Death Valley

I am very impressed with this show. So many of the new shows out now I can't stand. They all try to be something that they're not. It's a mystery, but it tries to be funny. It's a comedy that tries to be serious. This show has managed to combine comedy and mystery and balances them out.

And both the lead actors are terrific. Timothy Spall is so underrated. I haven't seen him in much but he is terrific in this. The writing in the show is excellent also. I was very impressed. I have to play it over again a couple of times because of the accents but otherwise I love it. Please let them do more like this.

As others here have pointed out, she's a thoroughly off-putting character. And not even in a convincing or consistent way. At the start of episode 1, she's so thrilled to see Timothy Spall, as a TV detective-show star she idolizes, that she acts like a breathless schoolgirl fan (though she's supposed to be a cop). Yet just minutes after pushing her way into his home and chatting with him, she's inexplicably treating him with disdain and is impatient to leave. A couple of scenes later, talking with him in a coffee shop, she begins helping herself to chunks of his brownie... and apparently we're supposed to find this hilarious. I did not. And that's as far as I got.

Whilst investigating a murder DS Janie Mallowan discovers that a mysterious reclusive man living by the scene is none other than John Chapel, better known as 'Caesar' a well known TV detective. After a frosty initial meeting, the pair team up to solve a number of cases.

I can see why reviews have fallen on both sides, I get it, I'd say it's all about expectation, just know what you're getting.

It's light, easy going, slightly silly, family friendly viewing, it's very much in the Sunday teatime group of shows, if you like Father Brown and Mallorca Files, you'll definitely appreciate this.

Wonderful location work, it's lovely to recognise to many of the wonderful Welsh locations.

Gwyneth Kenyon is bags of fun as the brash, outspoken Mallowan, Timothy Spall can simply do no wrong in my eyes, lots of well known faces pop up and it's good to see so much Welsh talent.

If you're wanting something serious, you'll be disappointed, if you want fun, easy viewing, you'll enjoy it. More please.

8/10.

Timothy Spall as always is excellent but based on the first episode I found it very disappointing. It is advertised as a comedy drama but I felt more effort was put into the comedy than the drama. It did make me chuckle a few times but I was hoping it would be a drama with a slight comedic touch. What I struggle with most was trying to cram the story it into one episode. We seemed to jump from puzzling over a few random clues to all of a sudden having a Death in Paradise type ending where everyone was gathered together and the big rather complex reveal was made with no explanation as to how they got there.

I will give episode two a try but not hopeful I'm afraid.

Edit. Well I gave episode two a try and enjoyed it more, by the time I watched all of season one I had changed my mind and now look forward to season 2.

If you view this as another murder mystery show, then you might be vaguely disappointed. However, if you plant your taste organ in your cheek and let the show be itself, you'll find that it is ironic, does not take itself too seriously and while being being light hearted and fun never goes over board with it.

And takes a few of the more overused tropes of the genre down a peg or two in the process.

The show could so easily have been "Americanised" and become a mockery of iteself by being overdone, and we can only hope that it doesn't.

I've watched the first 3 episodes that have aired so far. I'll be back for all of them.