11 episodes

A trucker's deathbed tape plays out. It's urgent, desperate. "All you have to do... is dig it up." And so begins a deep-dive into one of the worst environment crimes in UK history: the secret dumping of a million tonnes of waste near a city. But when investigative journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor uncover missing documents, fears of toxicity and allegations of organised crime, they realise they've stumbled into something much bigger. As they pick at the threads of one crime, they begin to see others. Could Britain be the home of a new mafia, getting rich on our waste? In this thrilling series, a husband-and-wife duo dive into a criminal underworld, all the time following clues left in a deathbed tape. They're driven by one question: what did the man in the tape know?

Buried BBC Radio 4

    • Society & Culture
    • 3.6 • 52 Ratings

A trucker's deathbed tape plays out. It's urgent, desperate. "All you have to do... is dig it up." And so begins a deep-dive into one of the worst environment crimes in UK history: the secret dumping of a million tonnes of waste near a city. But when investigative journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor uncover missing documents, fears of toxicity and allegations of organised crime, they realise they've stumbled into something much bigger. As they pick at the threads of one crime, they begin to see others. Could Britain be the home of a new mafia, getting rich on our waste? In this thrilling series, a husband-and-wife duo dive into a criminal underworld, all the time following clues left in a deathbed tape. They're driven by one question: what did the man in the tape know?

    Introducing Buried

    Introducing Buried

    A trucker leaves a deathbed tape about an appalling crime. It leads two reporters into a criminal underworld. But what did the man in the tape know? His plea: dig it up.

    • 3 min
    1. A Deathbed Tape

    1. A Deathbed Tape

    A trucker leaves a tape about an appalling crime. Three words echo - Dig it Up. It leads one couple to the story of an illegal million-tonne dump in the UK.
    In this BBC Radio 4 podcast series, investigative journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor deep-dive into one of the worst environment crimes in UK history. They uncover missing documents, fears of toxicity and allegations of organised crime, and realise they've stumbled into something much bigger. As they pick at the threads of one crime, they begin to see others. Could Britain be the home of a new mafia, getting rich on our waste?

    In a thrilling ten-part investigation, the husband-and-wife duo dive into a criminal underworld, all the time following clues left in a deathbed tape. They’re driven by one question - what did the man in the tape know?
    Presenters and Producers: Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor
    Assistant Producer: Tess Davidson
    Original Music and Sound Design: Phil Channell
    Sound Design and Series Mixing: Jarek Zaba
    Executive Producers: Phil Abrams and Anita Elash
    Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
    A Smoke Trail production for BBC Radio 4

    • 14 min
    2. A Scene of Horror

    2. A Scene of Horror

    Dan and Lucy visit Mobuoy, and reveal the audacious scam of how criminals dumped a million tonnes of waste. But there’s worse, as they learn what was buried.
    "All you have to do... is dig it up."
    A trucker’s deathbed tape plays out. It’s urgent, desperate.

    In this BBC Radio 4 podcast series, investigative journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor deep-dive into one of the worst environment crimes in UK history - the secret dumping of a million tonnes of waste near a city. But when they uncover missing documents, fears of toxicity and allegations of organised crime, they realise they’ve stumbled into something much bigger. As they pick at the threads of one crime, they begin to see others. Could Britain be the home of a new mafia, getting rich on our waste?
    In a thrilling ten-part investigation, the husband-and-wife duo dive into a criminal underworld, all the time following clues left in a deathbed tape. They’re driven by one question - what did the man in the tape know?
    Presenters and Producers: Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor
    Assistant Producer: Tess Davidson
    Original Music and Sound Design: Phil Channell
    Sound Design and Series Mixing: Jarek Zaba
    Executive Producers: Phil Abrams and Anita Elash
    Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
    A Smoke Trail production for BBC Radio 4

    • 14 min
    3. A One-Man Mission

    3. A One-Man Mission

    Who was Joe Ferguson? His family say he was a man on a mission. But something bothered him about Mobuoy, even after the dump was exposed. What did he know?
    "All you have to do... is dig it up."
    A trucker’s deathbed tape plays out. It’s urgent, desperate.

    In this BBC Radio 4 podcast series, investigative journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor deep-dive into one of the worst environment crimes in UK history - the secret dumping of a million tonnes of waste near a city. But when they uncover missing documents, fears of toxicity and allegations of organised crime, they realise they’ve stumbled into something much bigger. As they pick at the threads of one crime, they begin to see others. Could Britain be the home of a new mafia, getting rich on our waste?
    In a thrilling ten-part investigation, the husband-and-wife duo dive into a criminal underworld, all the time following clues left in a deathbed tape. They’re driven by one question - what did the man in the tape know?
    Presenters and Producers: Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor
    Assistant Producer: Tess Davidson
    Original Music and Sound Design: Phil Channell
    Sound Design and Series Mixing: Jarek Zaba
    Executive Producers: Phil Abrams and Anita Elash
    Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
    A Smoke Trail production for BBC Radio 4

    • 14 min
    4. Blackleg

    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 plays out. It’s urgent, desperate.

    In this BBC Radio 4 podcast series, investigative journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor deep-dive into one of the worst environment crimes in UK history - the secret dumping of a million tonnes of waste near a city. But when they uncover missing documents, fears of toxicity and allegations of organised crime, they realise they’ve stumbled into something much bigger. As they pick at the threads of one crime, they begin to see others. Could Britain be the home of a new mafia, getting rich on our waste?
    In a thrilling ten-part investigation, the husband-and-wife duo dive into a criminal underworld, all the time following clues left in a deathbed tape. They’re driven by one question - what did the man in the tape know?
    Presenters and Producers: Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor
    Assistant Producer: Tess Davidson
    Original Music and Sound Design: Phil Channell
    Sound Design and Series Mixing: Jarek Zaba
    Executive Producers: Phil Abrams and Anita Elash
    Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
    A Smoke Trail production for BBC Radio 4

    • 14 min
    5. The Missing Memo

    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 Radio 4 podcast series, investigative journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor deep-dive into one of the worst environment crimes in UK history - the secret dumping of a million tonnes of waste near a city. But when they uncover missing documents, fears of toxicity and allegations of organised crime, they realise they’ve stumbled into something much bigger. As they pick at the threads of one crime, they begin to see others. Could Britain be the home of a new mafia, getting rich on our waste?
    In a thrilling ten-part investigation, the husband-and-wife duo dive into a criminal underworld, all the time following clues left in a deathbed tape. They’re driven by one question - what did the man in the tape know?
    Presenters and Producers: Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor
    Assistant Producer: Tess Davidson
    Original Music and Sound Design: Phil Channell
    Sound Design and Series Mixing: Jarek Zaba
    Executive Producers: Phil Abrams and Anita Elash
    Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
    A Smoke Trail production for BBC Radio 4

    • 14 min

Customer Reviews

3.6 out of 5
52 Ratings

52 Ratings

butchandcerise ,

GREAT STORY bit jarring in tone

That’s it really - this could have been AMAZING but the tone of the presenters is a little bit glib and strange so you have to get over that to get into it.

Noreen 1956 ,

Get to the point!

Talk about dragging things out. Who needs to hear a kettle being boiled? I managed three episodes, then listened to the final one. The presentation is veering on childish, too much repetition. All culminates with a missed opportunity and In the end…. We learn nothing! Waste of time.

lorsmcw ,

Such a missed opportunity

Fascinating and ongoing story but disappointing treatment, commentary and production. Too much extraneous and irrelevant commentary, excessively short episodes and far, far too many references to other stories. A great pity.

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