The Gold season 2 stumbles at the start – here's why you should stick with it

There was also plenty more in the stories of some of its real-life figures to explore, and the team behind the series have consistently said that the plan was always for it to have two seasons.

Still, in some ways it also feels slightly unnatural. The first season wrapped up so many of its storylines incredibly neatly and functioned well as a one-and-done project, with a little hint towards the real-life future at its end.

Also, the story becomes murkier from this point, as we know none of the additional gold was ever recovered.

So, heading into season 2, there was a slight sense of worry - would this new run justify its existence and measure up to the excellent first outing?

Unfortunately, the first few episodes show signs of trouble, and viewers may be left wondering whether they should continue, or give up and accept that the first season should have been left to stand alone. But The Gold season 2 is worth sticking with - here's why.

The Gold season 2 has been inspired by some of the theories around what happened to the other half of the Brink’s-Mat gold, and sees the police investigation, headed up by Hugh Bonneville's Brian Boyce, continue.

Across the episodes, we follow both figures we've met before who have been involved with the gold, as well as new characters who come into its orbit, as the police task force embark on a series of dramatic manhunts.

Immediately in the first couple of episodes, something doesn't feel quite right. The series is as visually dazzling as ever, just as packed with intriguing information, and it's great to see so many of the characters back.

However, the most notable change from the off is the lack of two prominent figures from the first run - Jack Lowden as Kenneth Noye and Dominic Cooper as Edwyn Cooper.

Those two were the standouts of the first season, with their exceptional performances bolstering what were already complex, well-drawn characters.

Without them, the early episodes of this new season feel strangely flat, even with some strong new additions. The truth is, it takes time to get to know these new characters when you're also getting reacquainted with the old, so some of them don't really come into their own until further down the line.

However, perhaps the biggest problem the season has in its early instalments is a narrative one. Season 1 was so compelling because it started small, focusing in on the moment of the robbery, and then naturally expanded.

The real selling point of the series was seeing how far-ranging the aftermath of this one robbery became, how every action sparked 10 more and tentacles grew from it in every direction.

This time around, the story does the opposite. It starts broad, with each of the main players off in their own silos, scattered to the wind. It then slowly contracts and draws these plotlines together, as the task force gets closer and new connections are made between the different parties.

It's an interesting concept for a two-season series, for the second run to act as a mirror image to the first, but because it's been two years between the seasons, multiple of our central figures are missing, and we're getting to know a whole bunch more, it can end up feeling a bit disparate and leave you as a viewer feeling detached.

Perhaps the biggest point of connection between the two seasons, outside of the police team, is Tom Cullen's character John Palmer, and his ongoing activities in Tenerife.

These scenes are engaging, but the storyline is a real slow burn, as is the one centred on Sam Spruell's Charlie Miller, who we only met briefly in season 1 but who takes centre stage here.

However, something happens midway through the season, which is in no small part connected to the return of Jack Lowden at the end of episode 3 - it becomes compelling again.

The back half of the season feels like we're getting back to what made the show great in season 1, with a real, propulsive narrative, exquisitely-drawn character moments and a thorough examination of some meaty themes.

Lowden's return has already been announced, and while it would have been a welcome surprise to find out he's back when watching, it's understandable why the BBC decided to publicise his return - he really is such a draw, and every time he's on screen things just get that little bit more tense, that bit more unknowable and fascinating.

He has less to do this time around, but he still once again makes his presence felt, and come the end of the season you'll understand why this chapter of his sordid story needed to be told.

As the storylines start to converge and the investigation starts to actually make some headway, the series really does come to life once more.

Where the first few episodes are naturally the set up, the latter half really do pay off, with storylines either brought to a natural head, or purposefully lacking in resolution in a way which is remarked upon and is cohesive with the show's overall ethos.

It's all helped along by the fact that some of the new characters come into their own, such as Joshua McGuire's stand-out addition Douglas Baxter, a down-on-his-luck Cambridge graduate and lawyer, offering money laundering financial services on the side.

Stephen Campbell Moore is also riveting as Tony Lundy, a new addition to Boyce's team who has a history of sailing close to the wind and has in the past been accused of corruption.

Additionally, where season 1 had a definite sense of scope and a globe-trotting energy, this run turns that up to 11, with a real multi-national feel to it and some gorgeous locations.

The writing is once again tight, with excellently crafted dialogue (including some riveting speeches), and when the tension ratchets up it really does so, with some breathless sequences in the back half.

The first season of The Gold worked for three central reasons - first, the excellent cast, second, the clear thematic underpinnings and the show's interest in the role of class during the 1980s, and third, the incredible facts in this stranger-than-fiction true story.

This time around, the cast are still excellent, but the season takes its time in getting us acquainted with some of them. The themes it's grappling with become clearer in the later episodes, but are less front and centre early on. And the true story is slightly less jaw-dropping, given that we know so much of this is based on (admittedly heavily researched) theories rather than concrete historical facts.

However, if you stick with The Gold season 2 - and you really should - you will find a run of episodes which improve as they go along, until it comes to a satisfying and conclusive finale.

Season 1 may still be this show operating at its best, but that this doesn't quite match up to that, and that it takes a bit longer to get going, isn't exactly a damning indictment.

The first run was so impressive, comprehensive in what it wanted to explore and clear in what it wanted to say, that this second season, in retaining even some of that brilliance, is still better than most other dramas on TV right now.

The Gold season 2 will arrive on BBC iPlayer at 6am on Sunday 8th June, before airing on BBC One at 9pm.

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