Detectorists will return to BBC Four later this year.

Written, directed and starring Mackenzie Crook (The Office), the hit comedy series launched in October 2014 and follows Andy (Crook) and Lance (Toby Jones) as they arm themselves with their metal detectors in a bid to strike gold.

Six new 30-minute episodes will begin filming this summer.

Mackenzie Crook commented: “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, added: “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?”

Season 3 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.

Shane Allen, Controller, Comedy Commissioning, said: “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.”

Are you looking forward to the return of Detectorists? Let us know below…