BBC’s Hit Cosy Crime Drama Death Valley Returns With Six New Mysteries — And Timothy Spall’s Unlikely Detective Partnership Just Got Complicated

One of the BBC’s biggest new cosy crime successes is heading back to Wales — but the partnership at the heart of Death Valley is no longer quite as cosy as viewers remember it.

Timothy Spall and Gwyneth Keyworth return as retired actor John Chapel and newly promoted Detective Inspector Janie Mallowan for a second six-part series, following the impressive response to the show’s debut in 2025.

This time, murder investigations will take the pair from a coastal fishing village to a sustainable commune, the fiercely competitive world of rugby and even the set of an epic Welsh fantasy series.

There is just one problem.

Janie currently wants almost nothing to do with John after discovering that her unlikely crime-solving partner has been dating her mother.

Unfortunately for her, another murder is about to force them back together.

‘Death Valley’ became one of BBC’s biggest new shows

The first series introduced viewers to the unusual pairing of Janie and John, whose very different personalities unexpectedly proved useful when murder came calling.

Spall’s John is a retired actor rather than a professional investigator, while Keyworth’s Janie approaches cases from the perspective of an experienced police officer.

Their chemistry helped turn Death Valley into a notable success for the BBC.

Set and filmed in Wales, the show averaged 4.6 million viewers over 28 days and became one of the broadcaster’s most-watched new series.

It also ranked as the number-one comedy across channels and platforms in Wales during 2025.

Unsurprisingly, John and Janie are now being sent back into the field.

But several months have passed since viewers last saw them, and plenty has changed.

Janie has a promotion — and a problem with John

Season 2 picks up a few months after the events of the first series.

Janie has climbed the professional ladder and is now a Detective Inspector, bringing more responsibility, considerably more paperwork and an increasingly hectic life.

Her relationship with John, however, has taken a turn in the opposite direction.

Janie has discovered that John has been dating her mother, Yvonne.

She is not happy about it.

In fact, she has been avoiding him.

Keeping John at a distance becomes considerably more difficult when another killing lands on Janie’s desk.

According to the BBC synopsis, a murder involving a Community Payback group forces her hand when DCI Barry Clarke insists that she bring John back into the department as a consultant.

Whatever personal frustration exists between them will therefore have to wait.

There is another killer to catch.

John Chapel is going back to acting

The new investigation will also unexpectedly reconnect John with the career he left behind.

One of the Season 2 cases takes John and Janie onto the production of a huge Welsh fantasy television series after a murder occurs.

For John, returning to a film set means confronting a part of himself he thought he had left in the past.

The BBC teases that the case could reignite his forgotten passion for performing as he “reluctantly” steps back into the acting world.

Whether that experience convinces him that retirement was the right decision — or awakens something he thought had disappeared — remains to be seen.

It also creates an entertaining new layer for Spall’s character, whose theatrical instincts have always made him a rather unconventional addition to a police investigation.

Six episodes will take the detectives across Wales

As with its first outing, Death Valley will use its Welsh setting as an important part of the mystery.

John and Janie will encounter murders in a range of dramatically different environments.

Alongside the fantasy television production, the pair will investigate a case in a coastal fishing village.

Another mystery takes them into a sustainable commune.

Then there is the competitive world of rugby, where another death requires their attention.

Despite the change in Janie’s rank and the awkward development in their personal relationship, the central formula remains intact: the professional detective and retired actor must combine their very different talents to uncover the truth.

As the synopsis promises, John and Janie will continue “to bring justice to mid-Wales.”

Timothy Spall and Gwyneth Keyworth lead the returning cast

Spall and Keyworth are once again at the center of the series.

Spall returns as John Chapel, while Keyworth reprises her role as Janie Mallowan.

Several familiar faces will be joining them.

Alexandria Riley returns as Helen Baxter, while Steffan Rhodri is back as DCI Barry Clarke.

Melanie Walters reprises her role as Janie’s mother, Yvonne Mallowan — whose relationship with John has now created an unexpected complication for her daughter.

Rithvik Andugula also returns as DC Evan Chaudhry.

But the new murders require plenty of new suspects, witnesses and characters, and Season 2 has assembled an extensive guest cast to fill those roles.

‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Killing Eve’ and ‘Ghosts’ stars join Season 2

Among the newcomers is Jane Horrocks, whose credits include Here We Go and Chicken Run.

Hammed Animashaun, known for Black Ops and SNL UK, also appears, alongside Killing Eve and Bodies actress Alexandra Roach.

After Life star Roisin Conaty joins the guest lineup, as does Mark Lewis Jones, whose credits include Chernobyl, Baby Reindeer and Outlander.

There are more recognizable names throughout the six episodes.

Jim Howick of Ghosts and Here We Go will appear, while Owen Teale brings an extensive résumé that includes Game of Thrones, Line of Duty and Sandokan.

Asim Chaudhry, known for People Just Do Nothing and The Cleaner, is also among the newcomers, along with Lynn Hunter.

Rhiannon Clements, Mike Bubbins and Silent Witness and Good Omens star Liz Carr round out the guest lineup.

The rotating collection of familiar faces should provide plenty of potential suspects as each new mystery unfolds.

A cosy crime formula with an increasingly messy relationship

The appeal of Death Valley rests on more than simply finding out who committed each murder.

John and Janie are an odd couple by design.

One has spent his life performing characters, understanding motivations and observing human behavior from an actor’s perspective.

The other is a police detective whose job requires evidence, procedure and discipline.

Putting those approaches together created the partnership that powered the first series.

Season 2 complicates that dynamic by making the relationship personal.

Janie may have been able to tolerate John’s unconventional investigative methods, but discovering that he has started dating her mother is another matter.

Now DCI Barry Clarke is forcing her to work with him anyway.

That tension gives the second series a ready-made source of comedy alongside its murders.

The BBC’s Welsh crime hit is ready for another binge

After averaging 4.6 million viewers during its first run, Death Valley returns with the elements that made the original work while expanding the world around its central duo.

There are six new mysteries.

A large collection of recognizable guest stars.

A newly promoted Janie.

John’s unexpected return to acting.

And a romantic development involving Janie’s mother that has left the detectives’ friendship considerably more awkward than before.

The locations may change and the bodies may keep appearing, but solving them will once again require John and Janie to do the one thing Janie currently seems determined to avoid.

Work together.

Death Valley returns Sunday, May 17 at 8.15pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.