The first series of Death Valley launched on BBC One in May 2025 with 2.9 million overnight viewers – the biggest overnight audience for a new BBC scripted comedy in five years.
The series follows retired actor John Chapel, played by Timothy Spall, and Welsh detective Janie Mallowan, played by Gwyneth Keyworth, as they solve murders in the Welsh countryside.
Their work takes the pair to a variety of locations, from a coastal fishing village, to a sustainable commune and a rugby club. One episode sees Chapel reluctantly return to the world of acting on the set of a big-budget Welsh, Game of Thrones-style fantasy drama.
“We’d always hoped committing to a show with warmth, that worked as a comedy but also tried to tell a satisfying mystery would find an audience, especially in times that are more interesting, shall we say,” Doolan said.
He added the tone of the series helped set it apart from other crime dramas.
“It’s able to find moments of comedy in what is usually portrayed as a very serious, procedural, professional world,” he said.
“It’s a crime drama populated by flawed, funny, relatable people which, if feedback from real police officers is to be believed, isn’t all that far from reality.”