Band of Gold

Band of Gold is a British television crime drama series, written and created by Kay Mellor, first broadcast on ITV on 12 March 1995. Produced by Granada Television, the series revolves around the lives of a group of prostitutes who live and work in Bradford's red-light district. Principal actresses in the series include Geraldine James, Cathy Tyson, Barbara Dickson, and Samantha Morton. Three series of Band of Gold were produced (the third under the moniker of Gold, with only a small number of characters from the first two series), with the final episode broadcast on 1 December 1997. Each series was released on VHS after its broadcast, followed by DVD reissues under the Cinema Club brand in July 2004. The complete series was released on DVD by Network on 6 February 2006, and was reissued on 22 May 2009. Prolific tie-in specialist John Burke novelised the first series' teleplays in Band of Gold: Ring of Lies (15 February 1996); and the second series' teleplays in Band of Gold: Chain of Power (9 May 1996); the publisher was Headline Books. A behind-the-scenes book, Gold: The Making of Band of Gold, written by Anthony Hayward, was published on 2 September 1997, to tie in with the broadcast of the third and final series. Synopsis Series 1 Gina Dickson (Ruth Gemmell) is a young mother living in Bradford, West Yorkshire who has thrown out her abusive husband, Steve, but finds herself in debt to numerous bill collectors. Gina goes to a loan shark named Mr. Moore to pay off her debts. But Gina can't find work, and there's no one to look after her three young daughters, while Mr. Moore wants his money back, with interest. She meets Carol (Cathy Tyson) since their children go to the same school and are friends. Carol currently works as a prostitute to support herself and her young daughter Emma. The desperate Gina tells Carol that she wants to join her profession to pay off her debts. Carol teaches Gina how to "work the Lane" and introduces Gina to the world of ponces, punters, and police. Gina also meets Carol's friends: Rose (Geraldine James), an older hooker who rules the lane, and Tracy (Samantha Morton), a 15-year-old runaway who's hooked on drugs supplied by her pimp. Anita Braithwaite (Barbara Dickson), is another friend who allows the women to rent out rooms in her flat in exchange for a cut of their earnings.