Storyville Season 17 Episode 19

Smash & Grab: The Story of the Pink Panthers

Thrilling heist documentary about the world's most notorious gang of diamond thieves, featuring exclusive and unprecedented interviews with the Pink Panther members for the first time on television. The Pink Panthers have stolen over £270m in diamonds in more than 241 robberies in cities from Paris to Tokyo. The film explores the rise of the group during the 1990s Balkan conflict when economic sanctions imposed on Serbia fuelled illegal activities. The criminals reveal an underworld driven by fast wealth and paranoia, while the detectives and inspectors, who are working with Interpol, are on a mission to stop their crime spree with growing success. Combining surveillance footage of the heists, archive of the Balkans' turbulent past, animation and strong testimonies, the film draws connections between international affairs, economics and the shady world of part of the diamond industry.