Small Prophets; The Artful Dodger

“Small Prophets is a charming fantasy written and directed by Mackenzie Crook, who created the bucolic cult classic Detectorists. This time, he’s added a dash of magic and a couple more scoops of plot, but kept many of the touches that are his trademarks, such as the gentle pace and the whimsical dialogue. The result is a little like Detectorists reimagined by Terry Pratchett.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Few TV writers and directors are such capable masters of mood as Mackenzie Crook. Sweet, life-affirming and funny in ways that can be both sharp and gentle, so much of his work brings an elemental sense that the otherworldly is there to be found if only we look for it. We saw that in Detectorists, his magical hymn to male friendship that followed the quietly determined hobbyists Lance and Andy and their dogged search for buried gold that felt symbolic of their personal quest for meaning and happiness. And the first thing to say, reassuringly to its many fans, is that Crook’s new series, Small Prophets (BBC2), has a lot in common with that much-loved show. Yes, there is a strong supernatural element here, but it feels like a fresh reaffirmation of qualities that have long made Crook’s work so mesmerising. Detectorists, let’s not forget, had the odd preternatural whiff too.”
Ben Dowell, The Times

“Try not to be told about the central premise of Small Prophets, the new comedy by Detectorists writer/director Mackenzie Crook, before you dive in. In a show full of gorgeous surprises, the main thing that happens is the most precious gift waiting to be unwrapped. What you should know, though, is that this is everything a Detectorists fan would wish for in its creator’s new project: the same sensibilities take on phantasmagorical new shapes. Small Prophets is a pure, pure pleasure.”
Jack Seale, The Guardian

“Anyone missing Detectorists, Mackenzie Crook’s gentle comedy regarding metal detecting enthusiasts, will find much to love in his latest series. Small Prophets is eccentric, funny, sweet, and sad – often all at once. However, it takes an unexpected swerve into magical realism, asking viewers to believe that a man in a Greater Manchester semi-detached can, through dabbling in alchemy, conjure six homunculi (miniature, artificial humanoids) to keep in his garden shed.”
Anita Singh, Telegraph

“The frantic pace that underpinned the first series now feels slightly desperate, with every available surface festooned with chase sequences, punch-ups and pounding “contemporary pop”. The result? A drama that appears to be in a race with itself to reach the closing credits. It’s all a bit The Artful Dodger: U Got 2 Pick a Pocket or 2. The guiding principle appears to be “more of the same, but with additional gun-fingers”. And the emotional richness sparked by those intimate, sweetly bashful conversations between Dawkins and Fagin? All gone (for now), buried under a wobbling pile of used surgical dressings and the less awkward demands of yet another heist (“we’ve got bigger problems than your feelin’s!”). So, huzzah for the pace and the balls. But boohoo for those who, having hoped for more than merely a louder re-tread of the first series, may now find themselves, as Fagin grumbles at one point, “a bit bleedin’ put out”.”
Sarah Dempster, The Guardian