BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4

About

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.


  • Introducing Buried - Series 1
    A deathbed tape. An appalling crime. Clues to a criminal underworld. A plea: dig it up.
  • Series 1 - 1. A Deathbed Tape
    A trucker leaves a tape about an appalling crime. Three words echo: Dig it Up.
  • Series 1 - 2. A Scene of Horror
    The story of how criminals dumped a million tonnes. A million tonnes of what?
  • Series 1 - 3. A One-Man Mission
    Who was Joe Ferguson? His family says he was a man on a mission. What did he know?
  • Series 1 - 4. Blackleg
    In the dead of night, a meeting about an eerie event. Could Mobuoy still be a threat?
  • Series 1 - 5. The Missing Memo
    A memo goes missing - until now. It rallies a community to keep calling for the truth.
  • Series 1 - 6. FOFO (Fear of Finding Out)
    When a man used satellites to find dumps, he learned they’re everywhere. Is it a mafia?
  • Series 1 - 7. How to Make a Mafia
    In a violent mafia’s home town, we learn how the UK is playing a dangerous game.
  • Series 1 - 8. The Screams of the Dead
    Crowds gather. A child is dead. And there are countless more. Are dumps to blame?
  • Series 1 - 9. Fear of the Unknown
    In his last days, Joe thought pollution was putting lives at risk. Was he right?
  • Series 1 - 10. What Joe Knew
    In a finale of twists and answers, we uncover the secret that disturbed Joe until the end.
  • Introducing Buried: The Last Witness
    Investigative duo Dan and Lucy join Michael Sheen to dig up a chemical secret.
  • The Last Witness - 1. A Box of Secrets
    A box of evidence contains a witness’s warning: a chemical is coming for all of us.
  • The Last Witness - 2. A Hollywood Sleuth
    A film star records the witness’s final account. Secret chemical tests are revealed.
  • The Last Witness - 3. Discredit Gowan
    'They would have killed me.' Was there a conspiracy to silence the witness?
  • The Last Witness - 4. Every Last Dollar
    A child born without eyes. In a town in Alabama, what did one chemical do?
  • The Last Witness - 5. A Can of Worms
    The film star Michael Sheen digs around dumps, as communities wonder what’s hidden nearby.
  • The Last Witness - 6. Off the Scale
    Dan and Lucy test the earth, and discover whether Douglas’ prophecy has come true.
  • The Last Witness - 7. On Your Plate
    Scientists warn ‘something out there’ is causing illness. Could it be PCBs in our food?
  • The Last Witness - 8. The Case for Douglas
    Douglas warned of a chemical cover-up. Could it be true? What do those in power know?
  • The Last Witness - 9. The Case Against Douglas
    A friend casts doubt on Douglas’ honesty. Could he have lied? It's time to test Douglas.
  • The Last Witness - 10. The Apex Stone
    Douglas’s death provides answers about his life - and what he really uncovered.
  • Series 1 - Bonus Episode: Recycling Corrupted
    Secret satellite waste trackers reveal what’s really going on with your recycling.
  • Preview - File on 4 Investigates: Rivers of Lead
    Lucy Taylor and Dan Ashby investigate the metals leaking into our rivers from lead mines.