'The Gold' explores Britain's biggest heist in history

In 1983, six thieves muscled their way into a warehouse near Heathrow Airport, expecting to find a large sum of foreign currency. They got much more than they bargained for - 26 million pounds worth of gold bars. What happened in the days and years next is the subject of PBS' "Masterpiece" enthralling series "The Gold," which traces the ripple effects of Britain's biggest robbery, going from a local search to infiltrating an international money laundering cartel. It starts airing on Sunday.

- Associated Press

"From the minute the show starts, the pressure's on," says showrunner Neil Forsyth. "There's a clock ticking, there's a net tightening and all these things. So it's lovely to write characters under that continual pressure." The so-called Brinks-Mat heist rocked Britain, leading to changes in banking laws, policing and shining a light on official corruption. Much of the gold was never located. It was melted down and sold back into the financial system, with the proceeds laundered into real estate.

"It's literally in the bricks and mortar and the architecture that surrounds people everywhere," says Emun Elliott, who plays one of the detectives.

"There might be a piece of that stolen gold in your wedding ring. It is everywhere."

To tell the sprawling story of "The Gold," Forsyth streamlined timelines, combined real-life figures and adjusted events to fit the drama. Viewers are told the series was "inspired by real events."