DEATH VALLEY (SERIES 1)

BBC STUDIOS · Costume Designer

DIRECTOR — Simon Hynd

PRODUCER — Nikki Wilson

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS — Madeline Addy, Josh Cole, Paul Doolan, Seb Barwell, Paul Forde

SERIES TRAILER

THE DESIGN

For the first series of Death Valley, my approach was to create a distinctive, slightly heightened visual world, rooted in the recognisable communities of South Wales but with greater colour, character and theatricality than everyday realism. The costumes needed to support the warmth and eccentricity of the comedy, finding a balance between believable, lived-in clothing and more expressive styling that brought individuality and visual interest to the screen.

At the heart of the design is the unlikely partnership between John Chapel and Janie Mallowan, whose wardrobes were conceived as a visual yin and yang. Working closely with Timothy Spall and drawing on the script, I developed John’s theatrical, gently eccentric wardrobe, combining garments from different decades with distinctive textures, silhouettes and a sense of personal history. Janie’s style was deliberately more instinctive and offbeat, reflecting her unconventional way of seeing the world. Her playful combinations of colour, proportion and pattern have an unexpected logic of their own, creating a quirky, energetic silhouette that contrasts with, yet complements, John’s.

Across the series, each episode introduces a different corner of Welsh society, allowing supporting characters and environments to have their own distinctive visual identities. Through carefully considered colour relationships, character-specific details and a balance of realism and stylisation, the intention was to create a cohesive, visually engaging world in which the costumes contribute naturally to the humour, warmth and individuality of the series.

EXPLORE THE WORK

EPISODE 5 – ‘A MURDER MYSTERY’

EPISODE 4 – A MURDER IN ‘HAMLET’