NEW YORK (AP) — In 1983, six thieves muscled their way into a warehouse near Heathrow Airport, expecting to find a large sum of foreign currency. They got much more than they bargained for — 26 million pounds worth of gold bars.

What happened in the days and years next is the subject of PBS’ “Masterpiece” enthralling series “The Gold,” which traces the ripple effects of Britain’s biggest robbery, going from a local search to infiltrating an international money laundering cartel. It starts airing Sunday.

“From the minute the show starts, the pressure’s on,” says showrunner Neil Forsyth. “There’s a clock ticking, there’s a net tightening and all these things. So it’s lovely to write characters under that continual pressure.”

The so-called Brinks-Mat heist rocked Britain, leading to change

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