Michael Sheen has discussed his latest project with the BBC, which sees the actor go on a “personal” journey as he investigates claims of chemical contamination within his home country of Wales.
The actor, best known for Good Omens and The Queen, is fronting a “gripping” two-part docuseries called Buried, which sees him “uncover a scandal that threatens to leave a catastrophic legacy across the UK”.
The project has been a decade in the making, with Sheen meeting farming consultant and whistleblower Douglas Gowan nearly 10 years ago. For the past 50 years, Gowan has claimed that Welsh people have been exposed to toxic chemicals in the environment.
BBC/Wall to Wall Media/Stephen Perry//BBC
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The two-part series sees Sheen work with investigative journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor, as they explore Gowan’s claims. As per the logline, Buried will explore “alleged conspiracies and cover-ups”.
Sheen also met with Gowan as part of the docuseries, and spent two days filming an interview with the whistleblower. Gowan subsequently died two months after the interview was completed.
“The whole point of us making this is to push for something to happen. This isn’t just for its own sake, so it’s unravelling and unfolding in real time,” Sheen told the BBC, before adding that the project was “really daunting” and “scary”.
“There were two bits of my brain working. One bit was going; this is a great drama, Douglas Gowan getting a phone call, turning up as a junior guy for the farmer’s union and investigating this farm, and then the story just reveals itself and gets bigger.”
“But then the other part of my brain was going, if he’s right, people might be in danger. Something has to be done about this now, and as we know, dramas can take a while,” added the actor, who will soon appear in the second season of The Celebrity Traitors.
BBC/Wall to Wall Media/Aled Jenkins//BBC
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Sheen also expressed hope that the docuseries could prompt some change in the future, with the star noting: “It’s important to say that the biggest injustice here is that the people who are responsible for this have got away with not having to take responsibility.
“We have to find some international response to this in order to take the pressure off the small communities and the individuals who are here giving their life to this. It can’t be on them. That would be my push – to go bigger and beyond the councils.”
Buried with Michael Sheen airs on BBC Two at 9pm on Monday 17 August, and will also stream on BBC iPlayer.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.