How would you describe your character John Chapel and how are we introduced to him?

John is a retired actor who played the title role of ‘Caesar’ in a hugely successful TV detective series; a period piece, made in the early 2000s and set in the 1950’s. At the height of his fame, he disappeared off the face of the earth and he now lives in the same region of rural Wales that the police force is operating in; a bearded recluse who has become a bit of a curmudgeon described by one of the locals as a ‘grumpy old b**tard!

‘Caesar’ is DS Janie Mallowan’s (Gwyneth Keyworth) favourite TV detective. She became very fond of the show during a period of grief when she was younger, watching ‘Caesar’ on a loop to find solace. Consequently ‘Caesar’ means a lot to her. In episode one, they meet when Janie is making house to house enquiries and inadvertently John becomes involved in solving the crime.

What appealed to you about this new comedy crime drama?

There’s an originality and an emotional grounding to the characters. They are both bad at recognising their own faults but excellent at pointing out each other’s and those clashes are investigated in an entertaining way. Their unusual bond becomes strong and mutually dependent, even though it has significant and challenging ups and downs. It was also nice to be asked by the creative team to bring my own thoughts and ideas to John’s character and how it should be developed.

How would you describe the dynamic between you and Gwyneth’s character Janie Mallowan and their different approach to crime solving?

They are both very eccentric characters, both have their own idiosyncratic ways, they clash, there is animosity, but they also have a bizarre affection for each other. DS Janie Mallowan is very good at saying the wrong thing, immediately realises it, tries retracting and in doing so often makes things worse. Simultaneously, she also manages through being unusually disarming to get results. She’s a good police officer, she knows her business, she’s ambitious and she gets things out of people - a wonderful character which Gwyneth plays brilliantly.

Their first encounter doesn’t end well! Janie goes from hero worshipping John to insulting him very rapidly when he gives his opinion on the first case, calling him the local hermit! John doesn’t consider himself to be a detective but an expert on what makes people tick, through years of experience as a serious actor. He considers it makes him an expert on thinking outside of the box from a psychological point of view rather than from a basic evidence point of view, which is how Janie works as a detective. He always goes from character motivations and the natural contradictions of human behaviour. These contrasting techniques, distrusted by each other, becomes the basis of their success.

John and Janie are from completely different generations, does that add to the humour?

Yes, it does and what I like is they don’t pull the generational thing on each other. It’s oddly similar to a sibling dynamic and it doesn’t fit the bill of what you normally get. John doesn’t berate Janie for being young and naïve, she doesn’t accuse him of being old and out of touch. What I like is they recognise each other’s souls, but it’s never discussed between them or even acknowledged. In the acting profession due to the egalitarian nature of the process, it is not unusual to get friendships between people in their 80s and 20s, so I recognise the truth of it.

There is a crime a week, did you have a favourite case to solve?

I enjoyed the case when John goes undercover in an amateur dramatics company who are staging an experimental Hamlet, to solve a case. He answers an urgent call from the company who need a replacement Claudius.

He’s initially very patronising about the amateur company and their enterprise and outraged when Janie accuses him of doing it because secretly his been missing performing as an actor. He insists vehemently he is there to find the identity of the murderer and not to flex his acting muscles. He ends up getting very involved in the production and Janie is not happy with the whole affair.

The series is filmed and set in Wales did you enjoy filming there?

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. We were based in Cardiff, but you are half an hour away from the most exquisite countryside. Wales is extremely beautiful.

How do you feel Death Valley differs from other murder mystery crime drama and what can audiences expect?

Paul Doolan has written excellent scripts! He’s a fantastic comedy writer but also a big fan of crime dramas. With Death Valley, you have three aspects – the whodunnit, characters who are both real and funny plus a dramatic, emotionally grounded quality.

What did you enjoy most about playing John and ‘Caesar’ and are there any aspects of your personality that are similar?

It was good to set about trying to create a character that is recognisable as a human being, for better and for worse. After a long time in the profession hopefully I've been able draw on examples of actorly idiosyncrasies and conceits that I've experienced in myself and perhaps occasionally in others! Hopefully, this ends up being intriguing and with a bit of luck amusing.

John Chapel is an actor who has removed himself from a successful career for personal reasons. It is revealed during the series that he always felt he had the ability to understand human beings on a deep physiological level, driven by the desire to create complex characters as an actor and now being involved with crime solving. He likes the fact he can utilise that skill towards something that is helpful on a profounder level rather than just for the entertainment industry. Adamant that acting is behind him forever he convinces himself this new endeavour is what he now finds satisfying.

How would you describe Death Valley in three words?

Intriguing, engaging, amusing – I hope! It’s now over to the audience to decide!

Just as Janie fan worships John/Caesar, is there a famous character you absolutely loved? Or TV detective?

Yes, if you go way back, I loved Callan and Inspector Lockhart (No Hiding Place). My friend Kevin Whately, and John Thaw in Morse; The Sweeney was marvellous too. One of my favourites is Rumpole of the Bailey, not a detective of course, an eccentric, claret loving barrister, but he somehow always gets to the truth and proper justice and Leo Mckearn was superb. There was the excellent Peter Falk as Columbo too! And another dear pal the brilliant Brenda Blethyn as Vera.

Were you a fan of murder mystery crime-drama before filming the series?

When I do catch them, I’m always intrigued by how they are constructed. I am not very good at working them out though! You often get these wonderful performances in plot bound scenarios and it’s an actor’s chance to play characters that hoodwink the audience by using their acting ability to draw the wool over people’s eyes and pull them into the story.

Along with a great returning cast, each episode has a whole new group of artists. Was that an exciting aspect to filming?

Yes, each episode, has a different cast and story. It was like changing the repertory company each time. It gave a different and fresh flavour to each story and the audience are introduced to a new world and dynamic each time.

We benefited from having some excellent and very funny actors joining us. Some I had worked with previously; it was lovely working with them again and getting to know some brilliant and charming actors I hadn’t encountered before. I hope the excellent time I had with Gwyneth, the regular cast and the guest stars all translates into a great show for the audience to enjoy. We do make it for them after all!