Detectorists Series 3, Episode 6 - British Comedy Guide (original) (raw)
"There's something about karma going on" is Lance's wise observation, and there certainly seems to be something in the air. They have one last day on the farm, one last chance to pull out all the stops and find that gold. Terry's got a new gazebo. Perfect time for a rally.
Broadcast details
Date
Wednesday 13th December 2017
Time
10pm
Channel
Length
30 minutes
Cast & crew
Cast
| Mackenzie Crook | Andy Stone |
|---|---|
| Toby Jones | Lance Stater |
| Rachael Stirling | Becky |
| Gerard Horan | Terry |
| Pearce Quigley | Russell |
| Divian Ladwa | Hugh |
| Laura Checkley | Louise |
| Orion Ben | Varde |
| Sophie Thompson | Sheila |
| Simon Farnaby | Art |
| Paul Casar | Paul |
| Diana Rigg | Veronica |
| Alexa Davies | Kate |
| Rebecca Callard | Toni |
Guest cast
| Asa James Wallace | Stanley |
|---|---|
| Kevin Eldon | Auctioneer |
Writing team
| Mackenzie Crook | Writer |
|---|---|
| Andrew Ellard | Story Producer |
Production team
| Mackenzie Crook | Director |
|---|---|
| Gill Isles | Producer |
| Lisa Thomas | Executive Producer |
| Alan Marke | Executive Producer |
| Jim Reid | Executive Producer |
| Alex Moody | Executive Producer |
| Colin Fair | Editor |
| Sam Harley (as Samantha Harley) | Production Designer |
| Catherine Willis | Casting Director |
| Mattias Nyberg | Director of Photography |
| Jackie Vernon | Costume Designer |
| Anne Oldham | Make-up Designer |
| Johnny Flynn | Composer |
| Dan Michaelson | Composer |
| Gareth Tandy | 1st Assistant Director |
Video
Is that what I think it is?
Andy finds a Roman spearhead... or does he?
Featuring: Mackenzie Crook (Andy Stone) & Toby Jones (Lance Stater).
Press
I'm relieved to recall I whacked Detectorists on to last week's "10 best" of 2017 TV, so needn't convince you of what a beautiful respite from the rest of the year it has been: its lack of judgmentalism, its gentle tolerance of human frailty, its being gallantly unafraid of silence, at spiritual poles to febrile Twitter spats, to endless virtue signalling and 24-hour offence-taking. The last-ever series (we're told) ended with the closest it could ever come to "villains", the pitifully pompous "Simon and Garfunkel" (last season, in an inspired little twist, they had to give their real names to police: Peters and Lee) being welcomed into the arms of the Danebury Metal Detecting Club, not without a few grateful tears on behalf of Garfunkel, the splendid Simon Farnaby. Andy (Mackenzie Crook) and Lance (Toby Jones) didn't, quite, get to do the "gold dance" at the close... cleverly, the high camera simply lingered, ambiguously, on the magpie's tree, as, coin by coin, then in a rush, it began to shed its secrets on to the sward below.
The very last drone-camera shot had the boys, alerted by some sixth sense, ambling towards the tree. I'm tempted to beg for more, but begin to wonder if creator Crook isn't quite right to leave it at this: perfect, and thus unimprovable, a treasure to be simply yearned over with wry wistfulness. Pub? Yeah, go on then.
Euan Ferguson, The Guardian, 17th December 2017
Old rivalries are put aside and there's an auction in store for Becky and Andy, in this final-ever episode. Shall we ever see the like again? Deeply imbued with Englishness and English folk tradition (this series was inspired by a performance from folk sisters the Unthanks), yet without a shred of parochialism, this televisual seam of pure-spun gold has been a bucolic balm in an otherwise shrill world. Detectorists reminds us that nothing is ever truly lost.