Hearst Networks investigates Bank of England heist

John Farrar’s nascent label Homecoming Studios has landed its debut commission, partnering with Soho Studios for a Hearst Networks doc about the audacious 1990 Bank of England robbery.

Two-part Crime+Investigation doc Heist: Robbing the Bank of England follows author and broadcaster Marcel Theroux across the world to tell the story of the infamous event 35 years ago, which saw the theft of £292m.

The story spans several continents across three decades, and Theroux sets out to find the answers to the many unanswered questions around the robbery.

All the key protagonists of the story, on both sides of the Atlantic and both sides of the law will feature in the series.

Heist: Robbing the Bank of England was commissioned by Hearst Networks’ Dan Korn, vice president of programming, and Diana Carter, commissioning editor and head of talent. Soho and Homecoming produce in association with ad-funded programming specialists Krempelwood.

Ian Lamarra will exec produce for Soho Studios alongside Farrar for Homecoming Studios, Korn and Carter for Hearst, Blair Krempel and Mark Wood for Krempelwood, series director Sam Miller and BossaNova’s Paul Heaney for international versions. Theroux authored the doc.

Korn promised that the doc will “lift the lid” on the heist and try to answer the question of where all the money went.

Lamarra said: “As the appeal of true crime grows beyond gruesome killing into true con and true caper, this forensic first-hand account of one of the world’s biggest heists, that took place in the UK, is breathtaking viewing. Marcel Theroux once again proves he’s one of TV’s foremost and fearless storytellers.”

Theroux said: “The City Bonds robbery was not just one of the biggest thefts in history, it’s one of the strangest unsolved crimes I’ve ever encountered. It started as an apparent mugging then quickly escalated into a vast global conspiracy involving the IRA, Colombian narco-terrorists and the mafia. Lives were lost along the way, and its ringleader was never brought to justice. But strangest of all, to this day, the police seem unsure whether the man behind it was a Mr Big, or a Mr Bean.”

Homecoming Studios

Heist: Robbing the Bank of England is the first project to emerge from Farrar’s fledgling indie Homecoming Studios. Farrar left his role as chief creative officer at Future Studios last year to set it up. The Leeds-headquartered indie is focusing on making long- and shourt-form content.

Soho and Farrar previously teamed up when he was at Future, co-producing fellow true-crime doc The Playboy Bunny Murder for ITVX, also fronted by Theroux.

Farrar said: “This is the unbelievable true story of the biggest heist you’ve never heard of. This commission embodies my vision for Homecoming – combining forensic and cinematic storytelling with the very best on and off-screen talent.

“After years of development, we were able to secure unprecedented access to both law enforcement and criminals at the heart of this mystery. I am beyond thrilled that this marks Homecoming’s first commission.”