Series 3, Episode 6 of the BAFTA-winning BBC comedy drama Detectorists, written and directed by Mackenzie Crook. Host Katie and guest Ellie(@miss_detectorist, Miss Detectorist on YouTube) review the series finale, and it is a moving one.
It opens with Andy convinced he has found a Bronze Age spearhead. He runs to find water to clean it, Lance gets excited alongside him, and they both realise it is a broken fence spike. Lance claims he knew all along. The apartment switcheroo is complete: Kate is moving her things onto Tony's canal boat, announcing it as my very own ship, while Lance stands on the towpath unable to even look at it. At the Scout hall, Terry produces the proof copy of The Common Buttons of Northwest Essex by Terence Seymour. Print run: 45. Russell suggests his copy be left unsigned to make it worth more. Andy announces the club is invited to join the last day on the permission. Terry has a brand new gazebo, three metres by nine.
The scene in the White Horse pub is one of the best in the series. Art and Paul are sitting against the back wall, arms folded, and Art delivers his well well well look who's come crawling back. Paul, increasingly the steadier of the two, clocks immediately that they are not really interested in bats and asks what they have actually found. It emerges that Art and Paul have been barred from NCMD digs since the troubles. Andy makes them honorary DMDC members for the day. Art fights back tears. They just wanted to be part of the gang all along, Ellie observes. Hurt people hurt people.
The rally arrives and it is everything. The whole gang comes over the hill with their detectors in a scene directly referencing the barn-raising sequence from the 1985 film Witness, complete with a version of the score woven through Johnny Flynn's theme. Terry gives his briefing, thanks Andy and Lance for opening up the permission, and welcomes their new friends Paul and Phil. Lance tries to shoo everyone to spread out. Nobody can hear him. They all have their headphones on. Varda finds a bronze finger ring in the soil, tries it on her finger, finds it too large, and walks over to Louise. From across the field, Andy and Becky arriving from the auction see Varda on one knee. Andy returns to tell Lance he is a homeowner. Lance only hears the first part. Becky outbid everyone in the room while Andy's legs stopped working, with Veronica's money behind her. Lance and Art swap machines. The Garrett Orado, it turns out, was built in 1978. Same year as the TR7.
As the shadows lengthen and the gazebo comes down, Lance gives Andy the speech. Archaeologists gather the facts, piece together the jigsaw. But detectorists pick up the scattered memories, fill in the personality. They are the storytellers. Detectorists are time travellers. Andy considers this. Yeah, all right, he says. I'll give you that. They walk back across the field. A drone shot rises. The magpies have a scuffle in the lunch tree and the gold coins begin to rain down, glinting in the late sun, landing at their feet. Johnny Flynn sings a new verse, heard for the first time. Hoard me in the highest bough.
Detectorists Characters: Andy (Mackenzie Crook), Lance (Toby Jones), Becky (Rachel Stirling), Veronica (Diana Rigg), Tony (Orion Ben), Terry (David Sterne), Sheila (Sophie Thompson), Russell (Pearce Quigley).
Find Ellie at @miss_detectorist on Instagram and at Miss Detectorist on YouTube. For more metal detecting chat, interviews, and the history behind the finds, follow Katie and the Detecting History Podcast on Instagram and YouTube at @detectinghistorychannel, and listen on all major podcast platforms. Shop at Regton and use promo code DHPODCAST for 10% off selected items at checkout.
","author_name":"Katie MacDoyle"}