Detectorists: Mackenzie Crook says Suffolk the perfect setting for comedy

The creator of the BBC series Detectorists says Suffolk has provided the ideal landscape for the programme and he can no longer imagine it being filmed elsewhere.

Mackenzie Crook, who writes, directs and stars in the comedy, has filmed the programme in and around Framlingham.

This is despite the show being set in the fictional Essex town of Danebury.

"As soon as we came out to Suffolk, and Framlingham, we knew this was the town we wanted to film it," he said.

"This is where it needs to be."

Detectorists centres on Andy, played by Crook, and Toby Jones's Lance as they try to balance their hobby of metal detecting with their often problematic personal lives.

Crook, who found fame playing Gareth Keenan in The Office, said he wanted a location "far enough away from London so that everyone had to come and stay in hotels and be away from home, just to get that community spirit".

Framlingham's scout hall doubles as the home of the Danebury Metal Detecting Club, while the nearby pub, the Castle Inn, provides the exterior for Lance and Andy's local (the inside is shot at the Crown in Great Glemham).

The pair are filmed metal detecting in various fields around the county, including at Aldham with its round church.

"Everyone really welcomes us with open arms," Crook said of the reception the crew has received in Framlingham, a town which has gained recognition due to it being the home of Ed Sheeran.

Jones jokes the pair are "second division stars" compared to the singer. "No-one faints, no-one offers us their bodies or anything," he said.

"I think it's good, they're not blasé, but not fazed by film crews or attention," Crook added.

Sheeran has been sent tapes of the show, Crook said, but despite appearing in the likes of Game of Thrones and the Simpsons there is no suggestion a cameo is imminent.

As for Jones, he too says he has fallen for Suffolk during the filming of the three series, the latest of which starts on BBC Four on Wednesday.

"I'm in love with Suffolk," Jones said. "It's almost jaw-droppingly beautiful."

However, it is unlikely that the duo will be returning to film a fourth series of the show.

"I do think I'll call it a day here," said Crook, who has taken up detecting himself since starting on the show.

"I doubt I'll go on, but if I did come back to it in a few years I'm sure Andy and Lance would still be doing the same thing."