Episode Information

After the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in 2010, crude oil gushed into the Gulf of Mexico. BP scrambled to control the situation. But while divers poured cement into the well to staunch the flow of oil, BP and the US Coast Guard closed ranks on the press. Information flow was highly restricted, and eyewitnesses were gagged. Independent reporters were banned from the site. Three month later, the leak was stopped. BP fell silent, and all seemed back to normal. In this explosive documentary, oil industry insiders, fishermen, lawyers, and marine toxicologists shed a different light upon the backlash. The cheap, toxic clean-up methods chosen by BP, and the growing difficulties of the oil industry, which is caught between needing more oil to meet rising demand, and the urge to cut corners to maximize profits. So what really happened in the Gulf of Mexico? It’s a story about the power-play between our thirst for oil, nature and the greed of international corporations.