John 'Goldfinger' Palmer's story gripped the nation after its launch on the BBC. The new drama shows the 1983 Brink's-Mat robbery when burglars got more than they planned for at the security depot near Heathrow Airport.
Although not part of the robbery, Goldfinger's help was soon requested by the gang when they stole gold bullion worth £26m. Goldfinger was at one point Britain's richest criminal - even beating the Queen on the Sunday Times Rich List - after building a fortune of around £300 million with a combination of money laundering, fraud, racketeering and legitimate businesses.
What many people don't know is that Goldfinger has lots of Bristol links, including tying the knot in our city and running his gold and jewellery business, Scadlynn Ltd, from Bedminster. The six-part drama stars Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville, Dominic Cooper from Marvel's Captain America and Mamma Mia, Jack Lowden of Slow Horses and Sanditon's Charlotte Spencer.
