The BBC is launching ‘Buried with Michael Sheen,’ a two-part unscripted series following Sheen as he digs into claims of chemical contamination across his homeland of Wales, uncovering a scandal that threatens to leave a catastrophic legacy across the UK.
Forever chemicals
For Sheen, this is personal: almost ten years ago he met farming consultant and whistleblower Douglas Gowan who claimed the people of Wales had been poisoned, not by a single criminal act, but by decades of exposure to toxic chemicals in the environment.
Gowan believed that thousands of tonnes of toxic industrial chemicals known as Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) had been dumped in sites across Wales and north west England.
Often described as the “godfather of forever chemicals”, PCBs were regarded as a wonder chemical in the 1960s due to their resistance of breaking down, but are now officially designated as a Group 1 carcinogen and banned globally.
Gowan spent over 50 years trying to warn people about the dangers of the chemical dumping, but seemingly no one would listen.
Unable to let go of the story, Sheen tracked Gowan down and spent two days filming an interview with him.
Gowan described a lifetime battling corporations, government and local councils, claiming Monsanto – the world’s leading PCB producer – knowingly buried highly toxic waste in communities across Wales, with consequences still being felt today.
Two months after that interview, Gowan was dead, leaving Sheen with his story.
Across two episodes, Sheen, alongside investigative journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor, retraces Gowan’s footsteps with environmental experts, forensic scientists and residents living near toxic dump sites.
It’s a journey into alleged conspiracy and cover-ups, but also one of ordinary people speaking truth to power.
‘Buried with Michael Sheen,’ is a BBC Factual and BBC Cymru Wales co-commission for BBC Two, BBC One Wales and BBC iPlayer.
It has been produced in partnership with the Open University and co-produced by Wall to Wall and Smoke Trail Productions.