Charlie Cooper on detecting Roman grots, sleeping on his sister’s floor and the truth about Big Mandy

Charlie Cooper shot to fame when he and his sister Daisy wrote and starred in the hit TV series This Country. While some might see the show as poking fun at rural life in the south west, Charlie’s affection for the countryside in which he grew up, and still lives, is clear. Now an obsessive metal detectorist, having taken up the hobby a few years ago, he loves nothing more than walking the fields and unearthing the history beneath his feet. On a day of mixed weather, we went detecting with him in Gloucestershire, as he talked about collecting junk, discovering treasure and how the character Big Mandy nearly got him in serious trouble. He also turned up something pretty special! A Life More Wild is an 18Sixty production, brought to you by Canopy & Stars. Production by Clarissa Maycock. Our theme music is by Billie Marten.