Drovers' Gold

Drovers' Gold
Genre	Historical drama
Created by	Michael Chaplin
Written by	Michael Chaplin
Directed by	Tristram Powell Lesley Manning
Starring	David Calder Andrew Howard Emma Fielding Ruth Jones Danny Llewelyn Sharon Geater Alun Jones Robert Pugh John Standing Aneirin Hughes Steve Speirs Keith Barron
Composer	John Altman
Country of origin	United Kingdom Wales
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	5
Production
Producers	Ruth Caleb Anji Dyer
Production locations	Abergavenny, Wales, UK Crickhowell, Wales, UK
Cinematography	Ray Orton
Editors	John Richards Chris Swanton
Running time	95 minutes (ep. 1) 50 minutes (eps. 2–5)
Production company	BBC Wales
Original release
Network	BBC1
Release	30 May (1997-05-30) – 27 June 1997 (1997-06-27)

Drovers' Gold is a five-part British television historical drama series, first broadcast on BBC1 on 30 May 1997. A single series comprises five episodes were broadcast, with the concluding episode broadcasting on 27 June 1997.^[1] Episodes broadcast at 21:30 on Fridays.

Plot

The series set in 19th-century Wales, where struggling families embark on a cattle drive to London for better prices. They face numerous challenges, including an unscrupulous landowner, disease outbreaks, and legal troubles, as they strive to escape poverty and build a better future.^[2]

Casting

According to a culture interview in 2018 at Wales.com, Ruth Jones says to be billed as a "Welsh Western" which told the story of a cattle drive from West Wales to London. Jones later commented, "I loved that job. I visited places like Lampeter and Llandeilo for the first time, as well as Abergavenny and Crickhowell. I fell in love with them all. There was something so unspoilt about them, and I've been back several times since."^[3]

Cast

• David Calder as Vaughan
• Andrew Howard as Aaron
• Emma Fielding as Elizabeth
• Ruth Jones as Mary
• Danny Llewelyn as Isaiah
• Sharon Geater as Rebecca
• Alun Jones as Dafydd
• Robert Pugh as Handl
• John Standing as Sir Huw
• Aneirin Hughes as Daniel
• Freddie Jones as "Moc" Morgan
• Steve Speirs as Lewis
• Keith Barron as Sir Thomas

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Airdate
1	"Episode 1"	Tristram Powell	Michael Chaplin	30 May 1997 (1997-05-30)
2	"Episode 2"	Tristram Powell	Michael Chaplin	6 June 1997 (1997-06-06)
3	"Episode 3"	Lesley Manning	Michael Chaplin	13 June 1997 (1997-06-13)
4	"Episode 4"	Lesley Manning	Michael Chaplin	20 June 1997 (1997-06-20)
5	"Episode 5"	Lesley Manning	Michael Chaplin	27 June 1997 (1997-06-27)

Home media

The series has yet to be released on DVD or VHS.

References

1. "Drovers' Gold - BBC One London - 30 May 1997". BBC Genome. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
2. "Drovers' Gold". Screen Rant. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
3. "Ruth Jones interview". Wales.com. 26 November 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2025.

External links

• Drovers' Gold at IMDb