We see the impact of the gold being stolen and the extraordinary ripple effect it has

As The Gold returns for a second series, Hugh Bonneville tells Yolanthe Fawehinmi why the stakes are so high

- 

AFTER the first series of The Gold, inspired by the real-life Brink's-Mat robbery, it may have seemed as though the case was shut.

But with half of the precious haul still missing, there's more for Hugh Bonneville and Charlotte Spencer's London detectives to do.

The real crime took place in 1983, when six men stole £26m worth of gold bullion from a warehouse at the Heathrow International Trading Estate.

It sparked the imagination of Scottish author and screenwriter Neil Forsyth, who went on to create the drama for the BBC.

In the first series, Micky McAvoy's gang were convicted over the theft.

Downton Abbey star Bonneville, 61, is back as DCI Brian Boyce with his team, Spencer, 33, as DI Nicki Jennings, and Scottish actor Emun Elliott, 41, as DI Tony Brightwell.

After they convict some of those involved in the robbery, and start to plan how they will handle the Brink's-Mat gold, they discover that only half has been recovered.

As the investigation starts to take shape, the police force progresses into the high-stakes territory of international money laundering and organised crime.

Tensions rise as they desperately try to solve one of the longest and most expensive investigations in the history of the Metropolitan Police.

Malpractice's Tom Hughes, Criminal Record's Stephen Campbell Moore, Cheaters' Joshua McGuire and The Witcher's Lorna Brown join the drama for the new series.

Meanwhile, fans can expect to see Jack Lowden and Tom Cullen reprise their roles as criminal gold dealers Kenneth Noye and John Palmer.