Here’s what happened to Brian Boyce, Kenneth Noye and more following the events of the series. *WARNING – CONTAINS FULL SPOILERS FOR THE GOLD*
If you’ve already binged your way through brand-new BBC drama The Gold, which is available in full on BBC iPlayer now, you may find yourself wondering what happened to all of the real-life figures portrayed in the series.
The six-part series dramatises the real-life Brink’s-Mat robbery, which saw £26 million worth of gold bullion stolen from a security depot. It became major international news at the time, and has since had wide ranging repercussions which are still felt today.
Some of the characters featured in the series are fictional, such as Charlotte Spencer’s Nicki Jennings who is a composite character. However, others are based directly on real individuals, many of whom are still alive today.
If you want to know just where some of these central figures seen in the drama are now, and what has happened to them following the events dramatised in The Gold, then look no further – we’ve got you covered.
Read on for everything you need to know about where the central real-life figures in The Gold are now, including Brian Boyce and Kenneth Noye.
Where is Brian Boyce now?
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Following the events of The Gold, the real-life Brian Boyce went on to become involved in trying to achieve justice in another major national story, the murder of Stephen Lawrence.
In 1999, it was reported that Boyce had offered his services to the Lawrence family free of charge, after he had already retired from the police. He reportedly helped barrister Michael Mansfield, QC, and solicitor Imran Khan to gather evidence.
In 2012, he told the Evening Standard: “I think it’s extremely important that all of those who killed Stephen Lawrence should be put before a jury in order that they can come to their conclusions. It’s extremely important for us as a nation, which is now very much a mixed-race nation, that we take on the best traditions of British justice.”
Boyce spoke with Bonneville and the series’ writer Neil Forsyth to aid in their research for the project.
Where is Kenneth Noye now?
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Following his conviction for handling stolen gold bullion, Noye was sentenced to 14 years in jail and served eight of them, leaving prison in 1994.
Two years later in 1996, Noye stabbed 21-year-old Stephen Cameron on a slip road off the M25 during a road rage incident. He subsequently fled to Spain and was located by police two years later in August 1998 following a manhunt. He was arrested that month and was extradited to the UK in May 1999.
He was given a life sentence for the murder in 2000. Following multiple failed appeals against his conviction over the years, Noye was moved to a low security prison in 2018 and was released in June 2019, having served 20 years.
The Ministry of Justice said at the time: “Like all life sentence prisoners released by the independent Parole Board, Kenneth Noye will be on licence for the remainder of his life, subject to strict conditions and faces a return to prison should he fail to comply.”
Where is Michael Relton now?
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Dominic Cooper’s character Edwyn Cooper appears to have been loosely based on real-life figure Michael Relton, who was a solicitor convicted of helping to launder proceeds from the robbery.
According to The Sun, Relton is now living in the US.
Where is Tony Brightwell now?
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Following the investigation, Tony Brightwell, as played in the series by Emun Elliott, stayed in the police for some time, before moving into the private sector, working for security firms such as Bishop Investigations and ISC Global.
He is now 74 years old.
Where is John Palmer now?
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Following his acquittal in relation to his connection with the Brink’s-Mat robbery, Palmer went on to live back in Tenerife and became known as Goldfinger.
In 2001, he was sentenced to eight years in jail for timeshare fraud, but served only four of these. In 2005 he was declared bankrupt with debts of £3.9 million and in 2007 he was once again arrested in relation to fraud allegations, going on to spend two years in a Spanish jail without charge, before being released on bail in 2009.
In 2015, Palmer was murdered in Essex, by being shot in the chest. Police said his shooting had “all the hallmarks of a professional hit”, but to this day his murder remains unsolved.
Where is Micky McAvoy now?
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Following the events of the series, in which we saw Adam Nagaitis’s McAvoy marry his second wife Kathy in prison, the real-life McAvoy went on to live in Spain following his release, along with Kathy.
Kathy passed away in 2022 and McAvoy himself died earlier this year at this age of 71.
The Gold is available in full on BBC iPlayer now.
The Gold: The Real Story Behind Brink’s-Mat: Britain’s Biggest Heist by Neil Forsyth and Thomas Turner is available to pre-order now.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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