Latest news with #NickiJennings
Wales Online
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
BBC's The Gold analysed and what happened to other half of the Brink's-Mat loot
BBC's The Gold analysed and what happened to other half of the Brink's-Mat loot The Gold season 2 concludes the story of the Brink's-Mat heist WARNING: This article contains spoilers from The Gold on BBC Season two of The Gold premieres on the BBC today (June 8) and dramatises the infamous Brink's-Mat heist of 26 November 1983, where six armed robbers made off with three tonnes of solid gold bullion worth £26 million from a security depot near Heathrow Airport, reports the Express. The show weaves fact and fiction to recount the audacious theft, with creator Neil Forsyth commenting about the new outing: "This series follows the second half of the Brink's-Mat gold and it's also a story of the consequences faced by several of our key characters across the entire show. I always saw The Gold as a two-series show, following the two halves of the gold, so this will be the final series." The story picks up the story from the first outing, which first aired back in 2023. As fans will remember, season one ended with police officer Nicki Jennings making a huge revelation: "We thought we'd stopped them. We thought we'd stopped all of them. There was more to come, more gold, more money but he said he'd finished." She gestured towards the sum of £13 million displayed on a board, suggesting that only half of the stolen wealth was accounted for, with the remainder being divided at the outset of the robbery. Article continues below Detective Chief Inspector Brian Boyce (portrayed by Hugh Bonneville) confirmed this with a simple acknowledgement: "I know." As the episode concluded, the investigative team appeared poised to delve into the mystery of the missing gold's whereabouts. John and Marnie Palmer will be living it up in The Gold series 2 (Image: BBC ) What happened to the other half of the Brink's-Mat gold? Despite extensive efforts, the other half of the Brink's-Mat gold has never been recovered by law enforcement. Rumours persist that the unrecovered gold eventually re-entered the legitimate gold market. It was even reported by police that some of the purloined gold was sold back to its original owner, Johnson Matthey. There have been suggestions that any gold jewellery purchased after 1983 could potentially be from the stolen loot. As per BBC News, some of the gold is believed to have disappeared into the criminal underworld, later resurfacing in foreign bank accounts in places such as Miami, Luxembourg and Switzerland. Tony Brightwell and Nicki Jennings return for The Gold series 2 (Image: BBC ) It's reported that a portion of the gold was melted down by a British businessman. The proceeds from the gold travelled globally as the money was laundered and disassociated from the stolen haul. Funds from the gold were later invested in the property development boom in London Docklands. Some of the money from the gold was used to purchase a former section of Cheltenham Ladies' College, which was then converted into flats and sold off, according to The Independent. The Gold is based on the Brink's-Mat heist (Image: BBC ) Even decades post-heist, the police continued to investigate the whereabouts of the missing gold, but it seems most of those involved in the Brink's-Mat robbery escaped justice and the gold will regrettably never be recovered. This is due to the operation being executed with precision and a highly sophisticated money laundering process in place to cleanse the gold and the money as swiftly as possible. Lead star Bonneville said of the new episodes: 'In series two we see the ripple effect of even more gold being smelted and even more money being laundered. 'Our principal characters return and we see the effect the gold is having on them and the impact the proceeds of the robbery has around the world. 'Because the money is spreading so far and wide it proves increasingly difficult for Boyce and his team to keep up, especially as their operation - already criticised for being the most expensive in police history - is facing pressure to scale back in the face of limited results. 'As far as his superiors are concerned, Boyce hasn't put enough of the bad guys behind bars.' Hugh Bonneville as Brian Boyce in The Gold (Image: BBC ) The Downton Abbey star detailed how, in reality, the police investigation continued for at least a decade after the initial robbery in 1983. Boyce was on the brink of retirement and trying desperately to crack the case before retirement, but sadly, this wasn't to be. The real-life Boyce faced pressure against the clock towards his retirement, but his superiors were also concerned about the escalating costs of the investigation versus the diminishing returns. Bonneville commented on how season two would show the 'consequences' and the 'extraordinary ripple effect' the stolen gold had not only through the British economy but around the world. The show depicts how the impact would be felt in Tenerife through to Tortola in the Caribbean with even the Russian mafia getting involved. He added: 'The implications are huge, and the consequences of the actions of six men in a van really do have a worldwide impact.' Article continues below The Gold seasons 1 & 2 are streaming on the BBC iPlayer now
Wales Online
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
The Gold's Brink's-Mat police woman Nicki Jennings analysed
The Gold's Brink's-Mat police woman Nicki Jennings analysed BBC crime drama The Gold is returning to screens WARNING: This article contains spoilers from The Gold season 1 Season two of The Gold returns to the BBC today (June 8) and charts the continued police efforts to recover the stolen gold bullion, cash and diamonds worth £26 million from the Brink's-Mat robbery of 1983, reports the Express. The new series features many of the same characters from the first outing as well as some new faces. Coming back for a second time to the BBC drama The Gold is police detective Nicki Jennings (portrayed by Charlotte Spencer), who is tasked with recovering the stolen loot from the Brink's-Mat robbery, leaving viewers intrigued about her fate. Nicki is a determined officer, having to strive harder than her male colleagues. She plays a pivotal role in the Brink's-Mat taskforce, battling against sexism to establish her worth. In the first series, Nicki also contends with the bias of her father Billy Jennings (Danny Webb), a notorious gangster. Article continues below Nicki chose a path starkly different from her father's and had to demonstrate she wasn't cut from the same cloth Interestingly, Nicki shared a similar background with the criminals she was pursuing, giving her insight into their mindset. Despite this, she's ambitious and even persuaded her superiors to investigate the alleged mine in Sierra Leone, where John Palmer (Tom Cullen) claimed to source his gold product. Addressing her character's journey in The Gold series two, actress Spencer said: "Jennings in this series has got into her groove a bit more, she's more comfortable with herself now and understands the job and what's she'd doing." Audiences will see the dynamic changing within the taskforce to find the gold, with Nicki displeased and suspicious of the newcomer. Spencer explained: "I compare Jennings to a rottweiler, for some reason I always compare my characters with animals, but she's very loyal and feels she knows right from wrong." The actress noted: "She just wants to catch the bad guys and to bring people to justice. I don't think she'll stop until it happens." She also reflected about working on the final outing of the drama: "The Gold is one of those special jobs that only comes around once in a while where you truly love the people you work with, and who become good friends. "I've loved coming back to reprise this role. Jennings is a great character and I get to work with people I adore on and off screen." Many audience members are curious to know more about the character of Nicki and whether she was a real-life figure. Tony Brightwell and Nicki Jennings return for The Gold series 2 (Image: BBC ) What happened to Nicki Jennings? Sadly, she doesn't exist and was created for the purposes of the series. The show's creator Neil Forsyth said: 'Jennings is a composite character based on interviews I did with a number of female former detectives who worked on the case. 'The one area of the Met Police where there were a significant number of female detectives at the time was in surveillance, as they were seen as less likely to catch criminals' attention. 'The women I spoke to were very helpful in talking about their experiences and I put a lot of that into the Jennings character.' Nicki Jennings was on the Brink's-Mat taskforce (Image: BBC ) But Nicki isn't the only composite character to be included in The Gold, lawyer Edwyn Cooper (Dominic Cooper), who helped to launder the money made from the stolen gold was another fictitious figure. Edwyn was also based on several real-life people rather than just one person from the case. Forsyth went on to say about his research: "I spoke to a large number of people who were involved in the story in different ways. "By and large, they were very open and happy to talk about their experiences." Hugh Bonneville as Brian Boyce in The Gold series 2 (Image: BBC ) One real-life figure key to the drama is senior police officer Brian Boyce (Hugh Bonneville), who led the Brink's-Mat investigation. Forsyth said: "By far, the most important person that we tracked down and spoke to was Brian Boyce." The writer said it was "very helpful" to get Boyce's insight into the case and the police investigation, and it made a huge difference. Article continues below The Gold seasons 1 & 2 are available to watch on the BBC iPlayer now
