Episode Information

'Dark Waters' revisiting the 1996 Sea Empress oil spill — a disaster that poured 72,000 tonnes of crude oil into the Welsh coastline, creating one of the largest environmental catastrophes in world history.

Using cutting-edge CGI, powerful testimony, and rare archive, the film reconstructs the seven days of chaos, failed rescues, and the desperate battle to save wildlife and livelihoods. With £120 million in damages, thousands of seabirds killed, and communities scarred physically and psychologically, the disaster still raises urgent questions: Who was truly to blame? Has nature really recovered? And what lessons remain unlearned?

As oil demand soars and climate politics dominate headlines, 'Dark Waters' combines the pace of a disaster thriller with the urgency of investigative journalism, offering broadcasters and global audiences a compelling story of resilience, responsibility, and the hidden cost of fossil fuel dependence.