|
|
Post by beverley61 on Jan 8, 2024 19:49:27 GMT
I accidentally came across this on ITV4 tonight at 7pm
I don't know if it's a repeat. Four teams of two metal detectorists compete to find the most historically interesting finds or most valuable in two days.
The location is selected as being a place with plenty of history. Tonight it was Wantage, known as a Saxon stronghold, lots of Roman activity and military training area. Every team gets a field of similar size.
The host is a bit annoying and it has the usual ho ho ho not that funny voice over, but it wasn't terrible.
Has anyone else seen it? Is it on regularly or was this just a one off that never became a series.
|
|
|
|
Post by Miranda on Jan 8, 2024 20:36:13 GMT
It was a pilot for a series that never happened because it got absolutely trashed. Detectorists hated it for misrepresenting what they do. Loads of people thought it was a fix because people were finding so many interesting things in such a short space of time. There were accusations they had seeded the fields. It basically bombed big time.
|
|
|
|
Post by beverley61 on Jan 9, 2024 9:36:48 GMT
It's not the BBC one with Michaela Strachan that was awful. These guys were finding ring pulls, bits of old plastic doll, broken bits of wheels. The most exciting thing they found was a whistle in the shape of a dogs head, it was a bit battered and worth about £20. They found old WW2 bullets but that was expected as it had been a WW2 training ground. The found tiny roman coins or bits of them near what is known to be a roman road etc. Nothing of any great significance. They did find a grenade that had to be exploded but again apparently this happens regularly and it was more to show people what they should do if they find something like that.
It was mostly buttons and bits of scrap metal.
They did say that the next one was at some Tudor castle.
|
|
|
|
Post by Miranda on Jan 9, 2024 11:54:45 GMT
Oh my mistake! Sounds interesting then
|
|
|
|
Post by beverley61 on Jan 9, 2024 12:07:31 GMT
They have a Finds Expert from the British Museum and an auctioneer/valuer to give them an idea of what things are worth e.g. all the Roman coins were worth about £30 because they are commonly found around in areas we know the Romans were and they have to be unusual and in good condition to be individually worth more. They were very sarky with each other because the Finds Expert loved the flint scraper and he said it wasn't worth much. They got a score for the most historically significant item and a bonus point for having the most valuable thing.
It was a bit bonkers with the host and the voice over.
|
|
|
|
Post by beverley61 on Jan 9, 2024 12:10:16 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Miranda on Jan 9, 2024 22:44:18 GMT
I might check it out
|
|
|
|
Post by beverley61 on Jan 10, 2024 12:08:51 GMT
I watched it again last night. They're not finding anything worth much but they are finding interesting things.
|
|
|
|
Post by beverley61 on Jan 12, 2024 20:42:18 GMT
Well I've watched them all now and it wasn't a bad little pilot. I didn't mind it and would've watched more.
They were genuine detectorists digging up a load of tat and some historical things. Plenty of coins. That surprised me but one of the finds experts said that basically there are coins all over the place. Anywhere people worked or congregated I suppose. Especially when everyone was paid in cash. He said the Romans dropped it all over the place.
There was me thinking coins would be rare.
The locations were a good idea. They weren't random. Stately homes would always have had a steady stream of carriages and horse riders and carts coming and going for goods, crops, hunting, balls and weekends and things going back centuries. They were also either near where military bases or battles had been or where there were known Roman settlements or Viking and Saxon history e.g. Wantage.
I'd really watch a second series. It certainly got across the sheer slog detectoring is. Some of the weather was dreadful.
|
|
|
|
Post by Miranda on Jan 12, 2024 21:17:05 GMT
I'm on a detectors FB group (although I don't do it myself) and they find loads of coins, especially hammered Edwards.
I'm going to try this, sounds good.
|
|
|
|
Post by Miranda on Jan 13, 2024 23:14:54 GMT
Just watched the first two and finding it enjoyable. Apart from the contrived 'hate' between the expert and the valuer which is a bit silly. I do like the running joke about the horn though.
|
|
Anymore to come?
