Owen Teale, the Swansea-born actor best known for his roles in Game of Thrones, Line of Duty, and Stella, has made a surprising admission: he has never watched Death Valley, the BBC comedy crime drama in which he stars in its second season.
A deliberate choice to avoid preconceptions
Teale, who plays Michael Mallowan, the hippy estranged father of DC Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth), explained that he deliberately avoided watching the first season to keep his portrayal fresh. This is a technique he also employed during his time on Game of Thrones, where he played Ser Alliser Thorne.
"Still to this day every day of my life people will want to talk about the story and then they'll go off onto other parts of the story and I say: 'I never used to watch it because it wasn't helpful,' especially as it became such a big world thing to be playing what's going on in King's Landing," Teale said.
Reuniting with Gwyneth Keyworth
This is not the first time Teale and Keyworth have played father and daughter; they previously starred together in a 2022 short film titled Blue. Keyworth expressed her excitement about working with him again, praising his comic timing and warmth.
"He's played my dad before in a short film. So it's nice because we've sort of got a shorthand established," she said. "He's great casting. He is really great and he brings such a lovely energy to the show and real comic timing but also real warmth, which is what this show's all about."
Embracing comedy after heavy roles
After taking on intense roles like Ser Alliser Thorne in Game of Thrones, Teale is thrilled to return to comedy. He compared his Death Valley character to his role as David 'Dai' Kosh in Stella, which he played from 2012 to 2013.
"Most of my work recently has been quite heavy. I can't wait to get my teeth into it," Teale said. "The closest I came to this is a thing I did years ago with Ruth Jones which was called Stella. That was great fun as well."
He noted that Death Valley breaks new ground, adding: "Getting to know what it is for them, for them all, the producers, and that is a wonderful, wonderful journey."
Reflecting on age and father figures
At 65, Teale reflected on the realisation that he now often plays father figures. "It's still a surprise, you know, this ageing thing where you go: 'Oh yeah, of course, I'm everyone's dad now.' Grandad's coming," he said. "And of course inside you still feel – well I do anyway – very, very similar to how I felt 20 years ago."
He added: "All I see is I have to take responsibility for these people and be the father figure. I'm very, very happy. I'm really happy to be here and not be just retired off."
Filming in Wales and the industry's growth
Teale praised the growth of the Welsh film and television industry, noting that he no longer feels the need to leave Wales for work. He recalled his early career when he had to move to England to join the Royal Shakespeare Company.
"I left, if I'm honest, I left for my career's sake you know. I went to England to become an actor and to join The Royal Shakespeare and things like that," he said. "I don't think you would leave if you were brought up here now. There's so much."
He highlighted productions like A Discovery of Witches, which filmed in Wales, and praised Ruth Jones for her contributions through shows like Stella and Gavin & Stacey.
"To me what Ruth did was huge because you think of all the ones from all around the UK that always got that slot, the Heartbeats and Monarch of the Glen in Scotland, never the ones from Wales would get that sort of exposure," Teale said.
Death Valley continues on BBC One at 9.15pm on Sunday, June 7.
