The Gold starts on BBC One this Sunday night (February 12) and, while it was always going to be difficult for any show to replace Happy Valley, this new drama should keep viewers happy.
The Gold follows the true story of six men who accidentally came across gold bullion worth £26m during a robbery.
Hugh Bonneville plays DCI Brian Boyce, who leads a team of detectives during the seminal event in British criminal history.
Here are six very good reasons to tune into The Gold on BBC One this weekend…
The true story told in The Gold on BBC One is insane
While you can’t really theorise with The Gold as it’s based on a true story, the facts are completely insane and will have you gripped.
On November 26, 1983, six armed men broke into Brick’s-Mat, near Heathrow, where they expected to rob millions of pounds worth of foreign currency.
They inadvertently found gold bullion worth £26 million.
This launched one of the largest-known money-laundering schemes ever and was the biggest theft in global history at the time.
The laundered money helped launch the London Docklands property boom.
And, according to the show, if you’ve bought gold jewellery in Britain since 1984, it’s likely to contain traces of the Brick’s-Mat gold.
Some of the people involved in the real-life events were interviewed for the BBC drama, as it takes you on a journey back to the 1980s.
Every time you think you know where the story is going, another little twist changes your mind.
It’s a crime drama at its core but the wild true story makes it even better than expected.
Hugh Bonneville is wonderful as reluctant detective Brian Boyce
Hugh Bonneville is probably the biggest actor in The Gold, and he definitely delivers.
DI Brian Boyce is reluctant to lead the Flying Squad team investigating the Brick’s-Mat robbery.
But once he realises the scale of the crime, he takes junior detectives Nicki Jennings and Tony Brightwell under his wing.
While his sarcasm and dry wit isn’t quite as good as Catherine Cawood’s, he is an engaging character.
The Gold one BBC One: It’s got a great villain
Jack Lowden, who up until this point is best known for starring in Apple TV‘s Slow Horses, plays a great villain.
Kenneth Noye is The Gold’s answer to Tommy Lee Royce, but with a South London accent instead of a West Yorkshire one.
Kenneth Noye is the man who is tasked with turning more than three tons of stolen gold into legit money.
The blue-collar baddie is all kinds of bad, but there’s part of you that can’t help but root for him.
That’s when you know you’ve got a good villain on your hands.
The show has some great humour, too
Just like Happy Valley, it’s not all dark.
The Gold is great at delivering some very tense and dramatic scenes, but isn’t afraid to give you a laugh every now and then.
The dialogue isn’t as strong as Sally Wainwright’s, but it’s not too far off.
One opening scene involving guns, fire and criminals will give you more laughs than you might be expecting.
The cast is brilliant
The Gold main players are supported by a great cast.
Sanditon star Charlotte Spencer is wonderful as Nicki Jennings, a female detective fighting for her place in the sexist 1980s world of policing.
And Emun Elliott has superb chemistry as her crime-fighting partner Tony Brightwell.
Dominic Cooper also stands out as white-collar criminal Edwyn Cooper.
His character is always trying to show off a false sense of criminal confidence, and the actor is great at showing his nerves, which hide just underneath the surface.
It’s rare to watch a show with so many great performances, but The Gold definitely manages it.
You can binge-watch it
While you could argue that waiting every week for a new episode of Happy Valley was one of the best parts about it, The Gold will drop all in one go on iPlayer.
That means that binge-watching fans can enjoy all six hours of The Gold in one go if they want to.
And mark our words, you’ll want to. Every time you finish an episode, you’ll be left wanting more.
It’s gripping, fast-paced and, dare we say it, a perfect replacement for Happy Valley’s coveted 9pm slot.
Read more: BBC unveils Happy Valley replacement The Gold as viewers share unexpected reaction
The Gold begins on Sunday, February 12 at 9pm on BBC One. All episodes will launch on iPlayer on February 12.
So, will you watch The Gold? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think.