The Gold

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.

#thegold #thegoldtvseries @bbciplayer - 6 episodes about 1 hr each - binge watched this too - I thought it was the lead up to the robbery but it's after and how the police go about trying to catch the robbers - based on facts about the Brink'sMat robbery in 1983 - well acted and worth watching if you're interested in this - I remember the robbery but couldn't remember anything about it so I found it interesting to watch and of course I didn't know the outcome ! It shows the arrogance of the nouveau riche criminals and frustration with the still prevalent class system which they just can't quite be accepted into - also shows the links with them and the Masons and how corrupt it all is especially when top police are involved - hand shakes and favours to look after each other - apparently a lot of policing methods were changed after this event and you now have to reveal if you are a mason in the police - give it a go ! £26 million was robbed which in today's money is approx £101 million !! @bonhughbon @jack.lowden @emunelliott_ @charlottelouisespencer @stefaniemartini @sean.gilder @dominiccooper #crime #drama #robbery #police #themasons.

...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.

Many stories of grand thefts follow the planning of the event; the heist itself provides the climax. But the Brinks Mat robbery (the largest theft of gold ever seen in the UK at the time) was not well-planned; instead, a group of petty (but not particularly attractive) criminals got lucky when aiming for a lesser haul. Nonetheless, they managed to launder most of their ill-gotten gains; though eventually, the police tracked down many of those involved. 'The Gold', a fictionalised rendition of these events, thus begins in a low key way: the crime happens right at the start, before we really care. But as the drama continues, it becomes increasingly gripping, as we come to understand the motivations and character of those involved; and it also becomes clear that for many, this is not just a game but a matter quite literally of life and death. The portrayals are somewhat stylised but never completely implausable; by the end, I was hooked. Hugh Bonnevillle is good as the plodding-but-decent policeman leading the investigation. In case you're tempted to glamourise the villains, it's worth noting that Kenneth Noye, released after sentence, later murdered a man in a road-rage incident.

As Episode 1 of "The Gold" (2023 release from the UK; 6 episodes of about an hour each) opens, it is."26 November 1983" and six guys enter a warehouse near Heathrow Airport, and overwhelm the security staff. They make off with a bunch of gold bars worth £26 million (more than $120 million in today's currency). Now comes the hard part: how to convert the gold into cash? At this point we are less than 15 minutes into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: this is billed in the US as a "Paramount+ Original", but let's be clear: this is a BBC production from start to finish, from top to bottom. And what a great TV series this turned out to be. The mini-series starts with the robbery and doesn't look back as to the why or how of the robbery. Instead it focuses exclusively on the aftermath of the robbery. It affects not only the 6 robbers, but also their families and others who become entangled in the fallout. The no-star ensemble cast is terrific all the way through. Also loved the careful recreation of the early-to-mid 80s scenery in (primarily) London. And then of course there is this: how does it all play out? Will anyone get caught or will they get away with what was then the greatest robbery in England's history? Just watch!

"The Gold" aired on BBC in early 2023, to immediate critical acclaim. It currently is rated 91% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and for good reason. "The Gold" recently started airing on Paramount+ and I just finished it last evening. If you have any interest in true crime drama or simply yearn for a terrific classic BBC tv series, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.