In the Trailer for Paramount+'s New Crime Drama, The Hunt for 'The Gold' Is On
Jack Lowden in "The Gold"
(Photo: Paramount+)
Paramount+ is entering the world of international programming with a splash. The streamer, which is probably best known in the United States as the home of the Star Trek franchise and those number-named Yellowstone prequels, has been busy in recent months greenlighting all manner of foreign content, from British dramas to Korean thrillers. (Some of the British titles currently in development include adaptations of The Burning Girls and A Gentleman in Moscow, a prequel to the cult classic Sexy Beast, and more.)
The first of these new projects to officially reach American shores is probably the streamer's most high profile, at least in terms of prestige feel and star power attached. The Gold is a true crime period drama that has a little bit of everything: an improbable story that absolutely happened, a cast of colorful real-life figures, an impressively bold crime, and a shocking truth --- that most of the people behind the crime got away with it. (At least, in the sense that the bulk of the titular gold was never recovered. And what's a little jail time compared to that?)
Inspired by real-life events, The Gold is (somehow) the first attempt to adapt the story of the infamous 1983 Brinks-Mat robbery, an event that was once called "the crime of the century," not just for its scale but the decades-long legacy it left behind. On November 26, 1983, six armed men broke into a Brink's-Mat security depot near London's Heathrow Airport. Their initial plan was to steal £3.2 million in cash. They inadvertently stumbled upon gold bullion worth £26m. It was the largest robbery in world history at the time.
But its impact went well beyond a shocking score. 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.
Here's the official description.
They were looking for £1 million. They found £26 million. Inspired by the biggest gold heist in Britain's history, The Gold tells the story of the 1983 Brink’s Mat robbery that kicked off decades of investigation, corruption, arrests, and murder as the police tried to identify the criminals and recover the gold.
The series boasts an all-star cast that features all manner of Anglophile favorites and heavy hitters. Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) stars, alongside Dominic Cooper (Preacher), Jack Lowden (Slow Horses), Charlotte Spencer (Sanditon), Tom Cullen (Becoming Elizabeth), Emun Elliott (Guilt), Sean Harris (The Green Knight), Ellora Torchia (Indian Summers), Stefanie Martini (Prime Suspect 1973), Daniel Ings (I Hate Suzie), Adam Nagaitis (Chernobyl) and Peter Davison (Doctor Who).
Series creator Neil Forsyth (Guilt) wrote all six episodes and directing duties were split between Aneil Karia (Top Boy) and Lawrence Gough (Endeavour). The Gold was commissioned in partnership with the BBC, and Tannadice Pictures, produced the series in conjunction with Paramount Television International Studios.
The Gold will premiere in the U.S. on Sunday, September 17, with two episodes. New installments will be available to stream weekly on Sundays thereafter, through October 15.
