Buried with Michael Sheen: A Chilling Investigation into Wales' Toxic Past

Image: BBC

By Jon Donnis

Buried with Michael Sheen is a gripping two-part investigation that sees the Welsh actor turn his attention to a story that has stayed with him for almost a decade. At the centre of the series is the late farming consultant and whistleblower Douglas Gowan, who spent more than 50 years claiming that toxic industrial chemicals had been dumped across Wales and north west England.

For Sheen, this is more than another investigation. He first met Gowan almost ten years ago, when the whistleblower told him that communities across Wales had been exposed to dangerous chemicals for decades. Gowan claimed that thousands of tonnes of Polychlorinated Biphenyls, better known as PCBs, had been buried at sites across the region.

PCBs were once considered something of a wonder chemical because they were extremely resistant to breaking down. That same quality has since made them a serious environmental concern. They are now classified as a Group 1 carcinogen and have been banned globally.

Gowan believed that major corporations, government bodies and local councils had failed to properly address the dangers. He specifically accused Monsanto, once the world's leading PCB producer, of knowingly burying highly toxic waste in communities across Wales. These are serious allegations, and the series sets out to examine the evidence behind them.

After first hearing Gowan's story, Sheen eventually tracked him down and spent two days filming an interview with him. Just two months later, Gowan died, leaving Sheen with the testimony of a man who had spent decades trying to get people to listen.

Now, Sheen joins investigative journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor to retrace Gowan's footsteps. Across two episodes, they visit former dump sites and speak to environmental experts, forensic scientists and residents living close to locations linked to the alleged contamination.

The result promises to be an investigation into claims of toxic pollution, alleged cover-ups and the long-term consequences of industrial waste, while also focusing on the ordinary people who believe they have been left to deal with the fallout.

Buried with Michael Sheen looks set to be a serious and personal piece of factual television, combining Sheen's connection to Wales with an investigation into claims that could have consequences far beyond the communities at the centre of the story.