BBC Commissions Forever Chemicals Series From Wall To Wall

BBC Two, BBC One Wales, and BBC iPlayer have commissioned Buried with Michael Sheen, a two-part unscripted series investigating chemical contamination in Wales and North West England. The production is a co-commission between BBC Factual and BBC Cymru Wales. Wall to Wall and Smoke Trail Productions are co-producing the series in partnership with the Open University.

The series follows Michael Sheen as he examines claims made by whistleblower Douglas Gowan regarding the dumping of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) across the region. Gowan alleged that the chemical producer Monsanto buried toxic waste in Welsh communities. PCBs were used in the 1960s for their resistance to breaking down and are now classified as Group 1 carcinogens and banned globally. Sheen filmed a two-day interview with Gowan shortly before the whistleblower died.

Sheen is joined by investigative journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor for the production. The team works with forensic scientists, environmental experts, and local residents to investigate the sites identified by Gowan. The investigation focuses on the long-term environmental legacy of industrial chemicals and the reported failure of government and local councils to act on warnings provided over a fifty-year period.