Meet the cast of ITV’s Hatton Garden – Here’s what they REALLY think of the 2015 robbery
The show, starring Kenneth Cranham and Timothy Spall, was set to premiere in 2017
CAST members of hit ITV drama Hatton Garden have shared their firm opinion on the infamous 2015 heist.
After a two-year delay, the drama has finally arrived on our screens. Here's all the details about who is starring in the drama and their thoughts on the ordeal.
Who is in the cast of ITV's Hatton Garden?
Timothy Spall plays Terry Perkins
Timothy plays an elderly criminal with diabetes.
His character Terry Perkins is determined to pull off one last heist before he retires, so there’s a great amount of pressure on him to succeed.
After being ordered to pay back £27.5million, and jailed for conspiracy to commit burglary, Terry ended up dying in Belmarsh prison at the age of 69.
Kenneth Cranham plays Brian Reader
Kenneth is the boss of the Hatton Garden heist and he’s not exactly easy to work with.
He is super impatient and can be quite the dictator when it comes to his team.
Reader faced a seven year jail term for his part in the crime but served just three years behind bars for conspiracy to commit burglary.
Reader, who has suffered prostate cancer and a series of strokes, was released with remission after half of the six-year, three-month sentence
Alex Norton plays Kenny Collins
Alex plays the role of Kenny Collins, who viewers will see as the getaway driver in the ITV series.
He is the guy who drives the van from all sorts of locations, including Hatton Garden, while also being the team’s lookout during the heist.
Kenny was ordered to pay a whopping £27.5million or face seven years in jail.
He had to sell his £800,000 North London townhouse, which was used to stash the jewels and cash, as part of a £6.5million confiscation order against the four ringleaders.
Collins was released from Belmarsh prison at Christmas 2018 after serving just half of his seven-year sentence.
Geoff Bell plays Carl Wood
He is one of the younger characters that’s brought in on the big heist after being convinced by his friends and Danny Jones.
Carl is very nervous about the plan, with his main worry being that they will get caught and all the hard work was for nothing.
Carl was found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to conceal or transfer criminal property.
He was ordered to pay £50,000, along with a jail sentence of six years.
David Hayman plays Danny Jones
David’s character Danny Jones is a professional at this sort of thing - he has several convictions to his name already, so he won’t lose much either way.
Danny is one of the key members of the team because he is thoroughly needed for the physical elements of the plan that Terry and Brian have no knowledge of.
As one of the three ringleaders, Danny was jailed for seven years for conspiracy to commit burglary in March, 2016.
Brían F O’Byrne plays Michael 'Basil' Seed
This character is a genius when it comes to all things concerning electronics and alarms systems.
Reader recruits him in the series to help with the heist, consequently helping the group get in and out of Hatton Garden without ever being detected.
Seed was arrested in 2018 and eventually convicted of conspiracy to commit burglary and to convert criminal property.
He received a 10-year prison sentence.
What did they really think about the 2015 heist?
In May 2019 Timothy Spall said: "“They are not lovable rogues. They are criminals. And as we all know, criminality requires ruthlessness. That’s a given part of the chosen profession."
He added: “It ruined the lives of ordinary people and small businesses. This drama shows the consequences. Criminals don’t care about the victims.”
Spall also said about the criminals: “The big mistake was going back to the job. At least the ones who did go back. Because it was too tantalising not to return to that vault.
“That going back also broke the union that had previously been successful.
“In our story it becomes about someone who is determined to prove they are as good as the person they’ve been in thrall to. That’s a very interesting thing to discover.”
Co-star Kenneth Cranham said about his character: “Brian Reader was renowned for his meticulous planning. He had it all worked out.
“He found out where all the cameras were and all of those things.
“His exactness is why they abandoned the first attempt when the equipment failed. But then some of the others scurried back, which brought about their doom.”
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David Hayman adds: “Firstly some of them broke the golden rule and went back to an abandoned job. In fact, Danny wanted to go back to the vault a third time. It was just pure greed.
“But it was the CCTV coverage on a camera they didn’t know about that proved crucial in identifying them.
“They also panicked after they got their stash. They should have waited before dividing the spoils among themselves but didn’t. And that’s how they got caught.
Spall told : “This drama is not in any way attempting to glamorise these criminals.
“You’re left in no doubt that what they’ve done damages the victims of these crimes and themselves, ultimately. They are defeated by their own criminality. It was never going to end well.”
He added: “Whatever my opinions are about characters, I always try to play them as a human being, as textured and with as much depth as I can. It’s important to me, whatever character I play, that I give them the best shot.
“Many people lost their livelihoods because of this crime. A very strong subplot in our drama shows the consequences of what they’ve done. The idea that it is a victimless crime is a misnomer”.