Detectorists: Why a metal-detecting show became a global hit
BBC/ Jack BarnesDescribed as "almost Shakespearean" by the LA Times, the gentle UK comedy about metal detecting has wowed audiences worldwide. What's the secret of its success, asks Neil Armstrong.
The Danebury Metal Detecting Club is not an exclusive organisation. On the contrary, new are welcomed with open arms. Yet it remains a small group. There's club president Terry Seymour, probably one of the leading experts on the buttons of North West Essex. There's Louise, who can be pretty loud, and her girlfriend Varde, usually very quiet. There's "young" Hugh (actually in his 30s), sarcastic Russell – and Andy and Lance.
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The latter two, old friends who regularly go detecting together, are the focus of the beloved, Bafta-winning BBC comedy Detectorists. We've followed their ups and downs for three six-episode series and a Christmas special. Now, after a five-year gap, they are returning for another festive special which, its writer, director and star Mackenzie Crook tells BBC Culture, will probably be the final instalment.
Crook plays Andy. Toby Jones is Lance. In 2014, in the very first episode, we were introduced to the pair detecting in a ploughed field. Andy had found "Three shotgun caps and a Blakey". Lance pulled something out of the ground. "What you got">window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'alternating-thumbnails-a', container: 'taboola-below-article', placement: 'Below Article', target_type: 'mix' });