Death Valley review Timothy Spall is having a total blast, and so will you!

"Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth) has been promoted to detective inspector and is wondering if her seniority means she can no longer call herself J-Dog. She remains charming but also goofy and tactless; at one point, she complains about a teabag being left in a cuppa made for her by the wife of a recent murder victim."

"Meanwhile, John Chapel (Timothy Spall) is a long way from the gloomy recluse of old. In fact, he's positively chipper, almost as full of self-regarding quips as his erstwhile TV detective alter ego, Caesar. He's now knocking boots with Janie's mum, Vonnie (Melanie Walters) I did try not to, he says indignantly."

"But clearly, this state of affairs will not last. After all, what provincial police force worth its salt could resist enlisting the help of an ageing but still universally recognisable actor to help them crack homicide cases? Not this one. I did try not to!' Timothy Spall and Melanie Walters in Death Valley."

"Death Valley's main strength remains its willingness to lean into the absurdity of its premise. Across this second season, stories include everything from a suspicious death in a community service litter-picking detail (inevitably, Chapel is forced to don a hi-vis bib and pretend he has committed a driving offence to get the inside track on the group) to the murder of a hipster chef selling seaside street food."

Janie Mallowan is promoted to detective inspector and questions whether her new seniority changes her identity. She stays charming but remains goofy and tactless, including a complaint about a teabag left in a drink prepared for her by a murder victim’s wife. John Chapel is no longer a gloomy recluse and is portrayed as chipper, delivering self-regarding quips. He becomes involved with Janie’s mother, making him unwelcome at the police station. The series leans into the absurd premise, featuring cases such as a suspicious death during community litter-picking and a murder involving a hipster chef selling seaside street food. The cases vary in entertainment value but remain light and not deeply weighted.

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