There is something irresistible about a good murder mystery; add a retired actor with an inflated sense of his own detective abilities, a no-nonsense police officer and the picturesque Welsh countryside, and you have the unconventional world of “Death Valley”.
The British comedy-drama once again sees acclaimed actor Timothy Spall, known for “Harry Potter“, “Alice in Wonderland” and “Mr Turner”, step into the shoes of John Chapel, a retired actor who finds an unexpected second act helping Detective Sergeant Janie Mallowan (played by Gwyneth Keyworth) solve murders.
A classic whodunnit
For Spall, who has spent close to five decades playing memorable characters, “Death Valley” presented a surprisingly unfamiliar opportunity: the classic whodunnit.
“I’m terrible, I’m never any good personally at working out crimes,” Spall admitted during a recent interview.
“I don’t watch many whodunnits, and I’ve only ever been in one in my entire career of nearly 50 years apart from this, so that’s one of the reasons I wanted to do it, because I’ve never done one.”
For Spall, part of the genre’s appeal is how each murder introduces audiences to a different community, its characters, relationships and secrets.
“You’re meeting a gallery, a cast, a wonderful play every time you go into a different area,” he explained. “You’re being taken on another journey into another world.”
At the heart of “Death Valley” is the unlikely partnership between Chapel and Janie.
An unlikely partnership
At the heart of “Death Valley” is the unlikely partnership between Chapel and Janie. While Janie relies on evidence and police procedure, Chapel is more interested in understanding human behaviour and motivation, an approach Spall believes shares similarities with acting.
“What I spend a lot of time doing is empathising, feeling, trying to understand the psychology of what would be perceived as despicable people,” he said.
Their opposing approaches frequently put them at loggerheads, but beneath the arguments is genuine affection. Spall describes their relationship not as father and daughter or romantic, but as that of “unusual siblings”. That dynamic also provides much of the show’s humour.
“I think it’s genuinely funny without being gaggy,” Spall said. “A lot of the humour comes out of the relationship and the eccentricity of the characters, rather than being gags.”
It is particularly true of Chapel, an actor “born and bred” who may have left the profession but has never quite stopped behaving like one.
“I love playing characters that are both annoying, but you can’t help liking them,” Spall said.
What to expect from season two
As for what viewers can expect from Season 2, Spall is keeping the twists firmly under wraps. “We’re trying to balance three balls all the time: drama, comedy and emotion,” he said.
“Hopefully it’s entertaining and engaging and funny.” With Chapel and Janie back to argue, investigate and eventually find their way towards the truth, South African viewers will soon have another chance to put their own detective skills to the test.
“Death Valley” Season 2 premieres on BBC Brit (DStv Channel 120) on Monday, September 7, at 8.00pm, with new episodes airing weekly until October 12.
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