Trawlermen
Vicious weather, deadly machinery and a whole lot of fish. Welcome to the world of the Trawlermen – the unsung heroes of the North Sea, whose perilous lives are reeled in by this daring documentary series.
Watch just one episode of Trawlermen and you'll never whinge about your job again. This storm-tossed docusoap follows several crews of hardy Scottish men as they set out from Aberdeenshire to bring in the treasures of the deep. And it's certainly a far cry from a Sunday afternoon's fishing.
Narrated by Peter Capaldi (the foul-mouthed spin doctor from cult sitcom The Thick of It), the series plunges us in at the deep end, contrasting the fortunes of different trawlers and their workers. Trawlers like the Amity II, skippered by Jimmy Buchan. He's been working the waves for over 20 years, so nothing much fazes him – but even Jimmy has a tough time of it, particularly when his trawler sails out to the ominously-named Devil's Hole.
Then there's the Fruitful Bough, a trawler manned by three young brothers eager to prove their worth. And they've got a lot to live up to, as fishing has been in their family for over 100 years. They want the Fruitful Bough to live up to its name, but getting big hauls will mean staying up for 24 hours at a time and coping with the wild, unforgiving North Sea.
And it's not just Mother Nature the Trawlermen need to be wary of – they're surrounded by vicious machinery that will chew up their limbs if they're not careful. There's no respite even when they get the fish in, because they also need to spend hours filleting the slippery blighters. The Trawlermen are sailors, butchers, mechanics and cunning businessmen all rolled into one – talk about a tough task.
The series also lets us in on their family lives, showing how their wives and children deal with the fact that their husbands and fathers are married to the sea. We also get an insight into the rivalry between the crews, and how they must brave increasingly dangerous conditions to keep their business going in the face of suffocating government fishing quotas. It's awe-inspiring stuff, and we guarantee you'll never take a prawn sandwich for granted again. The only question is - how long till some bright spark comes up with Celebrity Trawlermen, complete with a panel of seafaring judges? We bet Tony Blackburn would be well up for it.
Narrated by Peter Capaldi (the foul-mouthed spin doctor from cult sitcom The Thick of It), the series plunges us in at the deep end, contrasting the fortunes of different trawlers and their workers. Trawlers like the Amity II, skippered by Jimmy Buchan. He's been working the waves for over 20 years, so nothing much fazes him – but even Jimmy has a tough time of it, particularly when his trawler sails out to the ominously-named Devil's Hole.
Then there's the Fruitful Bough, a trawler manned by three young brothers eager to prove their worth. And they've got a lot to live up to, as fishing has been in their family for over 100 years. They want the Fruitful Bough to live up to its name, but getting big hauls will mean staying up for 24 hours at a time and coping with the wild, unforgiving North Sea.
And it's not just Mother Nature the Trawlermen need to be wary of – they're surrounded by vicious machinery that will chew up their limbs if they're not careful. There's no respite even when they get the fish in, because they also need to spend hours filleting the slippery blighters. The Trawlermen are sailors, butchers, mechanics and cunning businessmen all rolled into one – talk about a tough task.
The series also lets us in on their family lives, showing how their wives and children deal with the fact that their husbands and fathers are married to the sea. We also get an insight into the rivalry between the crews, and how they must brave increasingly dangerous conditions to keep their business going in the face of suffocating government fishing quotas. It's awe-inspiring stuff, and we guarantee you'll never take a prawn sandwich for granted again. The only question is - how long till some bright spark comes up with Celebrity Trawlermen, complete with a panel of seafaring judges? We bet Tony Blackburn would be well up for it.
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