Toby Jones (II)

Radio Times review

This gently wonderful six-parter proved that a sitcom needn't be about Big Issues to work its magic. That said, the quiet, rural escapades of metal detectorists had much to say about friendship, love and the truly valuable things of life. Mackenzie Crook, the sallow stooge of The Office and Pirates of the Caribbean, led from the front as writer, star and debut director of what was clearly a labour of love, while Toby Jones and Rachael Stirling were among many genius casting decisions. In a comedy world writhing with mordant cynicism, Detectorists proved a glittering find. Bleeping brilliant.

You'll forgive us for thinking that a BBC Four comedy about the hobby of metal detecting sounded about as fun as an afternoon excavating a trench. But Detectorists proved to be one of our highlights of the year.

It would be easy to assume that Mackenzie Crook was handed his own series to write, direct and star in because of his name rather than the content. And yet the portrait of old friends Andy and Lance (the ever-amazing Toby Jones) negotiating midlife crises, roaming around the countryside looking for a lot more than gold, was wryly amusing and even moving.

The achingly slow pace was either loved or loathed by viewers - and we really loved it. A beautiful soundtrack by Johnny Flynn, sweeping vistas of the Suffolk countryside and what wasn't being said all made Detectorists fantastic.

Series one of Mackenzie Crook's brooding sitcom bows out tonight, with Crook's character Andy vowing to quit the metal detecting game in order to win back girlfriend Becky. Predictably, it doesn't last long, especially since the high-stakes land at Bishop's Farm has been deserted by the police excavators, leaving the amateur detectorists to have another root around for their fortune. Meanwhile, Lance (Toby Jones) sees the light regarding his ex-wife, and a treasure-related revelation leaves the door for a second series wide open.

Pictures: Catherine Zeta-Jones and Toby Jones

It seems pompous bank manager George Mainwaring, originally portrayed by Arthur Lowe in the sitcom, is finally going to act the hero and get his moment of glory since actor Toby Jones was pictured hauling Zeta-Jones out of the water.

Radio Times review

If you've liked Detectorists from the off, you'll realise you love it after this. Ruminative and picturesque throughout, the series has unravelled its treasures as it's progressed, minting warm laughs from its character quirks. And it's so attractively filmed, if it doesn't inspire you to walk in the country, nothing will.

Till now Lance (deliciously underplayed by Toby Jones) has given the impression he's not the full shilling; now, in one of several riveting, unhurried scenes, he shows what a sharp cookie he's been all along.

It's an episode of revelations and decisions. Bleeping brilliant.

As unobtrusive and gentle as its rural metal-detecting characters, Mackenzie Crook's BBC4 comedy has surreptitiously become indispensable viewing. The hobby-based friendship between Crook and Toby Jones's Andy and Lance may seem trite but there's a wealth of acutely observed detail and subtle humour, and the performances are finely judged.

Mackenzie Crook's series about metal-detecting buddies Lance (Toby Jones) and Andy (Crook) might reach unbearable levels of cosiness if it didn't also manage to be rather depressing, too. That's partly down to Crook's performance being so low on energy (it's actually draining to watch) and partly because, despite situational comedy thriving in little worlds, this one's just frighteningly insular and routine. This episode begins with metal-detecting club president Terry handing his mantle to an always unenthusiastic Andy.

Detectorists is what might be called a gentle comedy, if the adjective didn't imply a lack of bite and sophistication. Chronicling as it does the ordinary - even sub-ordinary - lives of metal detectorists Lance (Toby Jones) and Andy (Mackenzie Crook), it manages to capture the pathetic spite of detectorist territorial disputes ("Immature." "Are you?" "No you are.") without compromising the dignity of its main characters.

Last night Lance was thinking about getting the old band back together. "Did we have a band?" asked Andy. Apparently they did - it was called Pussy Magnet - and Lance had a new song he wanted to debut at the open mic night at the White Horse. The song itself - New Age Girl - was the perfect combination of not very good and terribly moving, not least because Lance accompanied himself on the mandolin the only way he knew how: badly, while sitting cross-legged on the floor. I rewound immediately to watch it again.

Filmed like a nature programme or a folk music documentary, Detectorists is that kind of comedy (like Silicon Valley or High Maintenance) that doesn't so much generate laughs as cumulative warmth. This week, Lance (Toby Jones) and Andy (Mackenzie Crook) are on to something in Farmer Bishop's field. While they try to play it cool, affection mounts for the details of their world: their enemies (the "beards" and "antiquisearchers"), their neat homes, and the tricks of their trade. As Andy says, "You can learn a lot from the amateurs".