Crime & Safety
BBC’s Death Valley series two slated as ‘no Ludwig’
The show follows the unlikely partnership between DS Janie Mallowan, played by Gwyneth Keyworth and Timothy Spall’s retired actor John Chapel as they solve various crimes around Wales.
A synopsis for series two shares: “Series two picks up a few months after the events of series one.
“Janie has been promoted to Detective Inspector and is busier than ever, with paperwork stacking up quicker than she can clear it.
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Gwyneth Keyworth and Timothy Spall are back for a second series of Death Valley (Image: BBC/BBC Studios/Simon Ridgway)
“To make matters worse, she’s been ignoring John since finding out he’s been dating her mum.
“Janie’s hand is forced after a murder in a Community Payback group when DCI Barry Clarke forces her to bring John Chapel in as the department’s consultant.”
The first episode of the second series aired last night (Sunday, May 17) on BBC One, but reviews were mixed.
Anita Singh of The Telegraph gave it just three stars out of five and stated that the programme is “no Ludwig”.
“Death Valley (BBC One) was the BBC’s highest-rated scripted comedy in five years when it launched in 2025,” she wrote.
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David Mitchell as John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor (Image: BBC/Big Talk Studios/Olly Courtney)
“Was there nothing else on? Either that or Timothy Spall has a very committed fanbase, because this is a serviceable cosy crime drama but nothing out of the ordinary.
“It is, for example, no Ludwig, which does the quirky amateur sleuth thing in a far superior way.”
Ludwig, set in Cambridge starring Peep Show actor David Mitchell, has been a huge hit for the BBC.
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The show is set to return to our screens later this year (Image: BBC/Big Talk Studios/Olly Courtney)
The channel has announced that season two is due to be screened later this year, but has not yet provided any dates.
David Mitchell will return as John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor, while Anna Maxwell Martin will also be back as his sister-in-law, Lucy Betts-Taylor.
Best known for his role in the comedy Peep Show, David Mitchell grew up in Headington and was a pupil at Abingdon School.
He also worked for Oxford University Press as a general dogsbody and proofreader, but was rejected from Merton College, instead studying at Cambridge.
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Sian Clifford as Joanne Kemper MP (Image: BBC/Big Talk Studios)
Series one of the detective drama was a hit in 2024, becoming the channel’s biggest new scripted show since 2022. It attracted more than 9.5 million viewers across 28 days.
Mr Mitchell’s co-star Anna Maxwell Martin, who plays Lucy, the wife of a missing detective who enlists his puzzle-loving twin brother (both played by David Mitchell) to solve the mystery, has confirmed that filming has now finished for season two.
She recently told the Radio Times: “Season two is cracking. It’s really, really good.
“I can’t tell you anything because my mind’s gone blank and I’ll probably be killed and I don’t know what I’m allowed to tell you!
“But what I can say is it’s really, really good, I think it’s even better than season one.”
Crime & Safety
Jeremy Clarkson ‘ignored’ doctor’s advice amid health scare
Lisa Hogan, the partner of the former Top Gear host, commented that he did not follow medical advice after an emergency that saw him taken to hospital.
Towards the end of 2024, the 66-year-old revealed that he underwent emergency heart surgery at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford after suffering pains.
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It would result in him having a stent fitted, says The Mirror, with the medical episode covered in the upcoming fifth series of hit Amazon Prime show Clarkson’s Farm.
Commenting on it to the national title, Ms Hogan said that her partner did not take the advice to rest and recuperate.
Clarkson’s Farm series five. (Image: Prime Video / PA)
She said: “Jeremy was advised to rest for a couple of weeks, and that lasted about a day and a half.”
In the trailer for the new Clarkson’s Farm series, Mr Clarkson is seen in hospital after which he explains his condition to Kaleb Cooper.
He said: “You’ve got three arteries that feed your heart to keep it pumping. My heart wasn’t getting any blood.”
Lisa Hogan. (Image: Ellis O’Brien / Prime Video)
A woman then tells him: “To be fair, my mother dropped dead of a heart attack at 67.”
“Cheery news,” replied Mr Clarkson.
Initially debuting back in 2021, the 66-year-old’s farming documentary has found global success.
Set at his own Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire, the series also covers his Cotswolds pub, The Farmer’s Dog, which opened in Asthall back in 2024.
Clarkson’s Farm series five. (Image: Prime Video / PA)
An official date for the new season was confirmed earlier this month by Prime Video, with the first episodes set to be released on Wednesday, June 3.
Appearing recently on the Heart Radio Breakfast show, Mr Clarkson spoke to his Cotswolds celebrity neighbour Amanda Holden about the new episodes.
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“It’s the most dramatic of the shows we have done so far, and it gets more and more and more dramatic towards the end,” said the 66-year-old.
“Yeah, I’ll say no more than that because we’re not actually doing any PR for this series at all.”
The new season will follow its predecessors in that it comes with a staggered release, as episodes are set to roll out weekly until June 17.
Crime & Safety
Oxford congestion charge fines include ‘deceased’ drivers
There have been 13 penalty charge notices (PCNs) cancelled due to vehicle owners being dead, as the number of fines issued under the traffic schemes exceeds 250,000.
The figures obtained by a Freedom of Information request do not show the circumstances under which a vehicle or vehicles belonging to “deceased” people had been driven into Oxford’s LTNs or congestion charge zones, but give a variety of reasons why PCNs were voided.
It also reveals the number of fines issued for the duration of the congestion charge, which started on October 29, 2025 (205,691), and LTNs, which began on May 17, 2024 (51,209), up to April 30.
The dataset lists 64 causes for close to 14,000 fines being scrapped by Oxfordshire County Council.
Two PCNs were cancelled as the vehicle owner was in prison, and one as it was a diplomatic vehicle.
Ambulances had 36 fines revoked, the police had 16, two for the fire brigade, four due to the driver being a doctor on call, along with over 1,000 for taxis, and over 4,000 vehicles without a registered keeper.
Disabled drivers, people with medical reasons, untraceable and foreign vehicle owners received cancellations.
More than 5,000 PCNs were voided for a range of permit errors and for motorists who had paid for entry.
Since their introduction, there have been close to 257,000 fines handed out to motorists who did not pay Oxford’s £5 congestion charge fee or entered LTNs.
Over 205,000 of these were for congestion charge, meaning that in the last four-and-a-half months, 175,000 fines have been given.
Protesters opposing the congestion charge outside County Hall when it was first introduced (Image: Esme Kenney)
On January 7, the county council stated it had issued 31,588 fines since it began on October 29 2025.
This comes as estimates for the total surplus cash expected to be raised by the scheme rise sharply, by £2 million compared to initial forecasts.
The council is now set to rake in over £5 million from the charge over 10 months.
The figures also show the locations where drivers have most commonly entered charge zones and been issued a PCN:
- Thames Street – 81,493
- Hythe Bridge Street – 48, 309
- St Clements Street- 31,614
- St Cross Road – 22,001
- Hollow Way – 11,680
- Marston Ferry Road – 10,594
Thames Street, which has the highest number of fines, has also seen the most PCN cancellations, with more than 5,000 – six per cent of the total fines.
The four highest-grossing roads for PCNs issued are also those with the longest hours of charge in action.
The traffic measure is in place from 7am to 7pm Monday to Sunday, for drivers passing Thames Street, Hythe Bridge Street, St Clement’s Street and St Cross Road.
Hollow Way and Marston Ferry Road charge points run from 7am to 9am and 3pm to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.
The county council approved introducing the charge last September, and it was introduced on October 29.
It is set to end in August when the Botley Road reopens, and traffic filters are introduced.
The cameras will remain in place, and the traffic filters will operate at the same locations and times.
If you do not pay the daily charge, you will receive a £70 fine which is reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days.
If the fine is not paid within 28 days, it increases to £105.
Crime & Safety
Oxford MP backs Andy Burnham ahead of Makerfield by-election
Anneliese Dodds, Labour MP for Oxford East, has endorsed the Mayor of Greater Manchester’s stake in the Makerfield by-election.
In a statement, the MP said: “Great reception in Makerfield for Andy Burnham.
“Thanks to all the residents who opened their doors to us. Many underlined how Andy keeps speaking up for people like them.”
Following Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s devastation loss in councils across the counties, many Labour MP’s are supporting Mr Burnham as the party’s best chance of recovery.
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Andy Burnham makes a speech surrounded by supporters at the launch of his campaign as Labour’s candidate for the Makerfield by-election (Image: Peter Byrne)
The MP for Makerfield is open after Josh Simons resigned on Monday, May 18 in order for Mr Burnham to take his seat.
The Makerfield by-election will take place on Thursday, June 18.
Ms Dodds resigned in February last year as Sir Keir’s International Development Minister following aid cuts.
In a letter to the Prime Minister at the time she said cuts to international aid to fund an increase in defence spending would “remove food and healthcare from desperate people – deeply harming the UK’s reputation”.
Mr Burnham could be in with a chance of taking the seat in the upcoming by-election, however, Reform only came second by 5,399 votes in the last elections.
The politician has previously run to become the party’s leader after Gordon Brown resigned, losing to Ed Miliband, and in 2015, where he was beaten by Jeremy Corbyn.
Mr Burnham was MP for Leigh in Greater Manchester, during his time as an MP he was a member of the Health Select Committee, and a Parliamentary Private Secretary.
He has also served as Mayor of Greater Manchester.
Mr Burnham was blocked from running in the recent February Gorton and Denton by-election, which Green candidate Hannah Spencer won.
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