'Deceit, corruption, cops and robbers.' Hugh Bonneville stars in 1980s hit true crime drama series, The Gold
The real story of the epic Brink’s Mat robbery is told in new series now streaming on CBC Gem
Watch The Gold, a hit six-part drama set in the 1980s that takes you into a world awash with fast money and questionable morals — now streaming on CBC Gem.
What is The Gold about?
The Gold begins as six armed men break into a Brink's-Mat security depot near London's Heathrow Airport and inadvertently stumble across gold bullion worth £26m (around £120 million in today's money). While the London police scramble to assemble a team to recover the unprecedented amount of gold, the criminals realize they have a problem — what to do with their newfound riches.
Watch | The cops and robbers discover that the heist is bigger than anticipated.
"The Gold is a classic heist. Deceit, corruption, cops and robbers. Good guys versus bad guys. Cat and mouse. Bullion, greed, avarice, people trying to better themselves," says actor Hugh Bonneville who stars as DSC Brian Boyce, a cop who heads the hunt for missing fortune.
The disposal of the bullion leads to a vast international money laundering operation, unites blue and white-collar criminals and leaves controversy and murder in its wake.
With an impressive 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes and rave reviews, The Gold launched on BBC in the winter of 2024 and was watched by 8.7 million viewers for its first episode.
Where can I watch the trailer for The Gold?
Yes! Scroll to the top of the page to watch the video.
Is The Gold based on a true story?
Yes. The Brink's-Mat robbery happened in real life on November 26, 1983. It was one of the largest thefts in UK history and the dirty money is believed to have fueled the London Docklands property boom. The amount of gold was so substantial, as it gradually re-entered the legitimate market, experts believe that much of the gold jewellery worn today may contain traces of Brink's-Mat gold.
"What's most fascinating about this story is the amount of people that are involved in it. It wasn't one gang, one clever, criminal genius or anything like that," says Jack Lowden who plays Kenny Noyle, a fence who was recruited to launder the gold in real life. "It's a huge group of people who all came from very different backgrounds and very different skill sets."
The heist led to significant procedural, technological, and legislative changes to better tackle organized crime, financial crime, and police corruption in the future.
Extensive research and interviews went into the book The Gold: The real story behind Brink's-Mat: Britain's biggest heist written by Thomas Turner and screenwriter Neil Forsyth who later adapted it into the dramatic series.
"The Gold is set in a world of serious money and grotesque spending," says Dominic Cooper who plays barrister Edwyn Cooper in the series. "There are a lot of different very well-rounded, extraordinary characters in it and it's got that richness and that comparison of old money, new wealth, dodgy characters, and useless-at-times police, but ones who ultimately uncover and solve it."
Who does Hugh Bonneville play in The Gold?
British actor Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) plays DSC Brian Boyce, a principled real-life career cop who is recruited to lead the team of detectives who hunt for the missing gold.
"Brian Boyce is a trustworthy, by-the-book police officer," says Bonneville, "and what makes Brian Boyce good at his job is that he's determined to be the best policeman he can possibly be. He believes in right and wrong, justice and doing the right thing by society."
Bonneville spent some time with Boyce, who is now retired and in his eighties, before production. "I often think about characters in terms of their pulse rate and one of the main things I took away from my meeting with him was that he has a slow pulse, a calm pulse. He's a man who considers, reflects and he's a good delegator," he says.
Who else appears in The Gold?
The star-studded ensemble cast also includes;
Charlotte Spencer (Ted Lasso, Line of Duty) plays Nikki Jennings, a bold female cop who plays a pivotal role in the investigation. Jennings is a fictional composite character, inspired by several real-life female detectives who worked on the case.
Emun Elliott (The King's Old Man, Old, Game of Thrones) plays Tony Brightwell a real-life cop who joins Jenning and Boyce on the investigation.
Jack Lowden (Slow Horses, Dunkirk, War and Peace) plays Kenneth Noyle, a real-life businessman and career criminal who helps cash in the bullion by enlisting John Palmer (played by Tom Cullen from Downton Abbey/Black Mirror) to melt it down and mix it with copper coins to dilute the purity before selling it to jewellers.
Dominic Cooper (The Preacher, Mamma Mia, Captain America) plays Edwyn Cooper, a character that is loosely based on the real-life figure Michael Relton, a lawyer who was convicted of laundering the money.
"It's an incredible story that not a lot of people know a great deal about," says Cooper, "you're amazed that these people managed to get away with such a thing. I hope that it will be exhilarating to uncover how they got caught and how they managed to make such big mistakes."
Where can I watch The Gold in Canada?
All six episodes of The Gold are now streaming on CBC Gem.
CBC Gem is available for free as an App for iOS, tvOS, Fire TV, Android TV, Android phones and tablets, LG and Samsung Smart TVs, Roku, and Xbox One/S/X. I
Will there be a Season 2 for The Gold?
We have some great news! BBC has started production on a second season to explore what happened to the still-missing gold. Stay in touch, and we'll share when it's about to land on CBC Gem.
