The Gold star Charlotte Spencer: ‘Maybe we need to root for the heroes again’

The Gold is back. The BBC hit the jackpot with Neil Forsyth’s drama about the Brinks-Mat robbery and the fallout from one of the most infamous crimes of the last century. 

Here was a sharply written and acted crime caper about a group of South London criminals who bungled their way to the biggest gold heist in history. But it was also about the small band of police officers determined to bring them to justice. 

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Forsyth’s writing was lively, witty, smart – setting the robbery against the aspirational politics of the day. This criminal network of robbers, dodgy lawyers and money launderers seemingly aiming to gatecrash the high-flyers in Thatcher’s social mobility experiment. 

The first series of The Gold ended on a major bombshell. After putting two of the robbers and most of their co-conspirators, including Kenneth Noye, behind bars, the coppers – led by Hugh Bonneville as DCS Brian Boyce – realised they had only been chasing half of the stolen gold bullion. 

So what happened to the rest of the loot from the heist, in which £120 million – in today’s money – of gold was half-inched from a warehouse near Heathrow? How did this solid gold melt into air? And what will happen when one suspected robber runs out of pesetas after living it up on the Costa Del Crime, and returns to England? 

The music choices are on point, “Disorder” by Joy Division getting the new series off to a suitably foreboding start. Charlotte Spencer, who returns as committed, crime-fighting daughter-of-a-criminal DI Nicki Jennings, takes up the story.

Why do you think the Brinks-Mat robbery story is so compelling?

It feels, rightly or wrongly, like there is something romantic about it. This was one of the last big proper robberies – these days it’s all cyber crime. And it was the biggest gold heist ever. But they’re still villains. They’re still crooks. And they still need to be brought to justice! And that’s where my character comes in. In series two, it is the part of the story people don’t know as well.

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A lot of viewers were rooting for the robbers. But it sounds like you are fully on your character’s side…

Yes! While the criminals are living it up in Tenerife, the detectives are stuck in this tiny little office in Tottenham Court Road for years. So the right path isn’t the easy path. As humans, we like to root for the underdog. And there seems to be a trend for rooting for the anti-hero. But maybe we need to root for the heroes again. Because when we tell ourselves the story of how we can better ourselves, what route do we want to take? And it is harder to do the right thing – it isn’t as glamorous. 

So there’s no honour among thieves for you?

In this country, we grow up with the story of Robin Hood. And it’s very appealing. But what the Brinks-Mat robbers did was not Robin Hood. These people didn’t steal from the rich to give to the poor. They stole from the rich to make themselves rich. And it also became very violent. 

Do you enjoy the way class plays out in this show?

Class has a massive part to play in The Gold. It always does in Britain. But I like playing the one fighting for justice. Because this is about class but it’s also about choices. Nicki comes from a similar background to the criminals but she chose not to go down that road. There’s a lovely line where she says, ‘I do this job so that kids like me feel safe.’

How do you get into the 1980s era?

I make a playlist for every character I play to get me in the zone. The big song for Jennings is “Under Pressure”, by Queen and David Bowie. And because of the whole thing with her dad in the first series, I put on Elvis, “If I Can Dream”. It’s my dad’s song. So I took inspiration from that. I also thought about what she would have listened to as a kid in the 1950s and 60s. So I put a few Beatles songs on there as well. 

Were you always about creating characters and telling stories?

I asked to go to ballet when I was three. My mum didn’t even know I knew the word ballet. So this was always going to be my thing. I always knew. I’m not good at anything else, but I’m good at telling stories. Stories are such a big part of our lives. It’s how we learn as toddlers. Everything is storytelling. I volunteer at schools near me between acting jobs. I went in for World Book Day and read to the children. It’s magical, because they’re using their imaginations.

Who are the acting heroes for you?The obvious ones are Judi Dench and Helen Mirren – who I actually got to work with on The Duke, which was a pinch-me moment and just wonderful. But there’s such talent around. Like Marisa Abela, who won a Bafta for Industry, she’s incredible. And I wish I was half as talented as Vanessa Kirby. So the aim is to work with as many amazing people as possible.

What is your big issue at the moment?

I think social media is pretty bad. That’s one of my big issues. It kills creativity and kills our time. It took me a couple of weeks to wean myself off – I replaced it with Pinterest, then a news app, then got rid of them all. And I now have so much more time. I read more. I’m engaging my brain better. And I learnt to sew, my partner and I went on a foraging course. Now I’m obsessed with growing things. I don’t know whether it’s sad or wonderful, but I get so excited about seeing plants I’ve grown in my little garden. 

The Gold is on BBC One, and all episodes available on iPlayer, from 8 June

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