caesar. John now lives a quiet life in rural Wales until the police knock on his door about a suspicious death.
Spotting crucial clues in the case, John suddenly finds himself helping out on a murder case. "John's quite arrogant and conceited," explains Timothy. "He's a little bit in love with the idea of being an actor, but also because he hasn't worked for a long time, he’s terrified that he might have lost it".
DS Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth)
A talkative, ambitious detective, who is coping with the grief over the death of her best friend, with an almost obsessive focus on her job. She's a huge fan of John Chapel's fictional crime drama Caesar, even owning a Caesar mug, which she’s very proud of! So, she can't believe her luck when she meets the man himself. "For a brief moment, Janie completely forgets herself that she’s a police officer when she sees her all-time hero in the house," says Gwyneth.
DCI Barry Clarke (Steffan Rhodri)
The police boss got elevated to the top job in unusual circumstances, and prefers to work with minimal drama. He's not keen on murder cases because of all the paperwork.
DC Evan Chaudhry (Rithvik Andugula)
Janie's colleague is still a little green when it comes to the harsh world of detective work, but he does have plenty of enthusiasm!
Helen Baxter (Alexandria Riley)
The straight-talking pathologist is a good friend of Janie's, and one of the few who calls her our on not having dealt with her grief properly.
Tony (Mike Bubbins)
Tony is the unself-aware and overly friendly Desk Sergeant at the police station where Janie works. You'll probably know actor Mike Bubbins, who plays Tony, from his sitcom Mammoth.
Yvonne Mallowan (Melanie Walters)
Janie's mother is critical of a lot of what her daughter does, but will she be charmed by her famous new friend?
Death Valley is on BBC One on Sunday nights and is available now on BBC iPlayer. Check out our best BBC dramas guide for more series to enjoy.
