Hugh Bonneville's hit BBC drama The Gold to return

‘The Gold’ has been green-lit for a second season.

‘Downtown Abbey’ star Hugh Bonneville, ‘Cinderella’ actress Charlotte Spencer and ‘Guilt’ actor Emun Elliott will be reprising their roles as Brian Boyce, Nicki Jennings and Tony Brightwell respectively as the police officers desperately trying to deal with the consequences of the 1983 Brink’s-Mat robbery, the largest in British history.

Writer and executive producer Neil Forsyth has expressed his excitement in continuing the thrilling story.

He said: “I am delighted that we have been given the opportunity to tell the rest of the Brink's-Mat story, which sees the consequences of the robbery and its aftermath grow only more surprising, dramatic and far-reaching, both in Britain and around the world."

The second season will also see Tom Cullen, Stefanie Martini and Sam Spruell reprise their parts as John Palmer, Marnie Palmer and Charlie Miller, and promises to explore what happened to the other half of the criminals who escaped the robbery, and the investigation into it in what was the longest and most expensive investigation for the Metropolitan Police ever.

Directory of BBC Drama Lindsay Salt teased viewers that the next instalment of the programme will be just as gripping as the first.

She added: “I am delighted that we have been given the opportunity to tell the rest of the Brink's-Mat story, which sees the consequences of the robbery and its aftermath grow only more surprising, dramatic and far-reaching, both in Britain and around the world."

Series one of the programme premiered on BBC One and BBC iPlayer earlier this year to a huge audience of 8.7 million, meaning it ranking in the UK’s top five most watched new dramas of the year, across all channels and platforms.

Filming for the second season will begin in January.