History Series / Detectorists

* NeverFoundTheBody: Terry points out that Larry Bishop's wife vanished without trace and no body was ever found - naturally arousing suspicions when he warns the detectorists to ''never'' try detecting in the lower paddock. [[spoiler:She's living in Braintree]].

* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler: Peter the German. Initially set up as a nice guy and potential love interest for Sophie it's eventually revealed that he's been lying to the DMDC all along and is in league with the Dirtsharks to loot the crash site. In the final episode it's revealed that he's banned from owning a metal detector in Germany due to disturbing war graves and he has a confrontation with Terry where he sneeringly tries to pull a NotSoDifferent.]]

* ButchLesbian: Louise has quite masculine mannerisms (when seated she seems to favour manspreading, for example) and is quite a dominating figure, especially when compared to her girlfriend [[TheVoiceless Varde]].

* ThemeTuneCameo: When Lance and Andy play at an open mic night, the act on before them is "Johnny Piper", alias real-life folk singer Johnny Flynn, performing the show's theme song.

** When Russel and Hugh are trying to find the mayor's chain of office at a remote car park, we only see their reaction as people turn up after dark and start having sex. Naturally, the result is also HeadTiltinglyKinky.

** Averted, but played with. There's no romance between Andy and Sophie, despite what other characters may think.
** Also played with when Andy is questioned by a police officer whilst waiting outside his girlfriend's school.

* WhammyBid: Becky bids way more money than she and Andy can afford attempting to buy a house, terrifying Andy.

* CelebCrush: It's [[PageThreeStunna Linda Lusardi]] for Lance. He speculates that she would be one of his specialist subjects if he were to appear on ''Series/{{Mastermind}}'', and in series three he even has a dream in which she's out detecting with him.

* CoolCar: Lance's TR7 ... despite what Becky's mum thinks.

* ImagineTheAudienceNaked: Inverted. When Russell and Hugh return the mayor's chains of office, Russell's advice to a nervous Hugh is to imagine him fully clothed. The mayor then comes out of his house in his underpants.

* KavorkaMan: The incredibly schlubby Mayor appears to be one, having lost his chains of office in a popular dogging spot.

* LivingProp: Varde, who's always at DMDC meetings but doesn't seem to contribute anything. The one time she does get to say something, Terry shuts her up again.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: So far, the regular reccuring characters include Andy, Lance, Sophie, Sheila, Terry, Russell, Hugh, Varde, Louise, Paul, [[spoiler: Phil]], Becky, and Kate.

* MistakenForPedophile: Whilst waiting for Becky outside the school where she works, Andy is confronted by PCSO who has been talking to some parents who've seen him hanging around and fear the worst.

** His boss at the archaeological dig site not only [[spoiler:disregards Andy's discovery of a beautiful Roman mosaic but then has it ''removed'' under cover of night so as not to interfere with the construction of the office block]].

** Everyone thinks [[CelebrityResemblance Paul and Phil look like Simon & Garfunkel]]. When they're talking to or about them, Lance and Andy fist-pump whenever they can slip a Simon & Garfunkel song name into the conversation. The incidental music whenever they appear is from Simon & Garfunkel songs. When Terry needs a photo of them but doesn't actually have one, he just uses a picture of Simon & Garfunkel.

* CowboyCop: The mayor implies that Terry used to be one of these. Terry, who is quite proud of the fact that he used to wear a leather jacket and drive a Ford Cortina, does nothing to dissuade people of this notion.

* GiverOfLameNames: ThePsychoRangers have called themselves variously "The Antiquisearchers", "The Dirt Sharks" and "Terra Firma", being mocked every time. At one point they're asked what they rejected from their shortlist, and Phil mentions that they considered "Dirt Surfers".

** Everyone thinks [[CelebrityResemblance Paul and Phil look like Simon & Garfunkel]]. When they're talking to or about them, Lance and Andy fist-pump whenever they can slip a Simon & Garfunkel song name into the conversation. When Terry needs a photo of them, he just uses one of Simon & Garfunkel.

** Everyone thinks Paul and Phil look like Simon & Garfunkel. When they're talking to or about them, Lance and Andy fist-pump whenever they can slip a Simon & Garfunkel song name into the conversation. When Terry needs a photo of them, he just uses one of Simon & Garfunkel.

* CelebrityResemblance: ''Everybody'' who encounters Phil and Paul either outright points out the Music/SimonAndGarfunkel resemblance, or says something along the lines of "[[ImpliedTrope D'you reckon they look a bit like...]]". When Terry needs a photo of Phil and Paul, he just uses one of Simon and Garfunkel. Phil is even listed as ‘Art’ in the credits.

** Sophie obviously has a crush on Andy, who seems (mostly) oblivious to her feelings and is (mainly) devoted to his long-term girlfriend Becky. [[spoiler:Becky and Andy reconcile and get married once they discover that they're about to become parents, and Sophie seems to be content to be friends with both of them by Series 2.]]

* MistakenForMurderer: [[spoiler:Larry Bishop]].
* MistakenForPedophile: Whilst waiting for Becky outside the school where she works Andy is confronted by policeman.

** The last shot of one season has the guys walking off the field as the camera lifts up to reveal [[spoiler:the outline of a buried Saxon ship beneath their feet]].
* RunningGag:

** Local detectorists usually find nothing but pull tabs, to the point that the club creates an exhibit of "pull tabs throughout the ages."

* CelebrityResemblance: ''Everybody'' who encounters Phil and Paul either outright points out the Music/SimonAndGarfunkel resemblance, or says something along the lines of "[[ImpliedTrope D'you reckon they look a bit like...]]"

* ForbiddenZone: Mr Bishop warns the detectorists not to go digging up the lower paddock. Terry disregards this advice and gets blown up by a [=WW2=] bomb. He survives, though.

* NoSwastikas: Lance finds a [[NaziGold gold coin]] in [[spoiler:Peter's wallet]], and examines the embossing before quickly looking away. [[TakeOurWordForIt We never see it.]]

'''Andy:''' ...Is the eagle holding anything?\\

* OlderThanTheyLook: [[spoiler: Hugh, turns out he's 32. Russell hangs a lampshade on it by asking if he's got a condition that makes him look young.]]

* ThoseTwoBadGuys: 'Simon and Garfunkel' alias Paul and [[spoiler: Phil]].

* TheVoiceless: Varde. She has literally no lines in Series 1, and Russell seems to believe that she might not speak English. In Series 2 she pipes up with an eloquent speech about her research into the plane, much to the shock of Russell and Hugh - only to be silenced almost immediately by Terry.

* RealLifeRelative: Becky's mum is played by Creator/RachaelStirling's mum, Creator/DianaRigg.

* DrinkOrder: Most of the cast stick to beer at their local, but Sheila never appears to order the same drink twice.

* IAteWhat: Vegetarian Andy is shocked to discover that his beloved pork scratchings are not pig-flavoured crisps but deep-friend pig skin.

** Two occur in quick succession in the final episode of the first series; firstly, Lance explains to Andy the many events that have happened that morning (culminating in the new that Larry's [[ItMakesSenseInContext invisible dogs have disappeared]]) which is swiftly followed by Becky [[AwesomenessByAnalysis off-handedly pinpointing the likely burial site]] in a matter of seconds.

Featuring sumptuous SceneryPorn of the English countryside, a great EnsembleCast, lovingly drawn characters and gentle folksy soundtrack, the show became something of a SleeperHit. A second series was aired in 2015, with a Christmas special airing that year. A third and final season aired in December 2017. The show won a BAFTA award for best situation comedy in 2015 and Crook himself won the BAFTA for best comedy writing.

* {{Infodump}}: Varde's one and only speaking contribution in the whole series is an infodump about the myth of Nazi gold, disguised as an irrelevant aside.

** Becky makes a joke in the first series that Lance and Andy are forever looking down and never see anything above them; there's then a GilliganCut where they are completely oblivious to a fighter aircraft fly-by. [[spoiler: Becomes a BrickJoke in the third series when it transpires that a tree under which they frequently have lunch is stuffed with the remains of a hoard that have been picked up and put in the magpie's nests]].

* RevealShot: When Lance is waiting in the park for Kate, he is sat on a bench and holding onto some flowers and chocolates. As the camera pulls back, he realises he's sitting next to a dog litter bin, and so shuffles along the bench, but ends up sitting next to a regular rubbish bin.
* RunningGag: Andy has one. Metal-detecting has him holding an item he scans the ground with and a pair of headphones to listen for beeps if something is underground. ''Every'' job he's shown at in the series has him with nearly the same look replacing an [=MP3=] player for the metal-detecting gear, from edging grass to marking out property lines.

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