Gold Digger (TV series)

Gold Digger is a six-part drama miniseries created and written by Marnie Dickens and starring Julia Ormond and Ben Barnes broadcast weekly from Tuesday 12 November 2019 on BBC One. Unusually for a BBC series, all episodes became available on BBC iPlayer on the day of the first episode's television broadcast and the series was broadcast internationally. The series has been described by the BBC as a contemporary relationship thriller, about second chances, family and betrayal[1]

Gold Digger
GenreRomance drama
Created byMarnie Dickens
Written byMarnie Dickens
Directed byVanessa Caswill
David Evans
StarringJulia Ormond
Ben Barnes
Alex Jennings
Jemima Rooper
Sebastian Armesto
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original language(s)English
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producer(s)Guy de Glanville
Marnie Dickens
Sally Haynes
Elizabeth Kilgarriff
Laura Mackie
Producer(s)Ani Kevork
CinematographyJean-Philippe Gossart
Production company(s)Mainstreet Pictures
Release
Original networkBBC One
Original release12 November (2019-11-12) –
17 December 2019 (2019-12-17)

Premise

After putting her own life behind the lives of everyone around her, a wealthy 60-year-old woman enters into a relationship with a man half her age. Her adult children worry that he's a gold digger.

Cast and characters

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date Viewers
(millions)
1"Her Boy"Vanessa CaswillMarnie Dickens12 November 2019 (2019-11-12)5.32
Julia Day is a wealthy woman and a recent divorcee who ends up spending her 60th birthday alone in London, after her three now grown-up children: Patrick, Della and Leo bail out for certain reasons. Spending the afternoon at the British Museum, she meets a young man named Benjamin Greene with whom she instantly becomes smitten. They begin dating and she eventually introduces him to her children, who immediately suspect that he is a gold digger. Meanwhile, Patrick is stressed at both his work and raising his own family. He even tries to resist having an affair with one of his colleagues at work.
2"Her Daughter"Vanessa CaswillMarnie Dickens19 November 2019 (2019-11-19)5.02
Patrick and Della remain suspicious of Benjamin's intentions and they decide to spy on him. They eventually catch Benjamin in a compromising situation which could potentially end his relationship with Julia. Meanwhile, Della struggles to come on terms with her ex-girlfriend after learning that she is back in London.
3"Her Rival"Vanessa CaswillMarnie Dickens26 November 2019 (2019-11-26)5.12
While visiting Julia at her home in Devon, Benjamin meets her former best friend, Marsha and he learns of Julia's relationship with her ex-husband, Ted. Patrick and Della pay Julia a visit where they show her evidence of Benjamin's infidelity. However, Benjamin clears up the misunderstanding after being confronted by Julia, and their relationship grows stronger. He eventually moves into her home much to Leo's chagrin. While walking along the cliffs, Benjamin proposes to Julia who immediately accepts.
4"Her Husband"David EvansMarnie Dickens3 December 2019 (2019-12-03)N/A
Julia informs Ted of her engagement to Benjamin. Ted retaliates by proposing to Marsha, with whom he had an affair, but she rejects him because of Julia. Meanwhile, Julia announces the engagement to her children during Christmas dinner, but they do not take it very well. Determined to protect their mother's wealth, Patrick persuades Julia to sign a pre-nup. It is also revealed that Julia's relationship with Ted was an abusive one.
5"Her Baby"David EvansMarnie Dickens10 December 2019 (2019-12-10)N/A
While celebrating Leo's 25th birthday, Benjamin's half-brother, Kieron shows up unexpected. This arouses more suspicion, prompting Julia to travel to Benjamin and Kieron's hometown where she discovers Benjamin's secret. Meanwhile, Leo befriends Kieron who inspires him to build a business venture, but Julia refuses to invest in it after being influenced by Benjamin. Leo retaliates by leaving her to live with Ted which upsets Julia.
6"Her Love"David EvansMarnie Dickens17 December 2019 (2019-12-17)N/A
It's the day of the wedding and Julia is reeling from the revelations of Benjamin's past. She flees from the wedding, but Benjamin eventually finds her. After learning Benjamin's side of the story, Julia faces the ultimate decision that will determine her future.

^α Ratings include pre-transmission.

Production

It was announced in August 2018 that Julia Ormond would be starring in the six part miniseries, commissioned by the BBC. The first three episodes of the series were directed by Vanessa Caswill.[2] Ben Barnes was cast later that month.[3] The supporting cast, including Alex Jennings, Jemima Rooper and Sebastian Armesto, was added as filming began between Devon and London.[4] Filming commenced in September 2018.[5]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the show holds an approval rating of 38%. The critical consensus reads: "Visually gorgeous and thematically ambitious, but ultimately void of cohesion, Gold Digger bites off more than it can chew."[6]

Lucy Mangan of The Guardian, however called the show "a bold and hugely entertaining attempt by writer Marnie Dickens." [7]

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References
  1. "Gold Digger".
  2. Julia Ormond to Star in BBC Thriller 'Gold Digger'
  3. ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ & ‘Westworld’s Ben Barnes To Star In BBC One Drama ‘Gold Digger’
  4. ‘The Crown’s Alex Jennings & ‘Lost in Austen’s Jemima Rooper Join BBC Drama ‘Gold Digger’
  5. "Filming Begins on BBC One's GOLD DIGGER".
  6. "Gold Digger: Miniseries".
  7. Mangan, Lucy (2019-11-12). "Gold Digger review – the twisty toyboy thriller that will get everyone talking". The Guardian.
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