Heists
★ 8 · 2015 · Documentary
The incredible true stories behind some of the world’s biggest, most infamous robberies.
Episodes
▶1. Britain's Biggest Bank JobDocumentary about the 1971 robbery of Lloyds Bank in Baker Street. As well stealing £500,000 in safe deposit boxes the robbers also uncovered photographs of Princess Margaret.▶2. Britain's Biggest Armed RobberyOn a cold November morning in 1983, armed robbers targeted the Brinks Mat security depot at the Heathrow International Trading Estate. Following an extremely brutal military-style raid, the gang got away with over £26million of gold. The robbery - the country's biggest and most notorious - caused the price of gold to soar and sent ripples through the criminal underworld. This programme hears from police officers who followed the increasingly complex case, as it pieces together the legacy of the heist▶3. World's Biggest Diamond HeistDocumentary telling the story of how, in February 2003, a criminal mastermind managed to break into highly secure vaults of the Diamond Centre in Antwerp, Belgium, stealing around £91million in what came to be considered the biggest diamond heist in history. The robbery was planned over the span of more than two years, by a master thief who outlined his scheme in meticulous detail, but was eventually brought to justice by the smallest of mistakes. Making use of the testimonies of victims, investigators and even the culprit's lawyer, this film details how the master thief managed to overcome the vault's sophisticated combination lock, along with high-tech motion, heat and light sensors, to escape with his valuable prize▶4. Secrets of the Great Trian RobberySecrets of the Great Train Robbery Crime documentary, which sets out to bust myths surrounding the effectiveness of the now-legendary Royal Mail train heist of August 8, 1963. The robbery saw the thieves walk away with around £2.5million, equivalent to nearly £50million in today's currency, and while similarly scaled heists have been mounted since, none has captured the public imagination in the same way. While the criminals responsible were eventually brought to justice, common perception still views them as successful in their endeavour. This programme aims to highlight the array of mistakes, bad decisions and careless errors that would prove to be the robbers' undoing. Includes contributions by two police officers involved in the investigation, and Tommy Wisbey, one of the last surviving members of the gang that did the deed▶5. Stealing the Mona LisaThis episode looks back to 1911, when one of the most famous pieces of art across the globe, the Mona Lisa, was stolen from the Louvre museum in Paris. As the painting is one of the most photographed, reproduced and written about pieces of art, and also the most expensive, the heist sent shockwaves around the world and baffled many great detectives.▶6. Britain's Biggest Cash GrabThe inside story of how a gang carried out the biggest cash heist in British history, the robbery of over £50m from a Securitas depot in Kent.