Fool's Gold |
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Last Update: 01 September 2003 (You need a browser capable of viewing tables to see this page properly) |
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Fool's Gold is the nickname for the virtually valueless iron pyrite which often deceives prospectors. In 1983, a ruthless South London gang thought they had hit the jackpot when, after pouring petrol over guards in a Brinks-Mat warehouse at Heathrow Airport, and threatening to set them alight if they didn't open the safe, they discovered - not the £1 million in cash they were expecting - but three tons of bullion destined for the Far East. |
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Britain's biggest-ever robbery - the bullion was worth £26 million - led eventually to betrayal, death and misery, and the imprisonment of a dozen people in a series of trials spread over the best part of a decade. London Weekend Television had to wait until no more trials were pending before they could screen the drama in 1992. Filming took place from 23 March until 23 April, 1992 in the East End of London, in Kent and in Spain where, in time-honoured tradition, some of the villains were believed to have fled. The production was shot on a budget of less than £500,000. |
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Sean Bean plays gang leader Micky McAvoy, who is currently serving 25 years in prison. Sharon Maiden appears as his wife Jackie, and Eve Bland as his mistress Kathy. In spite of McAvoy's belief that his friends would never betray him, the vast bulk of the gold was quickly melted down and was never recovered. About £18 million of the proceeds were traced to various bank accounts. It is said that if you're wearing gold jewellery purchased in the UK after 1983, chances are you're wearing some of the unrecovered bounty from the Brinks-Mat robbery. |
| PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS: | |
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Sean Bean |
Micky McAvoy Jimmy Kimpton Kenneth Noye The Brother Jackie McAvoy Brian Robinson Tony Black Coles Speed Roach Bernie Clarke Dep. Asst. Com. Brian Worth Georgie Bishop Kathy |
| PRODUCTION CREDITS: | |
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Produced by |
London Weekend Television (1992) Robin Paxton (executive) & Jeff Pope Terry Winsor Jeff Pope and Terry Winsor Dick Pope William Woolf Ita Murray Trevor Waite 14 November 1992 08 July 2003 (North America) |
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