Detectorists – PROGRAMME SYNOPSIS
A new comedy about two friends Andy (Mackenzie Crook) and Lance (Toby Jones) who go searching for their hearts' desire with a couple of metal detectors. Determined to dig up their very own Saxon ship-burial, a chance encounter with a young history student puts Lance and Andy on the road towards the discovery of a lifetime.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
Andy Stone (Mackenzie Crook)
Andy is a part-time archaeology student and a full-time metal detectorist. He wants to be a professional archaeologist, but in the meantime is content to make his way through life doing agency cleaning and other jobs to pay the bills. He lives with his long-term girlfriend Becky in the new bit of Danebury, a small town in North Essex. His dream is to discover the resting place of the greatest and richest of the East Saxons, King Sexred, but the dream seems as out of reach as ever.
Lance Stater (Toby Jones)
Lance is Andy's best friend, and if possible, is an even more committed metal detectorist, and stalwart of the Danebury Metal Detecting Club. A font of all knowledge - technical, historical, trivial, you name it - he spends as much time as possible out in the fields around Danebury. It's difficult to see how his marriage to Maggie (Lucy Benjamin) could ever have worked, but he still holds a candle for her, even though she ran off with a local pizza restaurant manager, Tony (Adam Riches). As a result, Lance is continually being exploited by his ex-wife, whether it's minding her shop or taking her mum to bingo in his pride and joy: a classic yellow TR7.
Becky (Rachael Stirling)
Becky, a teacher at the local primary school, slightly despairs of Andy's hobby and the amount of time he spends in Lance's company. But she forgives him because she loves him.
She finds Lance a bit irritating but is prepared to put up with his company when the three of them regularly trounce the opposition at the monthly Two Brewers pub quiz. Knowing the longest river in Azerbaijan is what a geography degree is for, after all.
Sophie (Aimée-Ffion Edwards)
Young, pretty and claiming to be interested in metal detecting and local history for her university course, Sophie befriends Lance and Andy and becomes the newest member of the Danebury Metal Detecting Club. She seems keen to be involved, and very happy to hang around with the two blokes. Is it merely the excitement of finding old buttons and ring-pulls, or is there some other motive at work? And why has Andy not mentioned his relationship with Becky?
The Danebury Metal Detecting Club
All seven of them. The DMDC is run by retired policeman Terry (Gerard Horan), and aside from Lance and Andy the club consists of Russell (Pearce Quigley), Young Hugh (Divian Ladwa), Louise and her partner Varde (Laura Checkley, Orion Ben). Terry knows an awful lot about the history of buttons, but has a lot of other active interests besides metal detecting; he and his wife Sheila (Sophie Thompson) do a lot of tango, for example.
The Antiquisearchers
The arch-rivals of the DMDC are slightly more successful, affiliated to the local museum and consequently a bit of an annoyance. Most annoying of all are Art and Paul (Simon Farnaby, Paul Casar), self-important, officious and probably up to no good. Art and Paul probably aren't their real names, but their striking resemblance to Simon & Garfunkel is a good enough reason to call them that.
Larry Bishop (David Sterne)
Bishop owns the land that Andy and Lance are convinced contains the final resting place of King Sexred. But Terry isn't convinced Bishop will let them search; Bishop's long been suspected of murdering his mysteriously absent wife Justine, although there's never been any hard evidence to let the police investigate. Bishop seems a harmless enough bloke, although he appears to be convinced that he owns and exercises a number of dogs that only he can see. There's a lot of eccentrics in the countryside, but Larry Bishop seems to be more eccentric than most.
EPISODE INFORMATION
Episode One
Following a chance encounter with a young history student, Lance and Andy embark on a journey towards the discovery of a lifetime. All they need to do is get permission from the local landowner, the mad one who is rumoured to have done away with his wife.
Episode Two
Lance and Andy haven¹t told anyone that they are hot on the trail of the Holy Grail of metal detecting: the final resting place of King Sexred of the East Saxons. Except that members of the rival detecting club already seem to know all about it. Who is the mole?
Episode Three
Club president Terry is keen to help Lance and Andy search the bottom paddock at Bishop¹s Farm, but only because he¹s convinced that¹s where Larry Bishop has buried his missing wife. Meanwhile, Lance is determined to get his ex along to hear him play at the local pub¹s folk music night.
Episode Four
Terry announces that he is standing down as leader of the DMDC, unleashing a bitter, winner takes-all scramble for presidential power when Andy and Lance fall out over gold, and Becky and Sophie are forced to become allies in the Two Brewers pub quiz. Is this Andy¹s worst idea ever?
Episode Five
Even though Andy, Lance, Becky and Sophie are barely talking to each other, their secrets are on the verge of being revealed. Are they all just victims of a 'dirty smears' campaign? And why does everyone else want to move in on Bishop’s Farm?
Episode Six
A huge hole has been excavated and police are looking into it. Furthermore, Larry Bishop’s invisible dogs have disappeared without trace, and Andy and Lance now have one last chance to discover their hearts¹ true desire.
