The Gold (2023) s01e03 Episode Script

1
Here is £26 million worth
of pure gold
in the possession of people
who didn't expect to have it.
The only way the gold
turns into money
is if they manage to sell it
back into the market.
It's not hard to shift a bar, Kenny.
But what you're talking about,
that's a different level.
You need a team to do it.
You need paperwork for every stage.
You need a lot of people
looking the other way.
And the people you're talking about,
the ones that come from something,
we're gonna need one of them.
I shall take 25% to clean it
through Swiss bank accounts.
I can handle a million a week.
- Brian Reader? Are you sure?
- 100%, sir.
- Something's going on in Kent.
- How long? To catch them?
Mm, a month.
Two at the most.
(sheep bleating)
(wind blowing)
(engines revving in distance)
(man) Come on, come on!
Move!
(indistinct shouting)
There we go!
Move, come on!
There we go, fast, fast.
(shouts in native language)
Move, move, move, move.
(indistinct shouting)
(bells pealing in distance)
0950. Brian Reader arriving
at the home of Kenneth Noye.
(dogs barking)
Did you get him?
(Murphy) No, not clearly.
I'll get him on the way back.
Got him.
(Boyce) It appears we've found
the first link in the chain.
Kenneth Noye has the gold.
Brian Reader is moving it.
If we can prove that, then we can
move on to more interesting areas
like our gold merchant.
Tell us about the house.
Wish I could, sir.
Couldn't see much.
- Security?
- Camera on the gates.
Couple of dogs chained up.
Nothing significant.
Right, let's speak to air support,
get some aerials,
pull the land records,
and check on the neighbours.
Oh, and we have this tracker
for a week,
before Belfast notices it's gone.
Let's see where Reader's going.
(Archie) Oh, I'm getting goose bumps.
He's like, um
He's like Wellington in Waterloo.
You know, in the
Cheers, fellas.
(sighs)
Wha What's this, then?
Tenerife.
We leave on Friday. Two weeks.
- I can't.
- You can.
I'm not finished.
You can't live like this, John.
You're working every night
breathing in God knows what,
then driving half asleep
to every market in England.
You're gonna kill yourself.
- (girl) We're going on holiday!
- Yeah, so I hear.
- Can you read it to me?
- No.
- Please?
- I said no!
Right?
Hey.
Your daddy's tired, okay, sweetheart?
You go on up,
I'll come read it to you.
Yeah?
Whatever it is,
it can wait two weeks.
(knock on door)
(door opens)
(Brightwell) Sir?
We're having a little difficulty
with the land records
for Noye's house, sir.
Of course you are.
They were placed
under the Official Secrets Act.
When?
(Fordham) If Reader
doesn't go to bed soon,
we'll be clocked.
If we haven't been already.
We've been here too long.
He's got to go up at some point.
They'll be playing
the bloody anthem soon.
We can't wait that long.
Let's do it on the move.
(Murphy)
That was gravy, that was, son.
Noye owns 20 acres from here
to here.
Somewhere in there
are three underground bunkers
used by intelligence agents before
they were dropped over France.
Officially they were sealed in 1945,
but if Noye's found them, one can
imagine he's put them to use.
The gold is either here
or being brought here in batches.
They knock off the serial numbers
then move it on.
We just need to follow Reader
to find out where it goes.
We'll set up surveillance points
here and here.
Fordham, you tell me what you need.
Brightwell, get yourself a spanner.
Mm-hm.
Got your phones back on, then?
They've not been off.
Really?
Why do you ask?
Yeah.
He was kosher.
British Telecom.
Let's change things up.
(Jennings) What are you doing
with that, then?
I'm trying not to do anything, Nic.
I don't want to be the copper who
loses his own wheel in a pursuit.
Here we go.
Suspect two leaving.
Unit one, tracker live.
Unit one, proceed with caution.
Unit two to control.
What are our orders, sir?
Back to HQ,
and stay off the frequency.
He's taking us round
the houses here, sir.
(Bowman) Then he's wary.
Hang back.
(Murphy) Oh, shit.
Contact.
Did he see you?
Possible.
Let's see where he's going.
(beeping)
Heading south on Alma Road, sir.
Back into town.
He can't have much
left in the tank.
(Boyce) That's a train station.
Ha, switching it up.
- Clever boy.
- Huh.
- How about a bit of shopping, Tone?
- Hmm?
Ain't it your missus' birthday?
I've already got her a patio.
You got her a what?
She likes patios.
I think.
What chance have we got when
blokes like you buy us patios
for our birthdays?
(Bowman) Unit two, how far are you
from Reigate Station?
Uh, unit two, ten minutes away.
We just went past the turn-off.
Unit two,
Reader is switching to a train.
Get on it.
Yes, sir.
(siren wailing)
You can have a lot of fun
on a patio.
Shut up.
(chuckles)
My lot, they broke their backs
working these docks, Mr Cooper.
Now we own the lot of them.
How long for planning?
Sorted out enough councillors
to get it down to a few weeks.
I'll set up the sale.
Shame, though, eh?
Not to see it through?
The money has to keep moving.
Besides, you had the vision, Gordon.
Anything that happens down here now,
you started it.
That should be a source of pride.
We used to come mudlarking
down here when we were kids.
Dig around at low tide.
We'd find teeth, bones.
Bits of old pottery.
One day we thought we'd go up west,
thought we'd have a dig around
in the mud in Chelsea.
Do you know what we found,
Mr Cooper?
Coins.
Jewellery.
One lad,
he found a silver cigar box.
That's how deep it goes
in this city, Mr Cooper.
The divide.
It's in the mud.
Edwyn.
You can call me Edwyn.
See you later, Mr Cooper.
(spits)
(tense music playing)
(Boyce) It looks like
we have our next link.
John Palmer.
Decent little record for fraud.
Director of a gold trader.
Owner of jewellery shops
across the West Country.
This is
our compromised gold merchant.
I should say so.
Yeah. They've just filed their VAT.
Previous quarter saw
an income of £82,000.
This quarter was 6 million.
Why'd they report it?
Uh, well they have to.
The bullion merchants
reports the purchase.
The accounts have to match.
But, I mean, this is all we can see
without letting them know
we're looking.
You'd need court orders
for anything else.
Well, we would.
But if they're paying VAT,
they could be inspected.
Fancy a trip to Bristol?
Him?
I do a little amateur dramatics
if that helps.
I shouldn't have thought so.
Hmm, I don't know.
You've not seen my Fagan.
Just get us what comes next.
I will. I will.
(Noye) Okay.
No more big drops.
Too risky.
Jesus, Kenny.
We're changing it, right?
Smaller deposits, different banks.
Okay?
And you'll drive yourself.
I've got to keep my head down,
Jeannie.
Are you taking the piss?
And don't break the speed limit.
Well, there ain't much
chance of that.
Five banks. Five drops.
Okay?
That's a lot of money, Kenny.
Yeah.
And I could do with an holiday.
When you get to my age, you need
a bit of sun to cover the cracks.
Well, not long now, Jeannie,
and we'll all be on holiday.
(John clears throat)
(John) It's all there.
This is, uh It's quite the year
you guys are having, innit?
(John)
(laughs) Yeah.
Yeah, it's feast
and famine, this game.
Where are you selling it?
Um, domestic trade.
Okay. Where are you sourcing it?
Uh, Constantino Precious Metals.
It's in Hatton Garden.
(sniffs, clears throat)
- There's the importation licence.
- Thanks.
It comes in through
a licensed importer
and we buy it in bulk
under the margins.
Clean it up, sell it on.
Ain't difficult.
Wait, have you
Have you been there?
Where?
Uh, Sierra Leone?
He makes cowboy films, don't he?
(they chuckle)
Yes, uh, according to this,
you're sourcing the gold
from a single mine in, um
in Sierra Leone.
I wouldn't know about that, mate.
Look, I left school awful early,
you see?
- So I keep life simple.
- Hmm.
I buy gold for
cheaper than I sell it
and I pay my VAT.
Now, can I interest you
in a little bit of sparkle
for the missus?
Look at that.
Thanks for your time.
(door closes)
(tense music plays)
(tyres screech, horn honking)
(vehicle departs)
I want out, John.
I think that's what's called
a moot point, Garth.
You can call it what you want.
I'm done.
This thing, it's a poison,
and it's passing through us.
And we've got to keep on going
until it's gone.
And then we'll see what
kind of life we've got left.
My nerves are shot to pieces.
Yeah, well, your nerves weren't
great to start with, to be fair.
We've got to finish it.
When the gold's gone,
when the money's gone,
that's the finish line.
All we can do
is run a little faster.
190,000.
No, there's 200 grand there,
sweetheart.
No, there's not.
Unless you've dropped one of these.
Shit.
Oh, Christ.
Reported it to who?
The Old Bill.
You what?
I panicked a bit.
A bit?
I thought someone might hand it in.
It's posh down there.
That's what posh folk do.
They hand things in.
Jesus Christ.
I didn't want you to
think I'd nicked it.
I wish you had nicked it!
I wish you'd nicked
the bloody lot of it!
Well, they won't know it's yours.
Yes, but, Jeannie, they're a lot
closer to knowing that
than they were this morning!
Sorry, Kenny.
- Let's just leave it.
- Lea
(telephone rings)
Well, that might not
be our decision.
Sierra Leone?
It's It's smarter than it sounds.
See, Sierra Leone has a lot of gold
and a government who sell it
to anyone who will pay for it.
So long as Palmer has that piece
of paper
saying that a licensed importer
is buying it over there,
then the chain holds up in court.
Look, we know the gold's not
coming from that mine, right?
Which suggests to me
there is no mine.
You've just got to prove it.
This job is using up
every favour I've got.
There was something else
which I found interesting.
Palmer can't read.
(Al) Hmm, this is a right old lump,
John.
It ain't pretty.
I'll have to mark it down.
Quite right.
How's the family?
They're all right.
Mm, going on holiday apparently.
- Ah.
- Yeah.
I'm away myself soon.
- Oh, yeah?
- Yeah.
India for a month.
See the family.
A month?
Don't worry.
I'll get someone else around here
to look after you.
I'll see you before you go, mate.
One last lump.
(Al sighs)
Brightwell.
You're going to Sierra Leone.
I've had a world with Five.
They're gonna find someone
to keep an eye on you.
Five? That's
He means
That's MI5, isn't it?
(laughs) Oh, Christ.
It's all gone
a bit "Tinker Tailor," this.
I'll tell them
I won't go without you.
Sit down.
Do you know how I got here, sir?
Hendon, Hackney, then blackmailed
your super into promotion.
Blackmail's a little harsh.
You're not going.
You can't send my partner
and not me.
It's too dangerous.
Well, if this job ain't dangerous,
you're not doing it right.
You'd be flying into a country
that's corrupt from head to toe.
It's a failing state
and heading for civil war.
Is that a situation that
would scare you, Jennings?
No, sir.
It would fucking terrify me.
But you can't send
my partner and not me.
It's not right.
Don't drink the water.
It's good they found it.
We don't know if they found it.
All we know is that
they want you in there.
Then let's leave it.
Walking about
with ten grand is suspicious.
Not turning up for it is worse.
You're going in, Jeannie.
(sighs)
What we don't know is
if you're coming out.
Would you feed my cat?
No.
(door opens)
(clears throat) I'd like to clear
the account, please.
That's 700,000?
Yeah.
50s, please.
One minute, sir.
I know. It's concerning.
I'm calling it in now.
I'm on hold with head office.
£10 million in cash in four months
feels more than concerning.
What do I do?
Give him it slowly and be ready
to stop him from leaving.
So, what are you doing walking
about with money like that, then?
Oh, well, you know what these
builders are like, wanting readies.
Big blokes, too.
What's an old housewife to do?
Anyway, thanks, love.
You've done me a right turn.
- Be careful.
- Yeah.
(tense music playing)
Oh, come on.
You've already counted it.
- It's a lot of money.
- Well, I trust you.
(sighs)
(Danny) Excuse me.
Ah, that's it, love.
All done.
Hello, Mrs Savage.
(sighs) Oh.
Hello, Danny.
Dear, oh, dear.
Did you get the uniform
for your birthday?
Well, I'm 18 now.
Oh, God.
How old does that make me, then?
- How's your mum?
- Yeah, she's all right.
Lovely.
Well, give her me best.
Will do.
(sighs)
Jesus Christ.
We're all right, then.
We'll see.
(tools clanking)
Eh?
They done come back.
No.
It different.
Christ.
It's like a bloody oven.
No. I've had 18 hours of you
asking if it'll be hot.
I'm not having the same again of you
talking about how hot it was.
I don't take it well.
You know that.
I've told you about Torremolinos
and the walk-in fridge.
Yeah, you definitely told me about
Torremolinos and the walk-in fridge.
It saved my life, that fridge.
CPM?
Constantino Precious Metals.
Huh.
Well, they fooled this lot.
There's no gold here, my love.
You can stop digging.
You know that.
Yes.
But the others don't.
Did you come here just for gold?
(laughs)
Yeah, we did.
(man) Hey, hey, hey, look!
(shouting in native language)
Run.
(Brightwell) Let's go, go!
Quick!
Quick, get in, Nic!
Get in!
Get in, get in!
Right, drive! Drive the fuck
Drive the fucking car!
(indistinct shouting)
- (gunfire)
- (Jennings) Get down!
(both panting)
Glad you came?
(laughs)
(Sienna) Have you got the money
for more?
Of course.
My friend's selling
apartments in France.
Cote d'Azur.
Of course,
I'd have to come with you.
I have to work.
You own half of London now
and you've got to work?
Might you be free this evening?
Yeah.
- Why haven't you packed?
- Who's he?
Toby, the lad from the stables.
- Do you trust him?
- He picks up horse shit, John.
I'm not sure how much trust
that takes.
Yeah, well, be careful who
you bring around here.
Why haven't you packed?
Look, this thing I'm in
one way or another,
it's going to end soon,
and, uh
I need to be here to
make sure it ends right.
I have no choice.
Oh, this is a choice, John.
And when you're back
out there, Constable,
pounding the troubled streets
of this once-great city,
you'll think of Caesar's wife.
Yes, sir.
Very good.
(Carter)
Thank you, Mr Cooper.
Give me a minute.
Everything okay, Edwyn?
Of course.
Why do you ask?
I haven't seen you
down at our place.
A few issues at home, that's all.
Taking a bit of time off.
Well, take time off from here.
Take time off from the family.
But don't turn your back
on the brotherhood,
and we won't turn our back on you.
Thank you, Neville.
(door opens)
(door closes)
(sighs)
We've identified the gold chain.
Now it's time to break it.
Christ, Boyce,
what's going on with this budget?
We had some unexpected travel.
To where?
The bloody moon?
What do you need, Boyce?
Close surveillance
in London, Kent, Bristol,
and Somerset for 72 hours,
which is the rest of my budget.
- (Stewart) Good God.
- It's a gamble worth taking.
We'll need search warrants through
Bow Street to keep them discreet.
I'll tell local forces
what I need to tell them,
apart from Kent, who will be
unaware of our presence.
Why?
I have reason to believe
that the suspect
has more friends there
than I do.
If we don't tell the local force,
then you can't be armed.
The suspect has
no history of armed offences,
and the team don't want guns
when they don't need them.
(Stewart)
Clock's ticking, Boyce.
Do they have it, Boyce?
The gold?
Whatever's left.
Then go and get it.
Ma'am.
(muttering)
- (telephone ringing)
- Need.
Don't need.
Cooper.
Come home, Edwyn.
I thought you'd be around
in the morning.
I got a bit of driving tomorrow.
Oh, yeah?
Where are you off to?
How about coming off the fags
for the winter, Dad?
You're driving an unmarked car.
What have they got
you doing now, then?
Give your lungs a chance.
Who do you think I'm gonna tell?
The only reason no one comes
to talk to you about me
is 'cause they know you've
got nothing to tell 'em.
No, it's because I'm respected.
I ain't got much, but I've got that.
(coughing)
Yeah, you got that.
(knock on door)
It's a fever.
Nothing more.
Keep her off school for a few days.
Thank you, Sadir.
Let me give you something
for coming
No.
Anything for Izzy.
Give my best to the old man, huh?
I will, Sadir, thank you.
(door opens)
(door closes)
I'll come back at weekends.
We'll attend events together.
I'll find a
a workable solution.
No.
If this is the road
we are going down,
then we will assume
our natural positions.
I will take it all.
And you will leave here with
the clothes on your back.
Well, it's yours to take.
People made fun of me
for being with you.
For being with someone
so overtly on the climb
with two wives behind you,
two stepping stones to get to me.
And they made fun of me,
Edwyn, for letting you in.
"Easy to take in a stray,"
they said.
"Hard to get it to leave."
Not so hard.
(Carter) Well, if the money's
been handed in,
it would have been logged and stuck
in a computer.
Right. And how do you get it
out of the computer?
God knows. There's only a few of us
can use the bloody things.
So, if it's in there, along with
every lost umbrella in London,
I wouldn't worry about
anybody finding it.
You've got yourself
a good little dancer here, Kenny.
- I'm knackered, Ken.
- What?
No, no, no, no, no. Come on.
One more drink on me.
- Oi, uh, waiter?
- Yes, sir?
- No, no.
- Another bottle please, son.
- No, come on, Kenny, it's my turn.
- No, no, no.
You take this as
a grateful thank-you from the public
for keeping all them nasty villains
off our streets, eh?
(laughs)
(tense music plays)
(keys jingling)
(door unlocks)
(engine revs, tyres screech)
Thank you.
Hold up, love.
I think I've, uh, left my wallet.
Can't be much left in it.
Here.
Just wait in the car.
I'll be one minute.
Can I help you?
Film.
(Julian) Hello, Kenny.
Oh, my God.
They haven't let you in, have they?
(laughs)
I'm afraid so.
Dearie me.
We must be struggling.
All right? Look at you.
Absolutely beautiful.
- Hi, Kenny.
- You keep a good grip on her.
I'll do my best.
(laughter)
All right, lovely.
Have fun.
(Julian) Thanks.
(sombre music playing)
(mud squelching)
(vehicle approaching)
(dogs barking)
What is it?
You know I don't like Masons.
Come on.
What is it?
I don't like the way
you are with them.
Sucking up.
They're no better than you.
In fact, you're richer than
half of them put together.
I just don't like it.
Protection, Brenda.
That's what they are.
And who do you
need protection from?
From the people who don't
like someone like me
having what I have and the people
who would try to take it back.
What we have, Ken, came through
hard work, honest work.
And they can't take
this away from us.
- Only you can do that.
- Calm Calm down.
(door closes)
(doorbell ringing)
(ringing)
(footsteps)
(Cooper) I'm sorry I'm late.
(soft music playing)
When I got into grammar school
my mum bought me this record
called "Elocution from the Alps"
by some old bird who ran
a finishing school in Switzerland
and spoke like the Queen.
And I only listened to it once
'cause my old man said
that if I turned out
talking like her,
he couldn't have me in the house.
But I remember some of it.
I remember her telling me
not to drop my H's.
The way you don't drop yours.
But every so often, after a drink,
you miss one.
And I think that's interesting
that you have to work
not to drop them.
We should go to France.
And we shouldn't hurry back.
Would we be running
away from something?
We're all running from something.
Hmm.
It feels like you've been
running for a long time.
Then I must be good at it.
What's the secret?
Knowing when to go.
How's it over there?
(Noye) It's quiet.
You?
(John) I watched this thing once
on television about how
sometimes on a beach
it can go deathly quiet.
There's not a bird in the sky.
Not a bit of wind.
Sea goes all flat.
It's as silent
as the world can be.
If all that happens, Kenny
if things go that quiet
it means there's
about to be a tsunami.
Good luck, John.
(John) Good luck, Kenny.
(Boyce)
Today we break the chain.
That's the easy part.
Gold. That's what we need.
Noye and Reader, that's nothing.
But Noye, Reader, and gold?
That's bulletproof.
We know Reader doesn't stay long.
We know he's quick.
So, as soon as they're both
in there, we're in there, too.
I've got multiple operations
to coordinate,
but every decision
is made in my name -
when to go in, what happens
once you're there.
Trust your gut.
Do not worry about the consequences.
The consequences are mine.
Fordham.
There's some nerves
flying around the team, John.
Rather nerves
than overconfidence, sir.
It's different, isn't it,
from Ireland?
It's better, sir.
Living with the family.
Weekends off.
Something to be said for not
checking under the car
every morning.
(Boyce) That's true, John.
I don't miss that.
(tense music plays)
(jazz music playing on radio)
(knock on door)
(door opens)
That's us off to Palmer's, sir.
People think jazz
doesn't have rules.
I find that level of ignorance
fairly infuriating.
I can imagine, sir.
Jazz has patterns, parameters.
And then within the parameters,
there is improvisation.
On a day like this,
the parameters are set.
We want to catch them.
They don't want to get caught.
And from there,
it's all about improvisation.
It's about instinct and ability.
You two possess
all of that and more.
You are a fine pair of detectives
and I thought I should
probably say that
once.
Thank you, sir.
Bring me back Palmer.
We will, sir.
Four teams.
Kent, Bristol,
Somerset, and Hatton Garden.
- Ready to go, sir?
- Yeah.
If one team goes in,
they all go in.
We can't let anyone
slip through the net.
(tense music plays)
(grinding)
If it works,
it's worth £80 to £100.
(woman on TV) Wonderful. Is that
the receipt you've got in the box?
(man on TV) We've actually
got the paperwork,
we have the receipt,
and the actual instructions.
(woman on TV) Fantastic.
How long does it take
for a child's toy
to become collectable?
Some of these aren't
very old at all.
Some are even from my childhood.
(tense music continues)
(sighs)
Doesn't look very busy, does it?
Nah.
There's too many buildings.
If we hit the wrong one first,
he'll have time to react.
We need to catch him with the gold.
Come on, then.
- What are you doing?
- Improvising.
(engine starts)
Reader on the move.
You know, Harry,
when I joined the army,
I used to envy the generals
with their digs, with their food,
with how far back they got
to stay from the danger.
But then I saw action,
and I learnt more
in one day at the front
than in the 16 years before it.
And I didn't envy
the generals anymore
because I knew I didn't
belong with them.
I belonged at the front.
(door opens)
- (door closes)
- (sighs)
(Fordham)
Suspect two approaching.
Suspect two in the house.
One and two forward.
(tense music continues)
- How's your wife doing, Brian?
- (Reader) Yeah, great.
- Spending my money, you know?
- (chuckles) Glad to hear it.
Are you ready for your dinner?
Always, Bren.
It's "Pari-mi-gana."
"Giana."
That's what I said.
Yeah.
I'll take your word for it.
Ken had it in some fancy Italian
uptown and had me learn it.
(dogs barking)
Get back.
(Brenda) You see, that's what happens
when you marry a bloke
from Bexleyheath, Brian.
They get ideas above their station.
(laughs)
(dogs barking)
(Fordham on radio)
(garbled) Out towards the fence.
(garbled speaking)
dogs.
Dogs hostile, dogs hostile.
(Murphy on radio) Man near, John.
(Bowman on radio) Man near, John.
Man near, John.
(Murphy on radio) Ambulance urgent!
Ambulance urgent! Ambulance ur
(Bowman on radio) All support forward
to secure the location.
Boyce to control.
(Bowman on radio) Go ahead, sir.
- Send the other teams in.
- (Bowman on radio) Copy that.
(officer) Good evening, sir.
(officer) Stay still.
- Police! Step back!
- Police, step back! Step back!
(tense music playing)
(officer) Stand back!
(indistinct shouting)
(police radio chatter)
# The beast in me.
# Is caged by frail and fragile bars.
# Restless by day.
# And by night.
# Rants and rages at the stars.
# God help the beast in me. #