The Gold series 2 – a dramatisation of a fascinating true story – is currently airing on BBC One. But how much is accurate, and how much is “creative licence” by writer Neil Forsyth?

The six-parter follows on from 2023’s series 1. It dramatises the events of the now infamous Brink’s-Mat robbery of 1983 and its aftermath.

Series 1 followed six armed men who stole £26m worth of gold from the Brink’s-Mat security depot in 1983. As they tried to dispose of the bullion, DCI Brian Boyce set up a police task force to investigate.

The latest series follows the investigation into the second half of the gold as it “evolves on an international scale”. But what’s real, and what’s not? Here’s everything you need to know…

Is The Gold based on a true story?

The Gold series 1 and 2 are based on a true story. The episodes are a dramatisation of the Brink’s-Mat storage depot robbery in Heathrow in 1983. Thieves stole a whooping £26million worth of gold bullion.

At the time, it was the largest robbery in world history. The 2023 first series saw some of the criminals banged up, and half of the money recovered. Series 2 now follows the other half of the gold.

However, some “creative licence” has been used, while other elements are fictionalised interpretations of the events.

The beginning of each episode tells us: “The following is inspired by real events, and the many theories that have surrounded the gold. Some characters, elements, and chronologies have been created or changed for dramatic purposes.

“The theft of £26million worth of gold bullion from the Brink’s-Mat depot in Heathrow in 1983 was the largest robbery in world history.

“After several years of investigation, and multiple court cases and convictions, the police realised they had only ever been on the trail of half of the Brink’s-Mat gold. This is our story of the other half.”

BBC drama series is based on ‘theories’

Writer Neil Forsyth explained how he was about to “extrapolate out into storylines” in The Gold.

He said: “What was exciting for me when we were researching the show was that we would find these lovely little nuggets that I could extrapolate out into storylines. Often, this unearths stories that have not been widely reported or widely known. And  people who were not convicted for their crimes.

“For example, there’s a whole storyline in the opening episode of this series, which is based around a theory that some of the gold was hidden in a tin mine in Cornwall. That came from one article the researcher Adam Fenn and I found in the Evening Standard from the 1980s. We decided to explore that in the opening episode of series two. That is the kind of reward you get for putting in the research.”

The Gold true story: What’s real and what’s not?

Of course, The Gold series 2 is an interpretation of what happened to half of the gold – worth a whooping £13m. It could only ever be based on theories, as most of the gold was never recovered in real life.

Talking about how close the series is to real life, creator and writer Neil Forsyth explained what research he had done. He said: “We do a huge amount of research with The Gold, but then we have to tell a cohesive version of a very complicated story… So, of course, creative licence is used for that and other reasons. But the series is very much inspired by real events.”

Of course, no one was able to catalogue what really happened in conversations between Kenneth Noye, and his accomplice Brian Reader for example. Or John Palmer and his wife (or lover!), so they are a fictionalised account of these possible events.

However, the actual robbery, and what subsequently happened to the likes of Kenneth Noye, John Palmer, and police officers Tony Lundy and DCI Brian Boyce are very much real. John Palmer did run a fraudulent timeshare operation, and was on the Sunday Times Rich List. Police eventually caught him and he served time. An unknown killed shot him dead years later.

Meanwhile, writer Neil Forsyth invented some of the characters.

What characters are not real?

In The Gold series 1, certain characters like Dominic Cooper’s Edwyn Cooper was a fictional character. He was a solicitor involved in laundering the proceeds of the Brink’s-Mat robbery. In truth, the operation to steal, smelt, launder and distribute the Brink’s-Mat gold and subsequent money was huge. It would be impossible to know every link in the chain.

Like Edwyn in the first series, series 2’s Douglas Baxter is also a made-up character who joined the criminal underworld for financial gain. Douglas Baxter is a composite character inspired by some of those involved in the Brink’s-Mat story.

Logan Campbell is also a composite character inspired by some of those involved with the Brink’s-Mat criminal enterprises. In his case, the laundering of a huge amount of money that was produced by the proceeds of the robbery.

Meanwhile, in real life, Charlie Miller did not exist either. Actor Sam Spruell, who plays the character in the BBC drama, said: “Charlie Miller is an amalgam of various alleged southeast London criminals involved in the Brink’s-Mat robbery. He is no one specific.”

Crucially, the police were never able to charge four out of six of the Brink’s-Mat robbers.

It’s true that there was special police task force investigating the robbery. However, DI Nicki Jennings is not based on a real person. Charlotte Spencer portrays the only female detective hunting the Brink’s-Mat robbers, but she is a fictional character. This gave creator and writer Neil Forsyth the opportunity to pay tribute to a number of women in the police at the time.

Read more: The Gold fans beg for a series 3, but here’s why writer Neil Forysth isn’t writing more episodes

The Gold series 1 and 2 are currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer.