Forget the polite chitchat about period dramas and cozy mysteries—Masterpiece on PBS is about to get seriously gritty. They’ve snagged “The Gold,” a BBC drama chronicling the audacious 1983 Brink’s-Mat robbery, a heist so brazen it redefined “grand larceny.” And not just the first season, mind you, but the second as well, ensuring American viewers get the full, complicated story of stolen bullion, dirty money, and the long shadow cast by one very bad morning at Heathrow.
For those unfamiliar, the Brink’s-Mat robbery wasn’t your average smash-and-grab. We’re talking £26 million in gold bullion, vanishing into thin air (or, more accurately, into the surprisingly spacious underbelly of organized crime). The first season of “The Gold” reconstructs the robbery itself, meticulously detailing the how and the who of this audacious caper. But the real intrigue—and what sets this series apart from your typical true-crime fare—lies in the aftermath. Season two tackles the sprawling investigation, the desperate hunt for the missing gold (still largely unrecovered, by the way), and the tangled web of international money laundering that sprouted from this seed of criminal ingenuity.
Lest you think this is merely a procedural, “The Gold” packs some serious star power. Hugh Bonneville, Jack Lowden, and Dominic Cooper lead a cast that brings some serious acting chops to the table.
“The Gold” arrives on Masterpiece courtesy of All3Media International, further solidifying PBS’s commitment to importing high-quality British drama. Created by Neil Forsyth and directed by a team that includes Academy Award-winner Aneil Karia, the series is based on extensive research and interviews with those involved. So, while you won’t find any soothing pronouncements about heirs and graces, you just might get a glimpse into the dark heart of greed.
The airdates for “The Gold” on Masterpiece are yet to be announced.
