Mackenzie Crook interview

Mackenzie Crook is the self-effacing actor who swapped Hollywood for rural Suffolk and the chance to make his own comedy series about metal 'detectorists'.

Video: Mackenzie Crook on finding TV gold

His hapless on-screen character might have little luck finding treasure but Mackenzie Crook has had no trouble scooping up prizes.

He wrote, directed, and starred in the comedy series Detectorists and landed two BAFTAs for the first season.

Ahead of the second series starting on BBC Four, Mackenzie told BBC Breakfast of why he thinks the show has done so well.

Detectorists starts again on BBC Four on Thursday 29 October.

Mackenzie Crook interview

Detectorists and The Office star Mackenzie Crook has said that he avoids social media because he is tired of having his personal appearance mocked.

Interview extra: Mackenzie Crook & Toby Jones

TV Choice caught up with the series' writer, director and star Mackenzie Crook, who plays Andy, and Toby Jones, who plays Lance, to find out more about male hobbies, friendship and how it feels to have struck gold with this double BAFTA award-winning show...

Huzzah! Series two of the fantasy comedy from the makers of Horrible Histories has been as delightfully unmoored from reality as the first, featuring, among other things, hybrid human-kangaroo babysitters and Mackenzie Crook. There's also, to match its later timeslot, an ever-so-slight upping of its naughty elements, though it's still family-friendly enough to watch alongside the kids.

Mackenzie Crook to talk Detectorists at the RT Festival

Mackenzie Crook will be appearing at the Radio Times Festival in September to talk about the return of his Bafta-winning comedy Detectorists.

Detectorists' Mackenzie Crook wins Bafta craft award

Mackenzie Crook, best known as a star of The Office and the Pirates of the Caribbean films toking home the comedy writing award for BBC Four's Detectorists - about a pair of metal detector enthusiasts - in which he also starred.

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.

Mackenzie Crook on creating Detectorists

Mackenzie Crook talks about writing, performing and creating BBC Four's Detectorists.