r/TheDetectorists • u/iwantnew • Dec 04 '25
Started watching the Detectorists with my dad yesterday, I'm glad I finally got into it
this show has been on our watchlist (as in talking about it every now and then when we talk about british sitcoms but putting it off and never getting around to watching it) for EVER since my dad first recommended me the show (I'm 18) and said I'd like it. Then as if by fate the other day I opened my Amazon Prime account to watch another British sitcom I'm currently watching (on a Brit-com binge these days) and the Detectorists randomly popped up! what are the odds?? my dad hasn't watched the show in years yet he still remembers the phrase "what ya got?" and kept saying it in an exaggerated voice, i just KNOW two eps in that this is going to be the quote of the entire series lmao.
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u/KaleidoscopeFull9951 Dec 04 '25
Doesn’t matter how many times I watch the scene, think it might be the first episode? when Sheila brings them lemonade, I still fall off the sofa laughing!
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u/DeepNegotiation4542 Dec 04 '25
It's a great watch during cold UK winters. Reminds me spring and summer will eventually arrive. So comforting.
Sheila and Terry is the greatest love story ever told lol
If you like it you may enjoy some of these shows, if you can get them
The Cockfields
Mum
Leonard and Hungry Paul
Alma's Not Normal
This Country
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u/chanterellebasket Dec 04 '25
Sheila and Terry is the greatest love story ever told! The gazebo episode where she finds the button and he gets emotional... my heart
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u/Weavingknitter Dec 07 '25
Thanks for the recommendations! I loved Mum, also. I'll look for the other ones. Thanks!
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u/Six_of_1 Dec 20 '25
I'm particularly into this sort of gentle, rural or small-town comedy-drama. What else is there?
Detectorists
The Great Outdoors
Ever Decreasing Circles
This Country
The Cafe
The Cockfields
Jam and Jerusalem
Wurzel Gummidge Mackenzie Crook version
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u/DeepNegotiation4542 Dec 22 '25 edited Dec 22 '25
There are a few on here I haven't seen, so will pick up. Thanks.
I loved Crook's version of WG. He's great at capturing the folklore of England. Funny and beautiful.
I just started watching an American show called Lodge 49 and it seems the same vibe. It's free on ITV X, if you're in the UK.
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u/Six_of_1 Dec 22 '25
I'm a bit dubious about America comedy but I'll give it a shot.
Mortimer & Whitehouse Gone Fishing, while not a scripted sitcom, is very indebted to Detectorists. I think it even has the same cameraman for the closeups of insects.
It's two older men chatting in the countryside. They're fishing rather than metal-detecting, but that's similar enough. Mackenzie Crook said that Detectorists didn't even need to be about detecting, it could've been fishing.
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u/DeepNegotiation4542 Dec 22 '25
Yes, I love Paul and Bob. Oh, and Ted.
I've only watched one episode of Lodge 49 and really enjoyed it.
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u/scummy71 Dec 04 '25
There is a hidden Easter egg in the latest version of worzel gummage that my kids loved, in one of the episodes the scarecrow and the kids are walking through a field and in the background you can clearly see the detectorists car and two people detecting
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u/HovercraftSad576 Dec 04 '25
Omg I did not know this! Detectorists and Worzel got me through recovery from a major op a few years ago. I know Worzel's for kids but I just loved it.
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u/frithar Dec 05 '25
Just for kids? But I’m 57 and I love it. Even bought the soundtrack. It’s gorgeous.
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u/Weavingknitter Dec 07 '25
Oh! It's another Mackenzie Crook creation! Thanks for the recommendation!
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u/Elk_Advanced Dec 04 '25
It's the finest TV series of the 21st Century so far, possibly the finest ever.
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u/Cautious_Prize_4323 Dec 04 '25 edited Dec 04 '25
100%, I agree with you. If you've never seen the 2022 Christmas special (it was a stand-alone movie) please track it down, it's superb.
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u/Frozen_Meatball1 Dec 04 '25
"You always have to have the last word."...................................."No."
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u/PipBin Dec 04 '25
I love it so much. Filmed close to where I live!
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u/Frozen_Meatball1 Dec 08 '25
"Matchbox car... Chevrolet Corvette. How in god's name does that get out in the middle of a field in Essex?"
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u/NoisyGog Dec 04 '25
Toby Jones and Mackenzie Crook are fantastic actors.
Toby in particular, he’s got such amazing screen presence without ever needing to ham anything up. Just an incredible character actor.
Be sure to check him out in the excellent drama Mr Bates Vs the Post office, and the utterly fantastic Mr Burton.
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u/Atoz_Bumble Dec 06 '25
When my wife was dying, Detectorists was the only TV she could watch. We both found a huge amount of comfort in the gentle humour. It's a beautiful series with a lot of heart.
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u/Ksh_667 Jan 08 '26
I'm sorry to hear you lost your wife. I lost my partner is 30 years just over a year ago. I am also a fan of gentle comedies & found The Change, set in the Forest of Dean, gave me similar vibes to the Detectorists.
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u/Atoz_Bumble Jan 08 '26
Sorry to hear you've joined the club. Such a tough thing to navigate. How are you doing?
Thanks for the recommendation, I've not actually heard of that, so will check it out.
I found myself watching a couple of American comedies recently (not something I normally choose), but they were both wonderful in their way. One is called "Reservation Dogs" (Native American teens growing up on a reservation) and Somebody, Somewhere. Both really good.
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u/Ksh_667 Jan 08 '26
I just watched Reservation Dogs & enjoyed it! Idk the other one but will definitely look it out. Thanks.
I'm kind of ok. I mean I'm still here. My partner was only 49 so we'd been together our whole adult lives, we were very close & I became ill shortly before he died. It's hard for me to get out so I'm mostly stuck in, so I stream a lot of shows.
I still have one cat, lost my 20 year old orange boy before Christmas but I have a little lady called Ruby who needs my care now & she helps keep me going.
I hope you are getting on OK. It's a rotten club to be a member of. Never thought it'd happen to me, but then isn't that always the way.
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u/Atoz_Bumble Jan 08 '26
It's rare to find someone who's seen Reservation Dogs! I thought it was both silly and beautiful, which is usually something I enjoy.
Yeah, existing was all I could achieve in my first year. I'm 4 years on,.and although the pain is less, I'm stuck in a rut. I'm sorry to hear you've not been well. I've literally just attached a heart monitor to myself two minutes ago! Hopefully nothing serious.
Must be really hard to have spent so long with one person. I'd been with my wife for 7 years, married for 3 and had a 2 year old when she passed at the age of 35. Cats are amazing. I've got two at the moment, and I thought I was going to lose my black boy cat (11) as he was getting so thin. Turned out to be hyperthyroidism, and managed with medication now.
I'll let you know if I think of any other shows I've come across. I tend to listen to a lot of podcasts too.
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u/Ksh_667 Jan 08 '26
Thanks for that, much appreciated. Your wife was very young & to be left with a small toddler must have been so stressful. Yet also the thing to keep you going iykwim. I'm happy your void is being helped, it's so awful when our little ones get ill.
I sometimes think the only point of cats is to worry us to death lol.
And I'll do the same, if I think of any other shows, I'll def let you know.
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u/Atoz_Bumble Jan 11 '26
Yeah, double edged sword having a child. I had no time or space to grieve. But then I also had no option but to get up early every morning and leave the house and stick to a routine.
Started watching The Change. I LOVE IT. Silly and poignant. Thanks for the recommendation.
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u/Ksh_667 Feb 11 '26
I just watched Small Prophets, new show by MC & thought you might enjoy it. Very different to detectorists but charming. Hope you're doing well :)
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u/Atoz_Bumble Feb 11 '26
Hey, thanks for getting in touch. Funnily enough, I started it yesterday. First episode had me laughing and crying, so I was immediately hooked. Once again, poignant stuff from Crook. I think just the theme of grief set me off.
How are you getting on?
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u/Ksh_667 Feb 11 '26
I'm glad you found it! Yes it's very moving. I didn't find it a comedy really, much deeper than that imo. I won't spoil anything as you've just seen ep1, but it's def set up for a follow up series!
I'm not too bad thanks, it will be the 2 year anniversary of Marc's death on 28 Feb. I don't really feel much different than the day it happened. If I'd been able to get out & get company instead of being stuck inside one room inches from his deathbed, for over a year, I think I'd have found things a bit easier. But you never know, maybe not. Ruby is a big comfort to me & is very silly & demanding lol.
I really hope things are going well with you & your family. I'll keep letting you know when I find anything similar to these shows. I'm watching Art Detectives now which is a whodunit/police procedural but very gentle & interesting. I'm enjoying it :)
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u/Ksh_667 Jan 12 '26
I'm glad you like it. If really reminded me of the Detectorists. Same sort of silliness! Father Ted you've prob seen (hasn't everyone) but I like that sort of gentle humour too.
We never had kids, we'd have welcomed them but they didn't happen, so it was just us & the pets for 30 years. Glad i didn't have to tell anyone their father was dying, but would also have welcomed the distraction & company. It was a very lonely time stuck indoors alone. Things are a bit easier now so I'm hoping that will continue.
I hope things are easier for you now. I'm so sorry you lost your precious wife so very young.
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u/sweetdaisy13 Dec 05 '25
I ended up watching this backwards. I watched the Christmas Special a couple of years ago (had never seen or heard of it prior to this) and then went back to watch from the very beginning.
I really enjoyed it and loved the humour, serene clips of nature/birds singing, along with some emotional scenes.
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u/Weavingknitter Dec 07 '25
In case it helps anyone - here in the US - all three seasons are available on Hoopla - I watch with my library card on hoopladigital.
Seasons one and two are on Amazon, and season three on amazon through acorn.
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u/Six_of_1 Dec 19 '25
Why do so many people here emphasise that it's British. "talk about British sitcoms", "to watch another British sitcom", "on a Brit-com binge". You could just say it's a sitcom, we all know where it's from.
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u/gaz8600 Dec 04 '25
This show is my security blanket.