Podcast
Buried
Hosted by BBC Radio 4 · EN
Why is someone leaving dozens of dead animals as a mafia-style warning in the British countryside? Buried is the multi award-winning investigative series digging into some of the most disturbing environmental stories in history. In this thrilling new investigation, Buried: Dead Rabbit, reporters Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor team up with the wildlife presenter Chris Packham to investigate. First, villagers find twenty mangled animals outside a primary school, then fifty by a farm shop, blood smeared over the doors.
Are they a Godfather-like threat? A taunt? A strange Satanic sacrifice? Or - just like a classic horror movie - the first flash of a monster, lurking in the shadows?
The answer leads the team to uncover a terrifying criminal underworld operating in the heart of the countryside. Masked men in 4x4s, violent rage, and tens of thousands of pounds at stake. Chris Packham tells us his own dead-animal threats escalated into a car bomb outside his house. Farmers and villagers say they feel abandoned, and the problem is darker - and far more widespread - than anyone thought.
Dead Rabbit begins like a folk horror movie but turns into a gripping, fast-paced thriller about the takeover of illegal hare coursing in the countryside.
This is the third series of Buried, bringing bingeable, fast-paced mysteries exposing urgent environmental true stories you've almost certainly never heard of. Husband-and-wife investigative duo Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor dive into secret worlds of organised crime unfolding in our waste (Series 1) or trails of toxic chemicals that go right to our plates (Series 2, Buried: The Last Witness). Each series is a separate story bringing to light never-before-heard recordings and boxes of explosive legal documents, inviting the audience to unpick crimes or scandals with them.
The team's previous exploration into 'forever chemicals' (Buried: The Last Witness) continues on TV in Buried with Michael Sheen. Watch the documentary on iPlayer: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002zkql/buried-with-michael-sheen
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Dead Rabbit: Trailer
Jul 1300:03:02Tap to summarizeWhy is someone leaving dozens of dead animals as a mafia-style warning in a village in Hampshire? From the team behind Buried and Buried: The Last Witness, comes a new investigative documentary series, Dead Rabbit.Husband and wife journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor team up with Chris Packham to investigate why 20 dead animals were left at a village school – uncovering a criminal underworld in the British countryside. Coming to BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds from 20 July, 2026.
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Preview - File on 4 Investigates: Rivers of Lead
Aug 1900:00:49Tap to summarizeThere 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 to get worse. In this new investigation for BBC Radio 4's File on 4 Investigates, Buried hosts Lucy Taylor and Dan Ashby ask whether this lead is ending up in our food chain, water system and blood.To hear the programme in full, just search for File on 4 Investigates: Rivers of Lead on BBC Sounds now.A Bite Your Tongue production for BBC Radio 4
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Series 1: Bonus Episode: Recycling Corrupted
Nov 3, 202400:28:34Tap to summarizeTwo 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 tonnes of recycling and waste was illegally dumped. Inundated with new leads and information, they decide to follow secret waste trackers hidden in councils' recycling today. The devices lead them to startling revelations about the scale of problems in recycling. Worse still, a police file reveals suspicions that waste criminals flourished thanks to corruption.Written and produced by Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor Executive Producer: Phil Abrams Sound Design: Jarek Zaba Sound Recording: Nigel Thompson Composer: Phil Channell Commissioning Editor: Hugh LevinsonA Smoke Trail production for BBC Radio 4
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The Last Witness: 10. The Apex Stone
Jun 24, 202400:17:08Tap to summarizeIn 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 children... and the children's children...' Do you get it now? At Douglas’s grave, the 'apex stone' is revealed.Buried is the award-winning true-crime series digging into some of the most disturbing environmental stories in history. In this new investigation, reporters Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor team up with the film star Michael Sheen. 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.Produced and presented by Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor Research by Georgie Styles Additional research by Grace Nicholls and Cardiff Journalism School Sound design and mixing by Jarek Zaba Original music and sounds by Phil Channell Executive Producers: Philip Abrams and Anita Elash Commissioning Editor: Dan ClarkeA Smoke Trail production for BBC Radio 4
Transcribe →The Last Witness: 9. The Case Against Douglas
Jun 24, 202400:15:08Tap to summarizeA 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. And Michael Sheen gives his verdict. Buried is the award-winning true-crime series digging into some of the most disturbing environmental stories in history. In this new investigation, reporters Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor team up with the film star Michael Sheen. 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.Produced and presented by Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor Research by Georgie Styles Additional research by Grace Nicholls Sound design and mixing by Jarek Zaba Original music and sounds by Phil Channell Executive Producers: Philip Abrams and Anita Elash Commissioning Editor: Dan ClarkeA Smoke Trail production for BBC Radio 4
Transcribe →The Last Witness: 8. The Case for Douglas
Jun 24, 202400:14:23Tap to summarizeDan 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 true-crime series digging into some of the most disturbing environmental stories in history. In this new investigation, reporters Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor team up with the film star Michael Sheen. 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.Produced and presented by Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor Research by Georgie Styles Sound design and mixing by Jarek Zaba Original music and sounds by Phil Channell Executive Producers: Philip Abrams and Anita Elash Commissioning Editor: Dan ClarkeA Smoke Trail production for BBC Radio 4
Transcribe →The Last Witness: 7. On Your Plate
Jun 24, 202400:14:28Tap to summarizeMichael 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 PCBs in our food? Dan and Lucy test for the chemicals in fish that people buy to eat. Buried is the award-winning true-crime series digging into some of the most disturbing environmental stories in history. In this new investigation, reporters Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor team up with the film star Michael Sheen. 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.Produced and presented by Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor Research by Georgie Styles Sound design and mixing by Jarek Zaba Original music and sounds by Phil Channell Executive Producers: Philip Abrams and Anita Elash Commissioning Editor: Dan ClarkeA Smoke Trail production for BBC Radio 4
Transcribe →The Last Witness: 6. Off the Scale
Jun 24, 202400:14:39Tap to summarizeDan 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 results could reveal whether Douglas' prophecy has come true. Buried is the award-winning true-crime series digging into some of the most disturbing environmental stories in history. In this new investigation, reporters Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor team up with the film star Michael Sheen. 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.Produced and presented by Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor Research by Georgie Styles Sound design and mixing by Jarek Zaba Original music and sounds by Phil Channell Executive Producers: Philip Abrams and Anita Elash Commissioning Editor: Dan ClarkeA Smoke Trail production for BBC Radio 4
Transcribe →The Last Witness: 5. A Can of Worms
Jun 24, 202400:14:41Tap to summarizeAs 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 UK’s chemical legacy?Buried is the award-winning true-crime series digging into some of the most disturbing environmental stories in history. In this new investigation, reporters Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor team up with the film star Michael Sheen. 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.Produced and presented by Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor Research by Georgie Styles Sound design and mixing by Jarek Zaba Original music and sounds by Phil Channell Executive Producers: Philip Abrams and Anita Elash Commissioning Editor: Dan ClarkeA Smoke Trail production for BBC Radio 4
Transcribe →The Last Witness: 4. Every Last Dollar
Jun 24, 202400:14:14Tap to summarizeA 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.Buried is the award-winning true-crime series digging into some of the most disturbing environmental stories in history. In this new investigation, reporters Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor team up with the film star Michael Sheen. 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.Produced and presented by Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor Research by Georgie Styles Additional research by Cardiff Journalism School Sound design and mixing by Jarek Zaba Original music and sounds by Phil Channell Executive Producers: Philip Abrams and Anita Elash Commissioning Editor: Dan ClarkeA Smoke Trail production for BBC Radio 4
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