Famous actor Michael Sheen stars in a new BBC documentary series called Buried (working title), which investigates long-buried claims of toxic chemical contamination in South Wales, near his hometown. For instance, Wall to Wall and Smoke Trail Productions create the two-part, 60-minute unscripted series specifically for BBC Factual and BBC Cymru Wales. Moreover, it expands an award-winning BBC Sounds podcast and examines “forever chemicals” like poly-chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that companies allegedly dumped in landfills, thereby endangering local farms, communities, and the food chain.
Additionally, Sheen met whistleblower Douglas Gowan nearly ten years ago, and Gowan warned about these non-biodegradable chemicals before he died suddenly without official recognition. Now, the Good Omens and Twilight star returns to the area, where he interviews affected families, officials, environmental journalists, forensic scientists, and medical experts, while probing long-term health effects. “This story haunts Wales for years and feels very personal to me,” Sheen states.
In fact, Mags Gavan directs the series, and Jacci Parry produces it. Furthermore, it extends Smoke Trail’s investigative podcast and airs on BBC Two, BBC One Wales, and BBC iPlayer. Ultimately, the project aligns with Sheen’s activism—he clears £1 million in community debt and funds a Welsh National Theatre—thus reflecting his shift from “for-profit” roles to “not-for-profit” efforts supporting Welsh causes .
