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Detectorists fans assemble! The award-winning comedy about two friends with a fondness for metal detecting returns to Acorn TV this Monday (January 9) for a 75-minute special. It's the first new episode in five years, as well as the first since the death of regular cast member Diana Rigg, so it's bound to be especially poignant. To whet your appetite, here are 10 reasons we appreciate the creative powerhouse behind the hit series, Mackenzie Crook.

1. Detectorists is very much his passion project.

Crook doesn't just star opposite Toby Jones in this thoroughly lovely series; he also writes and directs it. He told Great British Life in 2018 that his aim is to "explore men and their hobbies" – specifically, non-sporting hobbies – in a warm and supportive way. "Historically, there are the types of shows that get laughs from people taking the mickey out of someone who's not into football – perhaps they’re into birdwatching or something like that," he explained. "So, I wanted to look at that affection; I wanted to portray that truthfully instead."

2. He also wrote, directed, and starred in the BBC's Worzel Gummidge revival series.

To date, there have been six episodes of this family fantasy series about a scarecrow that comes to life – the most recent ones aired in 2021. Given that Barbara Euphan Todd's Worzel Gummidge books were previously turned into a much-loved 1980s series starring Doctor Who's Jon Pertwee, it was brave of Crook to steer this new adaptation, but he has definitely pulled it off. His Worzel Gummidge is funny, comforting, and uplifting: just as the character is supposed to be.

3. He played Gareth in the original British version of The Office.

If any character matched Ricky Gervais' David Brent for sheer cringe value, it was surely Crook's Gareth Keenan. He wasn't just petty and selfish, but also strangely obsessed with his military service in the Territorial Army – something Martin Freeman's Tim frequently teased him for.

During a 2021 interview, Crook admitted he was kind of taken aback by some of Gareth's clueless and problematic behavior. "I didn't remember him being quite so… urgh," he told The Independent. "The things he comes out with when he's trying to chat up girls are diabolical."

4. He is honest about the pros and cons of being so recognizable.

For some people, Crook will always be Gareth, and he's very much aware of this. “I walked past a pub last night and remembered fondly the days when I could drink in pubs," Crook told the Daily Mirror a few years ago. "It’s all too awkward now. People have a couple of drinks and they’ll come over. I can’t ever just have a quiet night with a mate. Again, they're always friendly so you can’t tell them to push off, but I do miss it."

5. He is also an accomplished stage actor.

It takes serious skills to keep up with Mark Rylance, who is often hailed as the greatest stage actor of his generation. But Crook did just that in Jerusalem, Jez Butterworth's award-winning play about social and ideological tensions in modern-day Britain. Crook originated the role of Ginger, the loyal and slightly pathetic sidekick to Rylance's eccentric and opinionated Johnny, in London in 2009. He then earned a Tony nomination when the play transferred to Broadway in 2011. And he returned to the role last year in a West End revival once again starring Rylance. 

6. He popped up in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Crook appears in the first three movies as Ragetti, a perpetually unlucky pirate with a wooden eye. His character forms a bumbling double act with Lee Arenberg's Pintel, supplying comic relief in some pretty dark moments. Ragetti and Pintel are still very much alive in the Pirates universe, so they could return again in a future film.

7. He's a Game of Thrones alum, too.

Crook adds flavor to the third season as Orell, a character who can "warg" - enter into the mind of – an eagle. Sadly, poor Orell meets a grisly fate at the hands of Kit Harington's Jon Snow, which at least puts him in good company.

8. He's a great lover of the British countryside.

This passion for nature has very much informed his work in Detectorists, which is filmed in the rural English county of Suffolk. "I love focusing on the little details of the landscape as well as the big picture," he told British countryside charity CPRE. "On the first day of shooting Detectorists, I asked the crew to keep an eye out for moths, toads, or other creatures. I set up a moth trap one night and we caught a lovely lime hawk-moth, which we then filmed."

9. He's a double BAFTA winner.

In 2015, Crook won the Best Scripted Comedy and Best Writer: Comedy prizes for the first season of Detectorists. His self-effacing acceptance speech is every bit as charming as you'd expect. 

10. And finally, he wants to provide a little escapism with his work.

During a recent interview, Crook was asked to analyze the popularity of Detectorists, and gave a pitch-perfect answer. "The thing that's pointed out to me all the time is the gentle tone of it, the kindness," he told The Herald. "That was deliberate, to set out to write something uncynical. So I think its (popularity) is down to it just being a bit of a breath of fresh air in amongst brilliant comedies, but comedies that have cruelty in them."

He added: "I've made my peace with it now – it is a gentle comedy, but that doesn't mean it's not funny."

Are you a fan of Detectorists and Mackenzie Crook?