We are living in a golden age of television at the moment. Never has there been such quantity or quality consistently available to our watching eyes, with the plethora of streaming services now out there also meaning that there is more content than we could ever want or need. Due to this, it has perhaps become inevitable that some shows simply just slip under the radar and don’t attract the attention and praise that they rightly deserve. Detectorists is one of these shows. In fact, rather ironically given what the show is about, it is a tiny speck of gold among the rubble.
First broadcast on BBC Four in 2014, Detectorists never captured the public imagination in the way other comedies like Gavin and Stacey or Fleabag have done, though it is worth pointing out it still featured in the thirty most watched shows of the last decade. But I hadn’t heard of it. And so to me it seemed underappreciated. When my flatmate recommended it and we began to religiously sit down and watch it, I was slowly sucked into its charm and simplicity and having just watched the final episode, I can now say that it is a true masterpiece of British television.
I will attempt to describe the basics of the plot now but with the crucial disclaimer that there is no-one on Earth who could attempt to sell Detectorists based purely off what happens in it, because basically nothing does. It follows Lance and Andy, two strange, awkward men (played astoundingly well by Toby Jones and Mackenzie Crook) whose main passion in life is metal detecting (hence the title). Stay with me. Every episode we see them going out into the fields of their local rural area, hoping to find ancient gold but often instead ending up with bottle caps or other bits of discarded trash. We see their wonderfully mundane interactions with their fellow members of the DMDC (Damebury Metal Detecting Club) and we see snip-its of their perfectly normal and simple home lives.
And yet the real selling point of the show is that it revels in the dull. It is a celebration of everyday normality. Mackenzie Crook is also the writer of the show and deserves the utmost credit in crafting sharp and at times hilarious dialogue when all the characters are really talking about are the questions from QI or University Challenge the night before or the merits of their respective metal detectors. More than anything, the atmosphere he generates is a pleasant one, one where you’re encouraged to gently chuckle along. There are no elaborate comedic set-ups or witty punchlines, though a special mention here has to go to Sophie Thompson’s Sheila, who manages to make me laugh out loud with literally every thing she says. My particular favorite is when she suggests that to raise money, the eclectic and odd-looking members of the DMDC should release a nude calendar!
Other things I want to mention include the wonderful cinematography, which features long, sweeping shots of the countryside. Honestly, dull old England has never looked so good. Also the fact that there are no nasty characters, everyone is layered and fundamentally good-natured; even the rival detectorists, the Dirt Sharks, act more as the butt of the joke and are ultimately redeemed in the end. And finally, the theme song, written and sung masterfully by Johnny Flynn, which is so heart-warming and catchy I have now made it a crucial part of my Spotify playlist. Seriously, it bangs.
The final thing I want to say is another compliment to Crook, who really cannot get enough acclaim for the skill of his screenwriting. As a writing student, I have been taught relentlessly about the importance of setting up plot points and then bringing them to a satisfactory and ‘earned’ conclusion. Crook does this as well as I’ve seen anyone manage it. Every little thread, however trivial or irrelevant it seems, will eventually be drawn together and often in a way that makes you beam with delight.
So, very much like Lance and Andy, I felt like I was wandering around the endless fields of the intimidating television landscape. With Detectorists, I can honestly say that I unearthed a piece of hidden gold.
George F Brown 