The BBC's forthcoming crime drama, Death Valley, faced unexpected "challenges" due to its rural Welsh filming locations.

The six-part murder mystery, expected to air on BBC One later this month, revolves around a retired actor named John Chapel (Timothy Spall).

In the show's opening scenes, John's neighbour is shockingly murdered, prompting him to join forces with DS Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth) to uncover the killer's identity.

Each week, the unlikely pair solve intriguing murders against the backdrop of beautiful Welsh scenery.

Despite their contrasting approaches to solving cases, they find themselves entangled in each other's personal lives.

"Despite their differences, they soon realise they are the closest thing each other has to a best friend, and unwittingly help one another move on from the past," the synopsis continues.

The cast also features Steffan Rhodri, Melanie Walters, Alexandria Riley, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Sian Gibson, Patricia Hodge and Jim Howick.

At a recent press event for the series, writer and creator Paul Doolan discussed the unforeseen difficulties the crew encountered while filming in rural Wales.

"The one episode where we needed bad weather, there's an episode where they're all locked in this house, and it's torrential rain so no one can leave, and it was like Barbados," he revealed, reports .

"The Welsh weather, when it's not good, it's still unreliable."

Lead actor, Timothy, added: "The Welsh thing, where it's set and where it is. It's charming and lovely to look at, and then we're in urban parts of it. In itself, it's a character, it's about time and place, an introduction to a place that people are kind of familiar with, but not enough.

"It's a rural setting, it's not one village, they cover a whole area... It becomes an introduction to this world that we think we know, but we don't.

"That in itself is a nice thing. I like that, the fact we're in a whole environment, it's original and the whole flavour and people of that world."

But it wasn't just the setting that showcased Welsh culture. Writer Paul explained how he was able to incorporate a Welsh feel to the scripts, including bringing in a local writer.

"It would have been [hard] for me to try and write a Welsh show and claim that as authentic. Sian [Gibson] coming on board, that freed everything up, and there's so much of Sian's voice across every episode, it really heightened the whole thing," he said.

"There's a lot of relatable characters in there, it's not like there's a Welsh monoculture. There will be people who watch it in West Wales and think, 'That's like my life,' and people in North Wales who have the same thing.

"You just have to write people that you believe in, that you find funny and then put it through that filter and hope it still works."

Death Valley will air on BBC One and BBC One Wales and stream on BBC iPlayer