The BBC's 80s-set crime drama The Gold is back to tell the back-half of the Brink's-Mat robbery tale.
It's been a little over two years since the series first debuted and, during the hiatus, the detectives on the trail of the missing bullion have just about recovered from the shock of learning they were only ever chasing half of the gold. Now they are intent on recovering the rest.
Season one of The Gold was tremendously well received by critics and viewers alike, with one fan going as far as to describe it as a "bold full-body red wine to be quaffed!" (via Rotten Tomatoes). High acclaim indeed, but will season two be able to elicit such poetic praise?
It certainly makes a valiant effort to, with a strong start to the final chapter of the story. This introduces us to the villains of the piece in a 'where are they now?' type of manner.
While some are scrambling to turn gold into tangible gains, others have made a roaring success of their haul, but the pressure and the fear of retribution is never far behind them and that starts with Hugh Bonneville's Brian Boyce and the rest of his taskforce.
Downton Abbey's Bonneville, once again, delivers a solid, earnest performance as DCS Boyce. His strong, determined presence is felt, adding a kind of gravitas to the events at play.
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Nicki Jennings (Charlotte Spencer) Tony Brightwell (Emun Elliott) and the unconventional Tony Lundy (Stephen Campbell Moore) each bring something different to Boyce's taskforce team, which makes the chemistry of their unit exciting and interesting.
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But what is The Gold without its thieves and money launders? This, of course, means the return of some familiar faces, John Palmer (Tom Cullen) Charlie Miller (Sam Spruell) and Kenneth Noye (Jack Lowden), as well as some new bad apples in the form of Logan Campbell (Tom Hughes) and Douglas Baxter (Joshua McGuire).
The ensemble of baddies deliver a performance that is undeniably entertaining. Cullen's John has that devil-in-a-suit vibe. He's incredibly charming and dreadfully, dangerously sharp. Meanwhile Spruell's Charlie has an 'everyday man' cheekiness that almost makes you want to turn a blind eye to his severe misdemeanours.
So good is their depiction of these men that you may find yourself flip-flopping between allegiances, wanting the police to nab them one minute and the next buying into the idea of a timeshare (watch the first episode and you'll see what we mean).
McGuire is brilliant in the role of Douglas. This squirmy, weasel-y, purposefully irritating new addition to the cast fits perfectly in this world. Roiling with a mixture of desperation and built up resentment and when it implodes (despite being a fleeting moment), it is spectacular.
There are, of course, clear characters that you just can't get behind, which favours the direction of the narrative this season.
Neil Forsyth, The Gold creator and executive producer, has made no secret about the fact that the concluding chapter would be "a story of the consequences faced by several of our key characters across the entire show" and so it will come as no surprise to fans that it would include some of the aforementioned.
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The show is written as though it almost takes pleasure in the downfall of the cash-hungry, opportunistic bunch, depicting their undoing in a crumbling, erosive kind of way. As the tension increases incrementally over the course of the six episodes, their lives fall to pieces – bit by bit, moment by moment, bad decision by bad decision – which is entertaining to watch.
Unfortunately, there are moments in this series where the action lags, making you yearn for some snappier pacing, particularly in the front half. However, the back half really makes up for it and the conclusion is utterly satisfying.
All episodes of The Gold season 2 are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer, with episodes airing weekly on Sundays at 9pm. All episodes of season 1 are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer.
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TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
