Michael Sheen investigates a toxic legacy in new OU/BBC series

Posted on 20 August 2026 • Arts and social sciences, TV and radio

A new OU / BBC series, Buried with Michael Sheen begins Monday 17 August at 9pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

For years, Welsh actor Michael Sheen has been haunted by the story of Douglas Gowan, a farming consultant who claimed communities in Wales had been poisoned by decades of toxic chemical dumping.

In this new series, Michael investigates allegations that thousands of tonnes of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), often described as “forever chemicals”, were buried across Wales and beyond. Teaming up with environmental journalists and scientists, he follows a trail of evidence, meets communities living near former dump sites and explores whether contamination from the past could still be affecting people and wildlife today.

As the investigation unfolds, Michael asks whether long-standing concerns about chemical waste have been overlooked and what more needs to be done to understand its potential impact on public health and the environment.

The series was supported by Dr Vicky Johnson, Head of Geography and Environmental Studies, Dr Daniel Payne, Lecturer in Chemistry and Dr Carl Boardman, Senior Lecturer in Energy and Environmental Sciences who provided the academic expertise for the programme.

Reflecting on the programme’s exploration of environmental contamination and its long-term impacts, Dr Carl Boardman said:

“What I’d most like viewers to take away from Buried is the understanding that environmental contamination doesn’t simply fade into the past.”

Discussing the impact of environmental issues on communities, Dr Vicky Johnson added:

“I hope viewers come away with an understanding that environmental issues are fundamentally about people as well as places.”

Speaking about the role of science in understanding historic pollution, Dr Daniel Payne said:

“It’s also important to point out that it is also scientists who have identified the problem and conduct the experiments to prove the claims being made in Buried. Over the past few decades scientists, business leaders, politicians and the public have worked together to try to ensure that situations like those presented in Buried will never happen again. But the effects and impacts of historic pollutions will be felt for decades to come.”

Supporting Online content:

Visit our Broadcast & Partnerships site, OU Connect, to find a scenario-based interactive where you’ll step into the shoes of very different decision-makers and discover how your choices could make a difference to the environment

This series was commissioned by Broadcast & Partnerships and is supported by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) and the Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), with particular relevance to BA (Honours) Geography, Q52 BSc (Hons) Environmental Science (Environmental Management) and Q64 BSc Natural Sciences (Chemistry Pathway and Biology Pathway).

Commissioned by Dr Caroline Ogilvie, Director, Broadcast & Partnerships

• Academic Consultants: Dr Vicky Johnson, Dr Carl Boardman and Dr Daniel Payne

• Media Fellow: Prof Zoe Walkinton, Dr Zhraa Alhaboby and Dr Andrew Potter

• Broadcast Project Manager: Poppy Ross

• Supporting Online Content: Biki Zhang

Image Credit:  Wall to Wall Media