‘The Gold’ reviews round-up: ‘Thrilling’ heist drama is ‘a real audience-pleaser’

Hugh Bonneville‘s new BBC drama The Gold begins this weekend!

From the creator of Guilt, the six-part mini-series dramatises the true story of ‘the crime of the century’ and the decades-long chain of events that followed the Brink’s-Mat robbery in 1983.

Watch the trailer here:

The official synopsis for The Gold reads: “On the 26 November 1983, six armed men broke into the Brink’s-Mat security depot near London’s Heathrow Airport, and inadvertently stumbled across gold bullion worth £26m.

“What started as ‘a typical Old Kent Road armed robbery’ according to detectives at the time, became a seminal event in British criminal history, remarkable not only for the scale of the theft, at the time the biggest in world history, but for its wider legacy.

“The disposal of the bullion caused the birth of large-scale international money laundering, provided the dirty money that helped fuel the London Docklands property boom, united blue and white collar criminals and left controversy and murder in its wake.”

Alongside Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), the impressive ensemble cast also includes Charlotte Spencer (Sanditon), Jack Lowden (Benediction), Dominic Cooper (Mamma Mia!), Emun Elliott (The Paradise), Sean Harris (Southcliffe), Stefanie Martini (The Last Kingdom), Tom Cullen (Downton Abbey), and Peter Davison (The Larkins).

The Gold premieres in the UK on BBC One at 9pm on Sunday 12 February, with all six episodes being made available to stream on BBC iPlayer as a box set.

We’ve rounded up a spoiler-free selection of reviews to help you decide if you’d like to watch the series:

 

“A 24-carat drama about one of the UK’s most shocking robberies.” ★★★★ – The Guardian

 

“Filled with twists and turns, and a cast who veer between likeable and villainous, The Gold is pure primetime fun … The Gold accepts that the theft was the easy part. Telling the story of what happened next – and making it every bit as exhilarating as a full-blown safecracking caper – is the show’s true alchemy.” ★★★★ – The Independent

 

“It’s tremendous. I’m not sure there’s been a drama like it in years.” – The Times

 

“A truly smart British crime drama with a classic feel and a knockout cast … The Gold is a real audience-pleaser, a classic, classy British crime drama with a big and brilliant cast … This story is a perfect vehicle for [writer Neil Forsyth’s] talents, with razor-sharp one-liners and a fresh take on noir characters.” ★★★★ – Evening Standard

 

“BBC One’s The Gold is outstandingly enjoyable TV … This madly entertaining drama about the 1983 Brink’s-Mat robbery doubles as an account of the Thatcherite Eighties.” – The New Statesman

 

The Gold is undeniably one of the best British dramas we’ve had in years, 24 carats of solid gold performances that are backed by a beautifully stylized production…” ★★★★★ – FilmHounds

 

“This retelling of the Brink’s-Mat robbery and its aftermath is stylish, well-told and superbly acted – but papers over the darker truths.” ★★★ – The Telegraph

 

The Gold makes for a good example of true crime done well – a series that dramatises a genuinely outlandish crime with far-reaching consequences … It also affords writer Neil Forsyth the opportunity to examine ideas about class tension and social mobility, pitting new money thieves against upper class police officers … Ultimately, The Gold is a sharply drawn piece of drama; it thrives as a process story, always most impressive when it hones in on the granular details of money laundering. It perhaps doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s solid, with a real heft to it.” – National World

 

“[The Gold] proves that shows dealing in largely British matters are just as ambitious as prestige American television … Through one serendipitous robbery, Forsyth provides a disheartening, meticulous view of gold’s influence around the world in a thick and thrilling true-crime drama.” ★★★★ – Culture Whisper

 

The Gold will launch internationally on Paramount+ later this year.

Hugh Bonneville’s memoir Playing Under the Piano: From Downton to Darkest Peru is available on Amazon.