
The Gold
The real story behind Brink's-Mat: Britain's biggest heist
Ebury Spotlight (Publisher)
Published on 5. June 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-1-5291-4954-8 (ISBN)
Description
The real story that inspired the BBC drama, The Gold
On Saturday, 26 November 1983, an armed gang stole gold bullion worth almost GBP26 million from the Brink's-Mat security depot near London's Heathrow Airport. It was the largest robbery in world history, and only the start of an extraordinary story. For forty years, myths and legends have grown around the Brink's-Mat heist and the events that followed.
The heist led to a wave of international money laundering, provided dirty money that helped fuel the London Docklands property boom, caused seismic changes in both British crime and policing, and has been linked to a series of deaths that continued until 2015.
The Gold is the conclusion of extensive research and includes exclusive testimony from one of the original robbers who gives his version of events for the first time. The result is the astonishing true story of the robbery of the century.
On Saturday, 26 November 1983, an armed gang stole gold bullion worth almost GBP26 million from the Brink's-Mat security depot near London's Heathrow Airport. It was the largest robbery in world history, and only the start of an extraordinary story. For forty years, myths and legends have grown around the Brink's-Mat heist and the events that followed.
The heist led to a wave of international money laundering, provided dirty money that helped fuel the London Docklands property boom, caused seismic changes in both British crime and policing, and has been linked to a series of deaths that continued until 2015.
The Gold is the conclusion of extensive research and includes exclusive testimony from one of the original robbers who gives his version of events for the first time. The result is the astonishing true story of the robbery of the century.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Ebury Publishing
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 197 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 31 mm
Weight
252 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5291-4954-8 (9781529149548)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
02/2023
Ebury Digital
€9.49
Available for download
Persons
Neil Forsyth (Author)
Neil Forsyth is a screenwriter and author. He has written seven books, and created a number of television shows, including the critically acclaimed, BAFTA-winning drama Guilt. He is the writer and creator of The Gold, the BBC dramatisation of the Brink's-Mat story.
Thomas Turner (Author)
Thomas Turner is a writer and historian of popular culture. He has written two books. Educated at the universities of Oxford and London, he teaches history and cultural studies in London. He provides research for television projects and was the researcher for the BBC drama The Gold.
Neil Forsyth is a screenwriter and author. He has written seven books, and created a number of television shows, including the critically acclaimed, BAFTA-winning drama Guilt. He is the writer and creator of The Gold, the BBC dramatisation of the Brink's-Mat story.
Thomas Turner (Author)
Thomas Turner is a writer and historian of popular culture. He has written two books. Educated at the universities of Oxford and London, he teaches history and cultural studies in London. He provides research for television projects and was the researcher for the BBC drama The Gold.