Broughty Ferry author Neil Forsyth – who found fame with his Bob Servant books and TV series – is writing a new BBC drama about one of Britain’s most infamous crimes.
The Gold is inspired by the Brink’s-Mat robbery, when six men broke into a security depot near London’s Heathrow Airport in 1983.
The event was dubbed “the crime of the century” by many, as those involved inadvertently stumbled upon gold bullion worth £26 million.
Biggest theft in history at the time
At the time, the scale of the theft was the biggest in world history.
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”, according to TV chiefs.
Piers Wenger, director of BBC Drama, has commissioned the show – which he says will look “beyond” the theft itself and delve into the chain of events that followed.
The Gold is the first commission from Tannadice Pictures, the joint venture set up by Neil Forsyth and Objective Fiction.
Forsyth said: “We’re delighted to be working with the BBC on our first Tannadice Pictures production.
“The story of the Brink’s-Mat gold is a thrilling, surprising and tragic story and I am excited to be able to tell it.”
I'm delighted to be writing a new drama series for the BBC. It's called The Gold, begins with the Brink's-Mat robbery of 1983 then travels into all sorts of places. You can read more about it here if you like – https://t.co/SSZNrww507
— Neil Forsyth (@mrneilforsyth) August 25, 2021
Earlier this month, it was revealed that another of Forsyth’s TV hits – the drama series Guilt – is being adapted for TV in India.
The show has already been commissioned for a second series in the UK.