John Chapel (TIMOTHY SPALL) in Death Valley. (BBC/BBC Studios/Simon Ridgway)
The BBC’s new detective drama has gathered rave reviews, with Timothy Spall’s performance as eccentric national treasure John Chapel keeping fans hooked. He stars opposite disarming cop DS Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth) and Sian Gibson, with Gavin & Staceystars Melanie Walters and Steffan Rhodris rounding out the cast of this cosy crime drama. But the scene stealer has to be the setting: think gloriously verdant valleys, cute villages and breathtaking mountain trails. As we race through the six episodes, it all has us daydreaming of a weekend break. But where was Death Valley filmed? Here’s what you need to know.
Where Was Death Valley Filmed?
Death Valley is set in Wales – and it was all filmed there, too. ‘There is intentionally a real sense of scale and scope to the series,’ says Death Valley’s executive producer Madeline Addy. ‘It was always the ambition of our visionary director Simon Hynd to shoot the series with high production values, like a premium drama, a lot of big sweeping vistas and natural lighting. We establish a strong sense of place with our visuals. Wales is absolutely a character itself.’
Death Valley was filmed ‘across locations in around Cardiff, Penarth, Mountain Ash, Cowbridge, the Brecon Beacons,’ Addy adds. ‘I don’t know anywhere else in the UK that gives us the variety with stunning locations like a manor house, the seaside, and the countryside. It was breathtaking scenery.’
John Chapel (TIMOTHY SPALL) & Janie Mallowan (GWYNETH KEYWORTH) in Death Valley. (BBC/BBC Studios/Simon Ridgway)
Death Valley is set in a fictional Welsh village, but most of the scenes there were shot in Penarth – including the pier. Because each episode traces a new case, the filming locations vary across the series. However, a few crop up in every episode, including John’s cottage, which was filmed at a real home in St Hilary in the Vale of Glamorgan. Meanwhile, John’s favourite cafe – where he relishes a macchiato – is actually Penarth’s Brød Bakery outlet, which is a Danish bakery chain with venues dotted across Cardiff.
Elsewhere, scenes set in the police station were filmed in a small village called Mountain Ash, hidden just south of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park (Brecon Beacons) – which is coincidentally the hometown of BBC Wales director Rhuanedd Richards. And the second episode utilises the nearby Bannau Brycheiniog as a walking group hike through its stunning beauty, passing by the Blaen y Glyn waterfalls. Star Gwyneth Keyworth cites this as her favourite filming location, calling it ‘a great episode to film’ and adding she ‘always loves being back home’.
The second episode utilises the beauty of the nearby Bannau Brycheiniog. (L-R: Leah Joines (LU CORFIELD), Steffan (DYAN MALYN), Mali Harries, Anna (VICKI PEPPERDINE), Yvonne (MELANIE WALTERS), Ryan (LAWRENCE WALKER) [BBC/BBC Studios/Simon Ridgway])
‘Wales is extremely beautiful,’ agrees lead star Timothy Spall. ‘We were based in Cardiff, but you are half an hour away from the most exquisite countryside. I have worked in Wales a couple of times, and my wife and I also went all along the coast on our boat. I know every port along the way, so I’ve spent a bit of time there, the coast is so beautiful. Cardiff is a lovely, very friendly, and welcoming place.’
5 Wales Weekend Breaks, Inspired By Death Valley
Looking for some Welsh countryside escapism? Here are five hotels channeling the Death Valley vibe – murder not included…
Palé Hall Hotel, Snowdonia
Another country manor that’d make the perfect murder mystery setting is Palé Hall Hotel, blissfully located in the tranquil Dee Valley. Holding one of the latest and greatest accolades, a Michelin Key, this grand historic Victorian mansion is a real triumph. Eighteen individually style bedrooms join three charming garden suites dotted across the dog-friendly grounds, and the food is certainly worth travelling for, home to Wales’ very first Michelin green star.
If Death Valley’s occasional snippets of seaside Penarth are the side of Wales you’re looking for, hop further west and book a staycation at this grand Welsh mansion in pretty coast town Tenby. Exuding bonhomie, you’ll instantly relax and feel at home at Penally Abbey, an 18th-century Gothic house brought stunningly back to life by owners Lucas and Melanie Boissevain in 2014. And for walkers, just a 10 minute stroll from the front door lies the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path – a dream route for walkers and ramblers offering breathtaking scenery and access to hidden coves and beaches.
If episode two’s rambles through the Brecon Beacons captured your attention, it’s time to book a stay at The Felin Fach Griffin, a wonderfully unpretentious inn tucked away north of the national park. A sanctuary for food lovers, walkers, and bookish visitors to nearby Hay-on-Wye – famed for its annual Hay Literary Festival – guests love the honest simplicity and warmth of welcome, along with the colourful and comfortable interiors. And just a glimpse of the hills outside will have you feeling truly enveloped in a big embrace.
Doubles from £182.50 per night, or £275 including dinner.
Episode four of Death Valley is set across a countryside manor, where a murder mystery goes wrong. The real filming location is Insole Court in Llandaff, just outside Cardiff – but fellow manor house Bodysgallen Hall on the flipside of the country is a dignified dupe. Located a short distance from Llandudno’s famous promenade and beaches, Bodysgallen is thought to have been built as part of the outlying defences of also-nearby Conwy Castle. Today, it boasts 15 bedrooms and a further 16 postcard-pretty cottages within the estate’s 200 acres of wooded parkland, all backdropped by breathtaking Snowdonia views.
With a magnificent setting beside the River Monnow – with oak beams, antique furniture and comfy sofas beside the fires inside, and a pretty garden terrace for warm weather – The Bell at Skenfrith masters that rarefied contemporary-cosy vibe we’re always seeking. Hidden in the small countryside village of Skenfrith with only 11 rooms to its name, it perfectly captures the cosiness of Death Valley.
