Death Valley series 2 first look pictures and guest artists revealed as comedy crime drama starring Timothy Spall and Gwyneth Keyworth returns

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Published: 10:00 am, 7 May 2026

First look pictures have been released for the highly-anticipated second series of Death Valley, the BBC’s record-breaking comedy-crime series starring Timothy Spall and Gwyneth Keyworth.

Made by BBC Studios Comedy the series will air on Sunday 17 May at 8.15 pm on BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Death Valley is a BBC Studios Comedy production in association with BritBox for BBC iPlayer and BBC One.

The unlikely crime solving duo make a welcome return as retired actor John Chapel and disarming Welsh detective sergeant Janie Mallowan, alongside regular cast Alexandria Riley (Helen Baxter), Steffan Rhodri (DCI Barry Clarke), Melanie Walters (Yvonne Mallowan) and Rithvik Andugula (DC Evan Chaudhry).

A woman sits behind a desk in a laboratory — Baxter (Alexandria Riley) (Image: BBC/BBC Studios)

A man in a suit and tie looks out the door of an office. Mid Wales Police is written in English and Welsh on the glass. — DCI Barry Clarke (Steffan Rhodri) (Image: BBC/BBC Studios)

A man in a suit stands behind police tape taking notes — Chaudhry (Rithvik Andugula) (Image: BBC/BBC Studios)

A man and a woman stand in a coffee shop smiling and talking — John Chapel (Timothy Spall) and Yvonne (Melanie Walters) (Image: BBC/BBC Studios)

Set and filmed in Wales, the series broke records on its launch with the biggest overnight audience for a new scripted show in five years; the series averaged a strong 4.6 million average across 28 days. For Welsh audiences, Death Valley was the number one comedy across all channels and platforms in 2025.

Series two picks up a few months after the events of series one, Janie has been promoted to Detective Inspector and is busier than ever, with paperwork stacking up quicker than she can clear it. To make matters worse, she’s been ignoring John since finding out he’s been dating her mum. Janie’s hand is forced after a murder in a Community Payback group when DCI Barry Clarke forces her to bring John Chapel in as the department’s consultant.

Series two sees John reluctantly re-enter the world of acting, on the set of an epic Welsh fantasy TV series, when the pair are called to investigate a murder. Will this foray into his old thespian passion ignite something once forgotten in John? One thing is certain, whether investigating a murder in a coastal fishing village, a sustainable commune or the competitive world of rugby, John and Janie will continue to bring justice to mid-Wales.

A group of people gather together outside a building, standing behind a red ribbon that's being cut ceremonially — Warren (Hammed Animashaun), Liam (Jacob Ethan Tanner), John Chapel (Timothy Spall), Angela (Alexandra Roach), Polly (Jane Horrocks), Sally (Hannah Daniel) (Image: BBC/BBC Studios)

A group of people stand outside a pub, looking concerned by something that's happening out of shot — Joe (Ben Mcgregor), Karen (Roisin Conaty), Tina (Libby Mai), Gareth (Mark Lewis Jones) (Image: BBC/BBC Studios)

Guest artists featured across the series include Jane Horrocks (Here We Go, Chicken Run), Hammed Animashaun (Black Ops, SNL UK), Alexandra Roach (Killing Eve, Bodies), Roisin Conaty (After Life, Last one Laughing), Mark Lewis Jones (Chernobyl, Baby Reindeer, Outlander), Jim Howick (Ghosts, Here we Go), Owen Teale (Game of Thrones, Line of Duty, Sandokan), Asim Chaudhry (People Just Do Nothing, The Cleaner), Lynn Hunter (Pushers & End of the Fxx World), Rhiannon Clements (Small Prophets, Pushers), Mike Bubbins (Mammoth) and Liz Carr (Silent Witness, Good Omens).

Jim Howick in character as Randall St.Clair. He’s dressed in a historical costume and wears a long wig, a beard, and a green cloak over a tunic. A TV camera on a tripod is visible in the background. — Randall St.Clair (Jim Howick) (Image: BBC/BBC Studios)

Owen Teale and Gwyneth Keyworth in character as Micheal Mallowan and DS Janie Mallowan respectively. Micheal smiles and has his arm around Janie. Janie looks uncertain. A small lodge is in the background, the doors are open and a bedroom is visible inside. — L-R: Micheal Mallowan (Owen Teale), DS Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth) (Image: BBC/BBC Studios)

Asim Chaudhry and Tori Allen Martin in character as Omar and Amanda respectively. They are both outside in a garden. Omar kneels with a trowel to tend to flowerbeds, while Amanda grins and holds a gardening tool aloft. — L-R: Omar (Asim Chaudhry), Amanda (Tori Allen Martin) (Image: BBC/BBC Studios)

Liz Carr in character as Fiona Challoner. She holds a mobile phone in a room full of files and documents. She looks at something offscreen. — Fiona Challoner (Liz Carr) (Image: BBC/BBC Studios)

Amit Shah in character as Ash. He appears in an old, stone building. Sat in the foreground of the image, two other characters are blurred in the background. — Ash (Amit Shah) (Image: BBC/BBC Studios)

Death Valley (6×45) is a BBC Studios Comedy production in association with BritBox for BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Written and created by BAFTA-nominated Paul Doolan with episode writers Sian Harries, Ian Jarvis, and Nina Metivier. The series was ordered by Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy and Nick Andrews, Head of Commissioning for BBC Cymru Wales.

The commissioning editors are Seb Barwell for BBC Comedy, and Paul Forde for BBC Cymru Wales. Series two is directed by Simon Hynd and Claire Winyard, the producer is Nikki Wilson, the executive producers are Madeline Addy, Josh Cole, Paul Doolan and Timothy Spall. Additional funding support has been provided by the Welsh Government via Creative Wales and BBC Studios is handling global sales.

Death Valley series one and two have sold in over 100 international markets including Australia, North America (BritBox), Asia (Mystery Chanel, Japan and Coupang, South Korea), Europe (Cosmo, Spain and COSMOTE TV, Greece) and New Zealand (TVNZ) via a range of broadcast partnerships.