Last seen in 2015, the third instalment will transmit later this year in a six-part series.

Also starring Rachael Stirling as Becky, Andy’s wife, the forthcoming series follows the Christmas Special that saw Lance battling the ‘curse of the gold’ after finding his Anglo-Saxon treasure, and Andy and Becky made the move to Botswana with their son Stan, for an African adventure of teaching and archaeological digs.

Mackenzie Crook says: “After a year away I decided I missed my friends in Danebury so much that I had to go back to the world of Detectorists one more time to see what Andy and Lance could dig up. The prospect of filming another summer in the beautiful English countryside is a good one, and I’m very proud that the third series will premiere on BBC Four where it all started.”

Cassian Harrison, Controller, BBC Four, says: "The Detectorists has been one of my personal TV highlights of the last few years, and I’m simply delighted to welcome Mackenzie, Toby, Rachel, and all the detecting team back to the BBC Four abode once again - but could they just hang on while I pop out for a quick carry-out of best Somerset cider?"

The series is commissioned by Cassian Harrison and Shane Allen, Controller, Comedy Commissioning. The commissioning editor is Alex Moody for the BBC. The series is produced by Channel X North, Treasure Trove Productions and Lola Entertainment. Executive produced by Alan Marke and Jim Reid for Channel X North and Lisa Thomas for Lola Entertainment and Treasure Trove Productions, and produced by Gill Isles.

Shane Allen, Controller, Comedy Commissioning, says: “Mackenzie has created and beautifully crafted a modern masterpiece, bursting with warm-hearted comic joy. It deserves its place in that rare sweet spot of record-breaking channel audiences and huge global critical acclaim. How can I possibly resist jumping on the bandwagon of all those who said the show has unearthed comedy gold? There. I did it.”

Detectorists will shoot this summer and return to BBC Four later in the year.