The Gold

A group of Armed robbers successfully rob £26 million worth of gold from Brinks Mat, expecting a much smaller haul, they face a major problem, how to dispose of it.

Without a doubt, this is one of the best things The BBC has done for some time, it is a quality production. Not one single dull moment, as one episode ends, you'll want to move on to the next.

Set over six parts, it's based on actual events, but of course dramatised, some of the changes seemed reasonable, some seemed to fit the present day climate and narrative.

The story is a compelling one, it makes you wonder if any of the jewellery in your home is part of that haul. This is an exciting, surprising and fast paced series, it is brimming with tension, suspense and drama, several moments will have you on the edge of your seat.

The acting is first rate, this is a cast list to savour, Hugh Bonneville is phenomenal, he truly is one of the best, star quality comes in the form of Dominic Cooper, great to see him in a made for television role.

9/10.

Neil Forsyth is an excellent writer and The Gold has assembled an excellent cast. It's a very well-written, well-performed, heavily-dramatised version of real events and works well as escapism. Where it doesn't work is when it's trying to be a lesson on class struggle in the 1980's.

Firstly, the viewer didn't ask for, and doesn't need, a one-sided, finger-wagging morality lesson on societal iniquity. Secondly, Kenneth Noye and his associates were not class warriors fighting a rigged class system; they were a demonstration of amoral violent greed that makes even the worst of the class system look relatively humane.

But don't let that put you off watching The Gold; it's very entertaining and mostly manages to remember that it's supposed to be entertainment. In a world of multiple streaming options which credit the viewer with a modicum of intelligence, it would be great to see the BBC survive and thrive. If it's able to understand that the entertainment viewer primarily wants to be entertained and isn't actually looking for a simplistic, sophomoric morality tale, it might be in with a chance.

As a television drama series, The Gold was very well done, well-acted, and a reasonable story line, but this is a fictional story, very loosely based on fact.

These are not nice, warm-hearted criminals, who would never hurt anyone outside their community, they are hardened, vicious and violent career criminals, who will stop at nothing in their way, it is very important to remember that.

The series makes compulsive viewing, but it is wrong to convey them as nice people, they are simply horrible people, who should not have publicity, it is a pity that the series did not portray them as such, and a pity it is not so factual.

However, despite all this, it is worth watching.

...except they made it 6 episodes. I'm all for character development but it lost its way exploring the back stories of everyone, I was confused in the end who the main protagonists were and what the ultimate ending was. And now they announced a second season - let's hope this one is tighter. Even with 6 episodes, the ending seemed a little rushed, with only text on the screen providing information about prison sentences - there could have been more trial scenes at the expense of some of the non-essential Switzerland and Spain scenes.

There's nothing wrong in making a shorter series, the performances were compelling and the storyline initially was interesting enough, and I particularly liked the cultural and historical references of the times.

First Hugh Bonneville is brilliant in this . Races along often , you get an episode that's a bit of a filler not here . Full of interesting characters and compelling plot. Plus amazing cars from my youth . Highly recommended for anyone of a certain age who was around when the job happened . It's frightening the. Corruption Within the police which hasn't changed much to this day . My only reservation was the portrayal of Keneth Noye as a bit of a cheeky cockney but in truth he was a nasty thug who went on to kill a young boy in cold blood. But that said it is an entertainment series and not entirely based of fact .