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Detectorists Christmas special, shot in Bury St Edmunds, Framlingham, Saxmundham and Great Glemham, to air on Boxing Day




A Christmas special of a TV comedy series which was filmed in and around Suffolk will air on Boxing Day.

Detectorists, starring Toby Jones and MacKenzie Crook as metal detectorists Lance and Andy, has filmed in Suffolk for its last three series.

Screen Suffolk helped facilitate locations across the county for the episode, which sees Danebury Metal Detecting the target of property developers.

Detectorists Christmas Special will air on Boxing Day. Picture: BBC
Detectorists Christmas Special will air on Boxing Day. Picture: BBC

Today, the organisation has detailed where the episode was shot, with Framlingham acting as the fictional town of Danebury, and how it secured permissions.

A scene in the special features Lance and Andy chasing a skip as it drives off just outside The Castle pub in the Suffolk town.

On its website, Screen Suffolk said it worked with the locations team, residents, and council to ensure that the filming caused as little disruption as possible.

Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones. Picture: BBC
Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones. Picture: BBC

Rachel Aldridge, operations and business development manager, said: "There were lots of elements to this scene, and it had to be timed perfectly to ensure that traffic could move freely around the one way system in Framlingham.

"Co-ordinating a skip on a lorry to leave just as the actors ran up the road was challenging, but the locations team were fantastic and communication was brilliant."

Other scenes were shot at Saxmundham train station and Great Glemham village.

The crew also stopped off in Bury St Edmunds for a day's filming with Suffolk County Council Archaeology Service's Portable Antiquity Service office used for a location that Andy takes one of his finds to.

Toby Jones. Picture: BBC
Toby Jones. Picture: BBC

Jim Horsfield, of Screen Suffolk, said: "Their offices were taken over for a day and dressed up with new posters, and the desks were piled with boxes and files for the day."

Meanwhile, a new starter in the industry, Joe Nial, who had completed training at West Suffolk College, gained on set experience as a camera assistant.

Joe said: "It was a really great experience and a big learning curve to see how different aspects of the industry vary in terms of the way they work.

"I learnt a lot as I am relatively new to the industry and this was my first TV shoot that I have worked on.

"Everyone was friendly, helpful and patient with me which gave me the opportunity to learn and ask questions if I was unsure of anything.

"I couldn’t have asked for a better bunch of people."

The Christmas special will air on BBC2 at 9pm on Boxing Day.



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