Detectorists

 

More than a decade after it started  and three years since it ended, Detectorists remains a treat. Back in 2014 the idea that a series could sustain a tale of two mates whose hobby is metal detecting might have seemed unlikely yet over ten years later Detectorists has surely secured its place in the pantheon of memorably tv? In fact, its probably up there in the `must watch more than once` tv. Though set in the present day the series has a timeless appeal which won’t date. Many of its cultural references hark back to earlier decades and its premise encompasses centuries of history. Yet it is built on a small scale with scenes often involving little more than idle chat and banter or geeky talks about buttons and suchlike. It mightn’t work with many series but it definitely does in this one.

 

Detectorists is mainly a portrait of midlife male friendship and expectations and also its filmed to show off the connection we all have with the land and with our past. While it does follow the style of noted comedy dramas of the last twenty years, the difference here is its benevolence and lack of malice. There are arguments, fallouts, misunderstandings but these are worked out because these people have a sense of community and belonging. Even the nominal antagonists are actually very funny.

Living in the (fictional) village of Danebury, Andy and Lance are a couple of detectorists (“not metal detectors” as they earnestly point out) scouring the area for buried treasure. Both are fortysomething and use their hobby to escape the mundanity of life. Lance works in a vegetable depot while Andy has assorted temporary jobs. Lance is divorced but still at the beck and call of his New Age ex-wife Maggie while Andy’s lack of commitment to a more focussed career is the cause of girlfriend Becky’s frustration.

The three seasons and two Specials take us with the duo across several years as they search for elusive gold items but mostly find ring pulls and a surprising number of unexpected items including a Blankety Blank trophy. Lance and Andy are also members of the Danebury Metal Detecting Club whose regular meetings introduce us to a group of supporting characters, each of whom are amusing and slightly odd in their own way. They also have rivals in the form two `night hawks` whose resemblance to Seventies era Simon and Garfunkel becomes a superbly deployed running gag throughout.

The style and pace of Detectorists is a big factor in its appeal. It ambles rather than charges, allowing time for each character and when it needs to simply skips periods of time (especially between seasons) to a point where the narrative needs to be. There’s not a joke every line, instead the conversations are often funny and always interesting even when on mundane topics. Occasionally drama will flare up, notably in their partners but these are always offset by an amusing moment afterwards. It’s been called a `gentle’ comedy and in some ways, it is yet I would prefer to call it a realistic one.

This only works because Lance and Andy are such good company, for each other and for the viewer. The frivolous chat draws on familiar references and their casual rapport convincingly makes you think they’ve known each other for so long. The show also brings us into the world of the detectorists with ease so while we can snigger along with Andy and Lance over the less shiny aspects (a talk on buttons, a book about buttons!) it’s that knowing humour that will be familiar with any hobby or interest. Like all good humour it is based on relatable, ordinary matters.

The easy, believable rapport between Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones is so enjoyable, especially the fact that both characters have flaws- Lance’s greed is often deployed yet comes back to bite him (what did happen though with the money he was supposed to have won?) Andy is a dreamer- as Becky often points out- and flits from one job to another.  I really like the minutiae and hierarchy of it and the little traditions like a dance they are supposed to do if they find a gold item. I wonder if that happens in real life? Everyone has some sort of hobby or interest with its own rhythms which why the humour here plays so universally. While Lance and Andy use detecting as an escape from their problems there is also an enthusiasm for the hobby itself that comes across. Like all the best comedies, every one of the cast make their mark while the wonderfully trivial club meetings and the pub quizzes are always amusing. 

The series is a huge accomplishment for Mackenzie Crook who wrote and directed it as well as playing Andy. He gives the series a unique, consistent look that provides a bucolic backdrop to proceedings. Shot mostly in and around Framlingham in Suffolk, Crook’s direction and his cinematographers shows off this gorgeous locale so evocatively. Whenever characters are in the countryside, we are privy to the birdsong, the flora and fauna. Season two’s plotline even incorporates some cheeky magpies into the story.  Occasionally he shows off with directorial flourishes like season two’s opening sequence and the final montage of how this piece of land has developed over centuries. 

For season three he opens by closing in on an aerial map being examined by businessmen planning a development to take the viewer right to the village and our characters meandering.  These touches provide a sense of the weight of history taking us to our Roman or Saxon roots and also demonstrate that much of the treasure waiting to be found has come to be here from violence. The series also has an evocative theme song, penned and sung by Johnny Flynn, which equates the finding of treasure with a relationship and has to be one of the best tv show themes ever as well as fitting the series so well.

There were three seasons and a Xmas special which was going to be the end though in the end a 75-minute special in 2022 was made and for me shows the strain a little with some developments that don’t feel natural though redeems itself near the end. Detectorists is a low-key triumph in an age when speed, flash and brutality are the cornerstone of much of our most lauded dramas. While every drama seems to compete to be darker than the other, this is a series that is simply its own perfectly formed thing. A gold, shiny treasure.