Buried
From a deathbed tape to a witness in protection, Buried is the award-winning true-crime series digging into some of the most disturbing environmental stories in history.
"It's buried isn't it? But it's coming back." The haunting words of a witness who claimed he'd discovered a toxic chemical secret half a century ago that would affect us all.
In this thrilling new investigation, Buried: The Last Witness, Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor team up with the film star Michael Sheen, who recorded the witness before he died. Together, they dig into the unseen files of a man who said he was beaten up and put under police protection, after alleging that a chemical had contaminated the food chain.
It is a story straight out of a Hollywood drama: an opera-loving British gentleman clashes with an American corporate giant, claiming there was a conspiracy to silence him. Was the witness right? Science and shadows collide in this true-crime epic, as the hosts search for the truth, testing soil, food and even their own blood - to uncover what one chemical can do at its worst.
Buried is a bingeable, fast-paced true-crime series exposing urgent environmental stories you've almost certainly never heard of. Husband-and-wife investigative duo Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor delve into thrilling mysteries - bringing to light never-before-heard recordings or boxes of explosive legal documents, inviting the audience to unpick crimes or scandals with them.
Their stories throw them - and us - into secret worlds, be it the organised crime unfolding in our waste, or trails of toxic chemicals that go right to our plates.
- Update frequency
- every day
- Average duration
- 13 minutes
- Episodes
- 24
- Years Active
- 2023 - 2025
Preview - File on 4 Investigates: Rivers of Lead
There are more than 6,000 abandoned lead mines across the UK leaking hundreds of tons of metals into our rivers each year. With climate change causing an increase in flooding, contamination is likely…
Series 1 - Bonus Episode: Recycling Corrupted
Two years on from their award-winning Buried series about British waste crime, investigative journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor return to Mobuoy in Northern Ireland, where more than one million to…
The Last Witness - 10. The Apex Stone
In a finale of discoveries, Dan and Lucy speak to Douglas's best friend and finally learn the truth about his stories.
They are moved to test their own blood for PCBs. When Douglas talked about 'the …
The Last Witness - 9. The Case Against Douglas
A friend casts doubt on Douglas’ honesty. Could he have lied? Dan and Lucy uncover unsettling truths, and begin to question what’s real. They've tested the chemicals - now it is time to test Douglas.…
The Last Witness - 8. The Case for Douglas
Dan and Lucy are shown how official reports have been changed, and hear allegations of ‘cover-up’ and ‘conspiracy’. What do those in power know - and what have they done?
Buried is the award-winning t…
The Last Witness - 7. On Your Plate
Michael Sheen calls... have Dan and Lucy accidentally poisoned him?
Probably not, but scientists warn that 'something out there' is causing a rise in illnesses, such as testicular cancer. Could it be…
The Last Witness - 6. Off the Scale
Dan rushes to a site in South Wales, where PCBs are reportedly escaping from an old landfill site. He and Lucy take their strange team on the road, to test the earth in towns and villages countrywide…
The Last Witness - 5. A Can of Worms
As Dan and the film star Michael Sheen go digging around a toxic site, they are given a warning - the truth is a can of worms. A vicar picks up where Douglas left off. What is the full scale of the U…
The Last Witness - 4. Every Last Dollar
A child born without eyes. What did the chemical do? In Alabama, Dan finds a contaminated town, still reeling from its toxic legacy. Internal confidential memos reveal the manufacturer knew the risk.
…
The Last Witness - 3. Discredit Gowan
“They would have killed me.”
Douglas Gowan says he was denounced in Parliament, impersonated and attacked - all to keep him silent. Dan and Lucy dig further into his explosive story, until they uncov…
The Last Witness - 2. A Hollywood Sleuth
Reporters Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor visit the film star Michael Sheen - who recorded the witness's final account - and hear how he fell into a rabbit hole. They also discover Douglas Gowan's unpublis…
The Last Witness - 1. A Box of Secrets
When reporters Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor are handed a box of unseen evidence, they begin a new investigation - into a chemical secret. A witness says he found deformed cows, and worried a toxic chemi…
Introducing Buried: The Last Witness
In a new investigation, reporters Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor team up with the film star Michael Sheen to dig up a chemical secret. They inherit a box of evidence from a witness, with a warning.
You can…
Series 1 - 10. What Joe Knew
Justice at last over Mobuoy - and a legal first by the river. Then, in a finale of twists and answers, we uncover the secret that disturbed Joe until the end.
"All you have to do... is dig it up."
A t…
Series 1 - 9. Fear of the Unknown
In his last days, Joe thought the pollution was putting lives at risk. His friends were willing to break the law to find out. Years on, are deadly cancers rising?
"All you have to do... is dig it up.…
Series 1 - 8. The Screams of the Dead
Crowds gather as a woman speaks. Her child is dead from cancer. And there are countless more. Are the dumps to blame? Under armed guard, one priest decides to speak out at risk of his life.
"All you h…
Series 1 - 7. How to Make a Mafia
In the Comorrah’s neighbourhood in Naples, Dan and Lucy learn how waste can fuel a mafia. They’re warned that the UK is playing a dangerous game.
"All you have to do... is dig it up."
A trucker’s deat…
Series 1 - 6. FOFO (Fear of Finding Out)
When a man used satellites to find illegal dumps, he learned they’re everywhere. But the criminals are watching him. Could a mafia be growing rich on our waste?
"All you have to do... is dig it up."
A…
Series 1 - 5. The Missing Memo
A memo goes missing - until now. It rallies a community to keep calling for the truth.
"All you have to do... is dig it up."
A trucker’s deathbed tape plays out. It’s urgent, desperate. In this BBC …
Series 1 - 4. Blackleg
In the dead of night, a meeting with a vet, who talks of an eerie event. It leads to a trail of toxins. Could Mobuoy still be a threat?
"All you have to do... is dig it up."
A trucker’s deathbed tape…