Death Valley on BBC One: All the filming locations, including 'beautiful and picturesque' seaside town
We swoon for the scenery!
Death Valley, BBC One’s quirky detective drama with a comic twist, put its filming locations at the very top of our bucket list with series 1 in 2025. And series 2 bring us some more spectacular views.
Like Doc Martin before it, Death Valley made a beautiful area of the UK a very popular tourist destination. But while fans will know that Doc Martin was filmed in the Cornish village of Port Isaac, Death Valley is filmed in Wales.
So where exactly is it set, and where did cast and crew film the scenes in the BBC One series? Here’s everything you need to know about the key filming locations on Death Valley.
![The lush green landscapes of Wales feature heavily in Death Valley [Credit: BBC One]](https://cdn.tvguide.co.uk/uploads/2026/05/Untitled-29.jpg)
Where is Death Valley set?
Timothy Spall detective drama Death Valley is set in “various stunning locations” in Wales. More specifically, filming took place in the seaside town of Penarth in the Vale of Glamorgan. Cast and crew were spotted filming on Glebe Street, including a bakery called Brod, which pops up in several episodes.
Filming also took place in Llantwit Major, around St Illtyd’s Church and Galilee Chapel on the western edge of the town.
Timothy Spall said: “I’m really looking forward to teaming up with the brilliant Gwyneth Keyworth, and the fantastically talented team of creatives and technicians on this new and unique comedy drama.
“I’m relishing the prospect of getting stuck in as we embark on creating this truly oddball detective duo who develop their unusual combined eccentric skills to hilarious and surprisingly successful effect in beautiful rural Wales and its gorgeous towns and villages.”
Meanwhile, Nick Andrews – Head of Commissioning for BBC Wales – said: “Comedy in Wales is in terrific shape! The very best comedians, the very best writers are playing their part in establishing Wales as a very funny place. We always knew this to be true and now the rest of the UK do too.”
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Death Valley filming locations: Brod bakery is located in Penarth
Throughout the series, filming took place at John Chapel’s house, where young detective sergeant Janie Mallowan implants herself to usually steal his tea and biscuits – and pick his brains.
The exterior of John’s cottage was filmed in the village of St Hilary, Vale of Glamorgan. It’s actually a pretty small village of around 80 houses, with a population of around 260. The nearest town is Cowbridge.
The exterior of the police station during Death Valley was filmed in Mountain Ash town hall. Mountain Ash is a town within the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
Meanwhile, the interior of Caesar’s fictional police station is St Fagan’s museum of Welsh Life. It’s an open-air museum in St Fagan’s, Cardiff, chronicling the historical lifestyle, culture, and architecture of the Welsh people.
The interior and exterior of the bakery where Chapel gets his fancy coffee (an extra hot long macchiato) from is Brod bakery, which is located in Penarth. Brod is a real bakery.
Death Valley On BBC One series 1 key filming locations
- Episode 1: The house where victim Carwyn lives with his wife Danielle is in Duffryn, Vale of Glamorgan. Duffryn is actually pretty near the town centre of Barry (about 7.7 km to be exact), which is famous for being the home of Gavin & Stacey. The building site featured in episode 1 was filmed in Abbey Wood’s, Cwmbran.
- Episode 2: The waterfall featured in Death Valley episode 2 is Blaen y Glyn, found in the stunning Brecon Beacons. The interior of the pub where the walkers stop for refreshments was filmed in the Kings Arms, Pentyrch, Cardiff. The external of the pub is provided by The Old Ford Inn, Llanhamlach, Brecon.
- Episode 3: The exterior and interior of the church in Death Valley episode 3 was filmed at St Illtud’s, Llandwit Major. All other exteriors, including the gallery, were also filmed in Llandwit Major, a town on the Bristol Channel coast.
- Episode 4: The exterior of the theatre in episode 4 was filmed at Penarth Pier, a Victorian era pier in the town of Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. The interior of the theatre, however, was shot in Penarth Conservative Club, a 10 minute walk away. Leonard’s House can be found in Ogmore-by-Sea, a seaside village in St Brides Major community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.
- Episode 5: The exterior and interior of the stately Home was filmed in Insole Court, Cardiff. Insole Court is a Grade II listed mansion house nestled in the Cardiff suburb of Llandaff.
- Episode 6: The exterior and interior of the school was filmed at Brynteg Comprehensive School, Bridgend. Brynteg School is located on Ewenny Rd in Bridgend.
Death Valley series 2 key filming locations
- Episode 1 of Death valley series 2: Cerfedw Castle was actually filmed at Raglan Castle.
- Episode 2’s seaside town is called Abertonnau, and The Ship pub was filmed at The White Cross Inn, Taff’s Well.
- The exterior of Abertonnau was filmed in Little Haven and Milford Haven.
- The exterior port scenes were filmed at Barry Yacht club.
- Episode 3: Cast and crew of the unit base of a streamer high end fantasy drama was filmed at Margam Castle & Country Park.
- Episode 4: The commune and farm were filmed at Coed Hills in St Hilary.
- Episode 6: The Rugby Club in the final episode was filmed at Maesteg Rugby Club.
- Series locations across all eps include a BBC set for Trebach police station, in interiors of John’s house, and the Pathology lab. The coffee shop was filmed in Brod bakery, Penarth, and the exterior of John’s house was filmed in St Hilary.
‘The show is like going on a lovely holiday every week’
Taking about the benefits of filming in Wales, executive producer Madeline Addy said: “The beauty of filming in Wales is that you don’t need to travel far to hit on such a wide variety of stunning locations. Our locations team pulled out all the stops in sourcing fantastic locations like Raglan Castle’s ancient ruins in Monmouthshire, and a picturesque fishing village in Little Haven Pembrokeshire.
“A gothic Tudor mansion in Port Talbot was the backdrop for our epic ‘Game of Throne’ styles TV series show-within- a show. The locations we feature are very much supporting characters within the world of each story. It’s one of the key components of making the show look and feel distinctive. I think watching the show is like going on a lovely holiday every week without leaving your sofa.”
‘Abertonnau is so beautiful and picturesque’
Detective Janie Mallowan actress Gwyneth Keyworth describes her favourite Death Valley filming locations, and why. She told is: “I loved the rugby club episode because there’s something so nostalgic about rugby clubs. I’d go at Christmas, for school discos, and my parents met in a rugby club. So they mean a lot to me and my family and they’re such an iconic Welsh cultural tradition.
“In episode one we filmed at Raglan Castle and I hadn’t been before. I absolutely loved it. I’m such a history buff so, whenever I wasn’t filming, I’d be going around the castle researching the history.
“In episode two there’s a murder in a seaside town and we filmed in Abertonnau, which is so beautiful and picturesque. I grew up in a seaside town, so I loved filming there.
Talking about the importance of using the Welsh language in Death Valley, she added: “It’s so important. I think it gives a specificity and authenticity to the show that I feel is an accurate representation of Wales today. It’s complex and it’s beautiful – the landscape, the language, and the rhythm of it all feel incredibly authentic and still full of all the humour that we know and love.”
Read more: Death Valley series 1 ending explained
