The reviews are unanimous, and unusually so: eight in, every one positive, and the praise sits in the same place each time. Critics describe Mackenzie Crook’s comedy about two metal detectorists in rural Essex as gentle, wistful and unhurried, and most of them reach for the word quiet. The writing and the central double act draw the warmest notices, with Toby Jones’s downtrodden Lance singled out more than once. Several reviews also note the folky score and the rural settings.
There is almost nothing to report on the other side. The spread is narrow, the lowest score is still a strong one, and nobody files a reservation of substance. The Guardian sits lowest and observes that the show is really about the characters’ private lives rather than the hobby, which reads as description rather than complaint. The later American notices treat it as a hidden gem discovered late, while the British press liked it from the start.