Hugh Bonneville spotted on set reprising the role of Brian Boyce

He struck gold with his portrayal of the detective leading the inquiry into the Brink’s -Mat robbery.

Now Hugh Bonneville’s fans can look forward to watching him dig even further into the story of Britain’s most notorious heist – if these pictures are anything to go by.

The star was spotted reprising the role of Det Chief Supt Brian Boyce in a street in London – peering into a giant hole, presumably on the hunt for stolen loot.

BBC drama The Gold follows the aftermath of the 1983 Brink’s-Mat robbery, when six armed men broke in to the Brink’s-Mat depot near Heathrow Airport and stole £26 million (the equivalent of £100 million today) of gold bullion, diamonds and cash.

The final episode of last year’s series saw detectives realise that they had only tracked down £13 million of the missing money – meaning half the gold was unaccounted for.

In real life, when detectives caught up with the robbers, most of the 6,800 gold bars stolen had already been melted down and sold. It is said that anyone who has bought gold in the last 40 years is likely to have Brink’s-Mat loot.

Bonneville is returning to the role just months after the breakdown of his 25-year marriage to Lulu Williams. Fellow cast members Emun Elliott, who plays Det Tony Brightwell, and Charlotte Spencer as Det Nikki Jennings were also with him on set last week.

Despite its rave reviews, the first series of The Gold faced controversy for ‘glamorising’ the heist – in particular criminal kingpin Kenneth Noye, played by Jack Lowden. Noye served eight years for his involvement in the robbery. He was later jailed for the unrelated murder of motorist Stephen Cameron on the M25 in 1996. Noye will not feature in the second season after fierce criticism over the BBC’s portrayal. Cameron’s uncle, Gary, lambasted the broadcaster for showing him as ‘some kind of a good guy’.