To Be a King

Episode aired Sep 17, 2023
56m

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

326

YOUR RATING

Crime Drama History

Six armed men steal £26m worth of gold from the Brink's-Mat. DCI Brian Boyce investigates.Six armed men steal £26m worth of gold from the Brink's-Mat. DCI Brian Boyce investigates.Six armed men steal £26m worth of gold from the Brink's-Mat. DCI Brian Boyce investigates.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

326

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

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User reviews2

7.3326

Featured reviews

8Sleepin_Dragon

Quite an absorbing start.

Six hardened criminals get lucky, and steal £26 million worth of gold in a vicious armed robbery.

DCI Brian Boyce is our on the case, he has an axe to grind having failed to get a promotion he was chasing.

Not what I was expecting, I thought it was going to be perhaps three episodes focused on the build up, and three maybe dealikg will the aftermath, instead it's straight into the action,

Production values, as you'd expect from The BBC are terrific, it looks great, and the decade is perfectly brought back to life.

Strong acting, Emun Elliott and Hugh Bonneville stood out, I'm keen to see what star man Dominic Cooper brings.

The story is definitely an interesting one, I'm keen to see where they go with all six episodes, but this first episode was very good.

Of course it's been dramatised, quite extensively, but it's interesting.

8/10.

4Prismark10

Episode 1

Hot on the heels of the comedy crime caper The Curse on Channel 4.

The BBC have done a more staid version with The Gold. It is less about the actual Brinks Mat robbery and more of the aftermath.

In 1983, some low level robbers struck it lucky with finding bars of gold outside the vault in a warehouse near Heathrow airport.

They now need to get rid of the £26 million worth of gold bullion. No easy task to either smelt it or sell it on.

As for the police. DCI Brian Boyce (Hugh Bonneville) is leading the pursuit. Disappointed after being turned down for a promotion he wanted in counter terrorism. He has ended up in the Flying Squad.

Writer Neil Forsyth has added a subtext of the class system in this story based on true facts.

The first episode did well with the early 80s period setting. It is just a shame that it lacked tension and was a bit dull.

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The house Kenneth Noye drives the Rolls-Royce up to and takes a telephone call in is actually the house the real life Kenneth Noye lived in. It has been up for sale at various points in recent years and is situated near West Kingsdown in Kent.

Goofs
A number of vehicles used in the series were not on sale in the year being depicted or are on number plates which do not match the year of manufacture for those models. The Ford Sierra Mk2 was not introduced until 1987 and would not be sold on a "B" prefix plate (1984). The Ford Orion Mk2 was not introduced until 1986. A Volvo 740 is shown using a V suffix number plate (1979) despite the model not being produced until 1984.

Quotes
Edwyn Cooper: Caesar's wife.
Young Policeman Jack: Sorry, sir?
Edwyn Cooper: Caesar's wife must be above suspicion. You don't know your classics?
Young Policeman Jack: Not, like, off by heart.
Edwyn Cooper: Envy, temptation, greed. Human nature is weak and that is why the law must be strong. And that is why those who propagate the law must be strongest of all. For a civilised society to operate, Caesar's wife must be above suspicion.
Young Policeman Jack: Oh, OK, right. Yeah, I get it.
Edwyn Cooper: As a solicitor, I've represented 42 police officers accused of corruption and I'm yet to lose. And that is because I don't represent bent cops. I represent those who have shown weakness and are ready to repent. I keep good men on the beat. Are you a good man?
Young Policeman Jack: Yes, I am, Mr Cooper.
Edwyn Cooper: You accepted a bribe.
Young Policeman Jack: I didn't take it.
Edwyn Cooper: So we're in the grey. You accepted it but never took it. They will try and argue from the grey to the black. I will argue from the grey to the white and I will win. And I will get you back on the beat. And when you are back on the beat, Constable, pounding the troubled streets of this once great city, you will think of Caesar's wife.
Young Policeman Jack: Yes, sir.