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.

For once we get a BBC police drama that is not stuffed with the latest modern cliches to make it more 'now' and 'authentic' and in which the direction, script and acting are not noticeably produced by the same sausage machine. In many respect The Gold really is several cuts above yer standard BBC fare. But it does have its flaws.

The first of these has been highlighted by other reviewers: for some reason the 'villains' - Noye and Palmer in particular - are sympathetically portrayed as somewhat loveable characters who just happen to be on the wrong side of the law. They were nothing of the kind: partners, mistresses and associates are on record that both were hard, violent, cruel and ruthless.

Noye is still alive. Palmer was murdered at his home in the south of England, the victim of other gangsters he had upset once too often as he made his fortune, reputed to have been £300m.

Noye was acquitted of murdering an undercover police officer but later jailed for a 'road rage' murder. Noye was - make that is - not a nice guy and certainly not a man you would care to cross.

Such characterisation of villasin is not new, of course, and Tinseltown and television have long used that schtick to sex up their cops and robbers drama. A good example which comes to mind is 1967's Bonnie And Clyde starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway which portrays the couple as rather glamorous and heroic. In fact, their short criminal career was sordid and tragic - but that doesn't sell as well.

A second flaw of the BBC's The Gold is more serious as in a sense is it possibly more dishonest: the role of Britain's 'Establishment' is highlighted and the vicious, soulless way it looks after its own.

That is certainly the case and corruption in various police service, a main them of The Gold, is not a scriptwriter's fancy, included just to jazz up his drama. It was then and apparently still is rampant, not just in the police but in other corners of British society.

The Gold's portrayal of it, though, is what is dishonest: both Noye and Palmer, and a third villain who was a crucial element in the scheme to get rid of the gold stolen at Heathrow Airport and launder the proceeds are consciously shown partly to be motivated by sticking one up the Establishment, if kicking back at 'the system'.

From what we know of both men that is just not true: both were motivated purely by greed. They were not 'victims of the system' who were, like some kind of latter-day Robin Hoods, turning on it and giving as good as they could get.

The theme of 'a - potentially - good man' being held back because he 'didn't go to the right school' or something along those lines is perpetuated by the uncorrupt and uncorruptible copper Brian Boyce who is the nemesis of Noye and Palmer. He was a good enough enlisted man to be considered as officer material but he wasn't because he was from the wrong social drawer (runs the drama).

This second flaw does not, though, spoil a very good piece of drama. It is a flaw nothing more. The acting throughout is top-notch, there is none of that silly grandstanding which wrecks an otherwise police procedural, and the cinematography - hand-held cameras making this seem much more of a documentary than it really is - comes off well.

If only the BBC had the courage to free itself of its self-imposed restraints and make more of this kind of drama. We can hope.

...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 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.