The Gold

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.

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 .

#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.

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.