Ed Westwick and his team of stalwart salesmen are back! Following a long and unexpected delay, White Gold finally returned to BBC this week.
White Gold comes from award-winner and The Inbetweeners writer Dan Beesley, who serves as both writer and director for the show. Once again, he works alongside Inbetweeners actors Joe Thomas and James Buckley, who star in the series.
Initial reviews of Series 2 have ranged from viewers calling the show “brilliant” to feeling “gutted” that they’d already binged the whole thing (read on for our review of series 2 of White Gold).
What is White Gold?
Set in Essex in the 1980s, White Gold follows double-glazed windows salesman Vincent Swan. Swan is played by Ed Westwick, who is known for his role as the suave Chuck Bass on CW’s Gossip Girl.
The first season saw Vincent Swan lose his mojo and rack up a £50,000 debt. To add insult to injury, his affair with his son’s primary school teacher stirred up trouble in paradise. But fans may have forgotten the details as it has been nearly two years since White Gold first premiered.
Why was Series 2 delayed?
Filming for White Gold Series 2 was underway in November 2017 when sexual allegations brought production to a grinding halt. These claims against Westwick included counts of rape and sexual assault made by three women.
BBC’s statement read: “The independent production company making White Gold has informed us that Ed Westwick has paused from filming while he deals with these allegations.”
According to RadioTimes, Westwick tweeted: “It is disheartening and sad to me that as a result of two unverified and provably untrue social media claims, there are some in this environment who could ever conclude that I have had anything to do with such vile and horrific conduct.” The tweet has since been deleted.
Westwick maintained that he was innocent and denied all charges throughout the case. In July 2018, Los Angeles prosecutors confirmed that there was insufficient evidence to follow through on the charges.
White Gold Series 2 finally resumed shooting in November 2018, a year later.
In addition to causing major delays to the production, the allegations also affected other projects. Westwick’s character was edited out of BBC1’s Agatha Christie drama adaptation Ordeal by Innocence and Christian Cooke (Witches of East End, The Art of More) was chosen to replace him. Due to the recast and reshoot, Ordeal was pulled from BBC’s Christmas lineup and screened in the spring of 2018 instead.
What’s new in Series 2 of White Gold?
Newcomer Rachel Shenton teases that her character plays a central role in stirring things up this season. She divulged juicy details about her character Jo Scott an interview with Metro:
“She’s the big boss at Cachet Windows and Doors and is the new head of sales, much to the disappointment of Vincent and the rest of the sales team – that there’s a woman boss and it’s 1985.
“That puts everyone’s back up. She goes head-to-head with Vincent and is uber ambitious and just as scrupulous as he is actually.”
Shenton has previously appeared in Hollyoaks. Her character Jo, who is both saleswoman and seductress. We first meet her in the very first episode of season 2, where she kicks off her career as the newest member of Cachet’s rival outfit, W. Windows.
Who else is in the cast?
Did someone say White Gold is coming back in 6 days? @BBC2 Season 2 March 6th get ready! #England #London #WhiteGold pic.twitter.com/H8p5LIWa6g
— Ed Westwick (@EdWestwick) March 1, 2019
As mentioned, Ed Westwick returns from Series 1 to reprise his role as dodgy dealer Vincent Swan. We can confirm that Westwick is as charming and unscrupulous as ever.
Buckley and Thomas also return to play their junior salesman positions at Cachet Windows, assuming the roles of Brian Fitzpatrick and Martin Lavender, respectively.
Other Cachet staff includes owner Tony Walsh (Nigel Lindsay) and secretary Carol (Lauren O’Rourke).
Linzey Cocker (Drop Dead Gorgeous) also remains in the picture as Sam Swan.
Where can I watch White Gold?
White Gold Series 2 episode 1 aired at 10pm on March 6th on BBC Two. The 2nd series will then air weekly on BBC Two.
However, all six episodes are available for streaming in the UK via BBC iPlayer– right now!
If you need to recap or catch up on White Gold, all of Series 1 is now available on Netflix. We anticipate that Series 2 will eventually follow, although a precise date has not yet been determined.
Is White Gold worth watching?
A few people seem to think so. Tweets following the March 6 release of new episodes were a wave of positive reviews.
We know what you’re thinking… what do these guys know?
So we went ahead and watched Series 2 Episode 1 for ourselves.
Our review
We get the hype. It caught our attention the moment it opened with a super-closeup of Westwick’s lips doing exactly what they do best—closing a deal. The rest of the episode delivered what we hoped it would, including the urge to move right along to episode 2.
If you’re looking for a show to lighten the mood after a long and stressful day at work, go for White Gold. The series’ comedic 30-minute format is the perfect way to cap a busy day.
Another reason to catch the show is to get your fill of 80s nostalgia. White Gold is full of upbeat synth tracks and the sexiness that is aerobics.
The series also offers mini-lessons on how to take control of your life and achieve ‘Peak Personal Performance’, whether or not you work in sales. Episode one even delivers some hot fenestration tips, like how not to repair leaky conservatory windows.
Fans of the show will also have the opportunity to learn some “deep” secrets about a certain Cachet employee after their dating agency tape is leaked. Who is it?
Hint: they like having fun and are looking for someone who likes having fun too. And despite their cat allergy, they’re willing to take antihistamines for the right person.
Not yet convinced?
Here’s the Series 2 trailer for a quick tease. We hope it wins you over.