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Episode 1

Episode 1 of 6

Six-part series about the UK's biggest fishing port, Peterhead. The Reliance heads to a fishing ground off the Shetland Isles in search of whitefish and prawns.

James Cosmo narrates the first in a series about the UK's biggest fishing port, Peterhead in north east Scotland, and the extraordinary people working on land and at sea to put the fish on our plates.

The fishing boat Reliance, skippered by John Clarke, heads to a fishing ground off the Shetland Isles in search of whitefish and prawns. Joining John on board is his 21-year-old son David, who hopes one day to take over as skipper. But before he does, John needs to decide if he thinks his son is yet up to the job. David - the youngest person on the boat - is responsible for keeping watch, cooking and looking after the crew on one of the most dangerous parts of the boat, the trawl deck. When a big haul comes aboard, he also has his work cut out cleaning and packing the fish.

Another Peterhead boat, the Ocean Endeavour, heads out to one of the UK's most remote fishing grounds, Rockall, in search of haddock. Skipper John Buchan tries out a rookie fisherman, 18-year-old Nathan Foreman. This is Nathan's first trip on a deep sea trawler and John hopes to train him up as a fully fledged deckhand. But Nathan's first trip is going to be uncomfortable - Storm Hector is blowing in, bringing with it gale-force winds. Skipper John burns Β£3,000 of fuel just to get to the fishing ground and needs some big catches to turn a profit - but the fish prove elusive. When they finally land a big haul, Nathan struggles with the extra workload and lack of sleep on the boat. Bad news for John cuts the trip short, which means Nathan gets back to land earlier than planned. Back on shore, 24-year-old fish buyer Jason Jack is at Peterhead fish market competing with ten other buyers for the morning's finest fish. Jason regularly spends up to Β£50,000 in the market before most of us have even eaten our breakfast. But will he find the fish he needs at the right price?

29 minutes

Last on

Wed 11 Jan 2023 19:30

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Credits

Role Contributor
Narrator James Cosmo
Executive Producer David Harron
Executive Producer Iain Scollay
Series Producer Richard Cookson
Editor Audrey McColligan
Production Manager Karen Craig
Production Company Firecrest Films

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