By Mark Braxton
There is so much love for Detectorists. On any day of the week, just type in its hashtag and you’ll find posts like “one of the finest shows ever written”, “the antidote to Trump, Brexit and reality TV” and “please don’t let it be the last series”. Sherlock actor Amanda Abbington is among its famous fans, calling it “glorious television comedy at its best”.
And yes, this Poundland Time Team is searching for gold, but dig below the surface and it’s about so much more: history, conservation, love, family, friendship, the quiet achievements of ordinary people… these are the treasures of life, not material things
It’s a breath of invigorating, unpolluted air and one that makes a sunny virtue of its rural settings (Framlingham in Suffolk masquerading as the fields of Essex). It’s naturalistic, quirkily funny and sometimes memorably sad.

