''The Heist'' is a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
competition series produced by
Shine TV
Shine TV is a British media production company and part of Banijay with offices in London and Manchester.
Shine was founded in March 2001 by Elisabeth Murdoch, daughter of News Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch. The company was 80% owned by Elis ...
that began airing on
Sky One
Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
in the UK in 2018. A first series of six episodes premiered on Nov 9, 2018. A second series of 8 episodes premiered on Feb 6, 2020. Series One is available on
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...
in the United States.
Premise
The programme, similar in format to
Hunted (which is also produced by Shine TV), is a competition between a group of ordinary citizens (“The Thieves”) and a team of former police and intelligence officers (“The Detectives”). The Thieves are given the opportunity to “steal” money and escape. The Detectives are told only that a robbery has occurred and then use legal investigative techniques and resources (interviews with the public, access to CCTV feeds and mobile phone records of suspects, vehicle licence plate tracking, etc.) to identify the participants, track them down and recover the stolen money (or, if spent, the items purchased). A referee (Kevin O’Leary, former Scotland Yard Detective Chief Superintendent) determines if the Detectives would have realistically and legally had access to requested information; if so, it is provided or recreated by the programme.
In Series One, ten Thieves have the opportunity to take up to £250,000 (in notes and coins) from an unattended armoured car. In Series Two, nine Thieves can take up to £1 million after breaking into a bank vault. Each Thief can have an accomplice (friend or family member) drive them away from the “heist” to a location where the money taken will be equally divided (“the slaughter”). The Thieves can then hide or spend their share as they see fit (spending money may increase the risk of being located), while the Detectives attempt to identify them, recover the money and collect enough evidence to legally charge them for the theft. Suspected Thieves can be brought in for questioning, and can be arrested and held for a 24-hour period, pending being charged. Any Thief charged with sufficient evidence loses their share of the money. On the 16th day (20th day in Series 2) the remaining Thieves at large must meet at a pre-determined location to “launder” their remaining cash and escape.
Cast
Series One
The Thieves
The Detectives
Narrator
Pip Torrens
Series Two
The Thieves
Hellen Cole-Joyce (58) & Leonie Airlie (31)
Christine Jeffries (68) & Garry Jeffries (42)
Helen Ruff (59, former Police officer)
Micky Craig (38, ship captain) & Ryan Gray (27)
Will Bell (24) & Ishy Khatun (26)
The Detectives
Production
The first series was filmed in and around the market town of
Thirsk
Thirsk is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England known for its racecourse; quirky yarnbomber displays, and depiction as local author James Herriot's fictional Darrowby.
History
Archeological fin ...
, in
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
. The Thieves were all residents of the town or the surrounding area. The crime scene was filmed on Marage Road, adjacent to St. Mary's Church. An old library was used as the police station.
The second series was filmed in and around the town of
Alnwick
Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116.
The town is on the south bank of the River Aln, south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish bor ...
in
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land on ...
.
The Duchess's Community High School
The Duchess's Community High School is a co-educational secondary school and sixth form located in Alnwick in the English county of Northumberland. It is a community school administered by Northumberland County Council.
History
In 1809, the Du ...
served as the local police station. A storefront at 41 Fenkle Street stood in as the fictitious "Bank of Northumbria".
Episodes
Series One
External links
''The Heist'', Shine TV Page''The Heist'', IMDB Page
References
{{Reflist
British reality television series