---
name: "Paul Doolan"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/paul-doolan"
fi1m_id: "paul-doolan"
tmdb_id: 1388201
roles: ["Writer"]
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-10-25T23:51:12.181447+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Paul Doolan

## Identity

Paul Doolan

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/paul-doolan
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** paul-doolan
- **TMDB ID:** 1388201
- **Same entity:** https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1388201

Writer.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer
- **Active:** 2024–present
- **Frequently works with:** [Simon Hynd](https://film.one/person/simon-hynd.md)
- **Elsewhere:** https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1388201

## Fi1m on Paul Doolan

> Paul Doolan’s move from ensemble sitcoms to cosy crime keeps character comedy at the centre. We like the company in *Death Valley*, though its central partnership is more dependable than the mysteries and some of the jokes.

In *Death Valley* (2025), John Chapel and Janie Mallowan are worth watching even when the case gives us little to puzzle over. Paul Doolan, its creator and writer, gives Timothy Spall and Gwyneth Keyworth a partnership that makes the familiar cosy-crime business enjoyable. We warmed to the pair because their exchanges never feel obliged to produce a polished double act. Doolan gives their relationship enough attention to make spending time with them a reason to watch, even when the investigation is less rewarding.

The ensemble work came first. Doolan co-created the supermarket sitcom *Trollied* (2011) with Anne Marie O’Connor and Ash Atalla, then wrote for *Bloods* (2021) and co-wrote *Mammoth* (2024), created by Mike Bubbins. Those credits trace a career in comedy built around groups of characters and the friction between them. The move to *Death Valley* adds a mystery to that work, while keeping the relationship between its leads at the centre.

Doolan has described setting up a joke and laying a clue as related jobs: both require preparation, misdirection and a later payoff. It is a sensible account of the craft, though *Death Valley* is more reliable at making its partnership appealing than making its cases satisfying. The puzzles can be flimsy, and some of the comedy tries too hard. The warmth is welcome, but it cannot quite do the work of a convincing mystery. A viewer who comes chiefly to solve the crime has reason to feel short-changed.

There is a limit to what we can credit to a writer when two performers work this well together, and Spall and Keyworth deserve their share. Doolan’s sound decision is to make their developing partnership the attraction, giving the actors something worth sustaining between cases. We would welcome firmer plotting from him, not a demand that everyone become more miserable. Try *Death Valley* for the company; if solving the case is the point of the evening, its weaknesses will matter more.

## Biography

Paul Doolan is a television writer and creator. He co-created the Sky One sitcom *Trollied* (2011–2018) and has written episodes of *Bloods* (2021–2022), *Party's Over* (2019–2022) and other series including *Cuckoo*, *Hospital People* and *The Adventures of Paddington*.

Doolan created and wrote the BBC comedy-drama *Death Valley* (2025), also serving as executive producer, and co-wrote *Mammoth* (2024) for BBC One. He has been nominated for a BAFTA Award.

*Sources: imdb.com, radiotimes.com, comedy.co.uk, theartistspartnership.co.uk.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Death Valley* (2025), Fi1m 74, Writer, Creator, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/tv/death-valley.md)

## Complete filmography (6)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Death Valley* (2025), series, Executive Producer, Writer, Creator — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/tv/death-valley.md)
- *Mammoth* (2024), series, Writer, Creator
- *Hospital People* (2017), series, Writer
- *Urban Myths* (2017), series, Writer
- *Anna & Katy* (2011), series, Writer
- *Trollied* (2011), series, Creator

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/paul-doolan