Inside Kenneth Noye's life post Brink's-Mat heist as BBC's The Gold returns

Wales Online

08-06-2025

Inside Kenneth Noye's life post Brink's-Mat heist as BBC's The Gold returns
Kenneth Noye was a key player in BBC's The Gold
The Gold season two will be hitting screens today (June 8), airing this evening on BBC One at 9pm, as well as being available as a boxset on the BBC iPlayer, reports the Express.
The story will see the investigation into the remaining half of the stolen Brink's-Mat gold and the police pursuit for justice to recover the huge haul.
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The Gold delves into the events surrounding the heist, where a group of armed men accidentally discovered £26million in gold bullion while attempting to rob the Brink's-Mat security depot near Heathrow Airport.
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Many of the main players from the first outing will be back in the frame, including criminal Kenneth Noye (played by Jack Lowden).
Viewers are eager to learn more about the real-life story behind the world's largest heist and the subsequent fates of some of the key figures portrayed in the TV series, including Noye.
The Gold is based on the real-life Brink's-Mat heist
(Image: BBC )
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What happened to Kenneth Noye?
After Brink's-Mat Noye was handed a 14-year prison sentence for his involvement in the robbery and was ordered to pay fines totalling £500,000 along with £200,000 in costs. However, he was released from prison in 1994 after serving just eight years of his sentence.
In 1996, Noye fatally stabbed another motorist on an M25 slip road in Kent before fleeing the country.
Two years later, he was located living in Spain and extradited to face trial for the crime.
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During the trial, Noye maintained that he had acted in self-defence during a fight with the victim, Stephen Cameron.
After being found guilty by a jury, he was given a life sentence but was released on licence in 2019.
Noye was filmed publicly speaking for the first time in 2023 when he commented on a portrait of himself sitting on a pile of gold bars, The Sun reported.
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Jack Lowden as Kenneth Noye in The Gold
(Image: BBC )
In the video, Noye praised the painting which put a light spin on his involvement in the Brink's-Mat robbery.
The painting also depicted a smelter in the background on one side and an aeroplane jetting off to a sunny location on the other.
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Former drug lord Stephen Mee painted the picture in 2011, with the artist and Noye discussing it at an exhibition held by the charity the AP Foundation to assist rehabilitating offenders.
True crime author, journalist and writer Clarkson commented on the portrayal of Noye in the BBC series back in 2023: "He's a lot shorter than the actor. He is very down to earth and he is two people like most criminals.
The Gold season 2 sees the return of Kenneth Noye
(Image: BBC )
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"He is at least two people. There's a fun bloke who loves partying, who's very good with - in his parlance - 'the birds' - and he's a good neighbour."
Clarkson continued: "But the other side of him was the cold-blooded criminal, who we know all about, who's killed two people separately."
Speaking about Noye's life post-prison, Clarkson said: "He gets out and is working on a book and he's going from being a reclusive criminal, who hates journalists, to the Prince Harry of the underworld, basically."
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Regarding Noye's apparent change of heart, the author stated: "He seems to have changed his complete attitude."
Clarkson stated: "He was anti-journalists, reclusive, workaholic - renowned as a criminal workaholic who loves a scheme, loves a deal, going back to before Brink's-Mat."
He continued: "But now, we're supposed to accept he's rehabilitated. I'll leave that for others to decide if he has and he also wants to be a bit of a celebrity - that surprised me enormously."
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Clarkson added: "For him, it's something he's thought through very carefully because he does nothing - apart from killing people - without thinking very carefully about it."
Jack Lowden as Kenneth Noye in The Gold
(Image: BBC )
The author argued that the BBC drama had portrayed real-life figures like Noye and Johnny Palmer in a softer light, transforming them into "likely lads" and "almost happy-go-lucky" characters.
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However, he noted that in some respects, the show did get surprisingly close to the true story.
Clarkson pointed out smaller inaccuracies, such as the interior of Noye's house appearing more "lord of the manor" than the actual shag pile carpets and beige decor in his real home, which Clarkson had seen.
He concluded: "I want to be more critical of the show than I really feel I can be. I didn't watch it for a bit. I could have watched it ages ago.
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"But then I realised it is good and I realised that most people who watch TV are in their 60s and this seems to appeal to them. But there's another market that finds it fascinating because of the era in which it's set and the attitudes and the differences and even the retro outfits."
The Curse of Brink's-Mat by Wensley Clarkson is available to buy now
The Gold seasons 1 & 2 are streaming on the BBC iPlayer now