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Get out the hairspray and puff up those shoulder pads because the ’80s are back on Netflix again. I’m not talking about Stranger Things 3. I’m talking about the new season of White Gold, the BBC sitcom about cutthroat window salespeople living it up at the height of Margaret Thatcher-mania.
But White Gold has been M.I.A. for a while now, and so much has happened since then (especially where White Gold is concerned… uh, see below). Maybe you’ve forgotten about this series, or maybe you’re interested in diving in now that it’s back back back again. Before you do, here’s everything you need to know about White Gold… and also, uh, Ed Westwick.
What is White Gold on Netflix about?
Set in 1980s Essex, this British comedy takes a satirical look at the “high stakes” world of window salespeople. Series 1 originally aired in the UK on BBC Two back in 2017, and was discovered by American audiences on Netflix a few months later.
Who is in the White Gold cast?
Ed Westwick stars as the morally dubious salesman Vincent Swan. Westwick is most known to American audiences for playing Chuck on Gossip Girl. James Buckley and Joe Thomas play junior salespeople Brian Fitzpatrick and Martin Lavendar, respectively. The duo previously starred in the UK series The Inbetweeners. Buckley also appeared on NBC’s I Feel Bad and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. Linzey Cocker plays Vincent’s wife Sam Swan, and Lauren O’Rourke plays secretary Carol.
New to the cast is Rachel Shenton, who plays a spokeswoman named Jo Scott. Shenton previously recurred on ABC Family’s Switched at Birth as Lily.
Wait–Ed Westwick? What’s up with Ed Westwick on White Gold?
Yeeeeeaaah… there’s a reason there was almost a two-year gap between Season 1 and Season 2 of White Gold. Production on Season 2 was underway in November 2017 when three women made allegations of rape and sexual assault against Westwick. The BBC put production on White Gold Season 2 on hold. Westwick was also edited out of the BBC Agatha Christie mini-series Ordeal by Innocence and his scenes were reshot with Christian Cooke.
The three women, who made their allegations separately, all said the incidents took place in 2014. Two women accused the actor of rape, while the third accused him of sexual assault. Westwick denied all the accusations, and ultimately the Los Angeles District Attorney did not pursue the case citing “insufficient evidence.” Production on White Gold then picked up in late November 2018, and they finished up the batch of episodes. So… that’s why there’s been such a long delay.
White Gold Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
