Fish Town (2019)

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 £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 £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?

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 trawler Reliance is halfway through a fishing trip off the Shetland Isles when skipper John Clarke spots a broken rope that could lead to the boat losing its net. The crew fix the problem and put out the nets again, but they are hit by a rogue wave which rips a two-tonne metal bar off the top of the boat. While John and the crew are clearing up from the accident, the boat's main hydraulic pipe breaks, leaving the boat unable to pull in its fishing gear. If it can't be fixed, they'll have to cut the net free. In the remote Norwegian sector of the North Sea, the pair trawler Rosebloom and its sister ship the Boy John are hunting for hake. A Norwegian coastguard boat announces that officers are on the way to board and inspect the Rosebloom. Skipper Sandy is worried by the visit from the 'fish police' as they have far reaching powers including heavy fines, impounding the boat and even arresting the skipper. It's a nervous wait for Sandy while the coastguard carries out a thorough inspection. Back on land, fish buyer Jason Jack is on the floor of his family's factory, trying to make sure that the fish he's bought get processed and packed up in time to be loaded onto lorries that will take it to customers across the UK and Europe. Jason reveals how the factory caters for tastes in different countries - such as cutting out hake tongues, which are a delicacy in France.

James Cosmo narrates 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 Zenith sets out from Fraserburgh - 20 miles away from Peterhead - in search of whitefish and prawns. At the helm is 26-year-old skipper Adam Robertson. He starts fishing 40 miles out to sea, but his net fills up with mud from the seabed which means he has to haul in early. When the net comes up, it's been torn. Adam gets his net back in the water, but it then gets stuck on an obstruction, meaning Adam could lose his net. He manages to free it, and finally starts landing huge hauls of fish. The Peterhead boat Amity is on its way to a fishing ground near the Shetland Isles when it runs into trouble. Something is tangled in the propeller. As night falls, skipper Phil Reid puts a waterproof camera over the side to try to work out what's causing the problem, but it's too dark to see. If he can't fix the problem, the Amity might have to be towed back to port without catching a single fish. But he manages to clear the obstruction and make it to his fishing ground. After weeks of poor fishing, Phil and his Filipino crew need a good catch but the fish prove elusive. Small catches mean less money at the end of the trip for both Phil and his crew, and while Filipino crewman Mikko's cooking lifts the mood, the hauls don't improve. After days at sea, Phil decides to land his catch in Lerwick, in the Shetland Isles, to get the best price for it.

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 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. While the fishing boat Reliance spends the day in port, two of its Ghanaian crewmen take a trip into Peterhead to buy gifts for their families back home. In the evening, the boat heads to the Shetland Isles in search of whitefish and prawns. The boat's nets come up full of mud and sea urchins, which can damage the catch, so skipper John Clarke decides to move to another ground. John's move pays off and he steams home full of prime langoustine and cod. John has been reflecting on the future of his son David, who is hoping to take over as skipper one day. So will John let David take the boat out on his own, and if so, does David think he's ready? On the Amity, skipper Phil Reid tries a new fishing ground to see if he can find a decent catch. But the hauls are disappointing and even a change in the weather conditions doesn't bring a change in fortune. Phil and the crew keep toiling away but return to Peterhead with 200 boxes of fish and just five prawns. On land, Phil has a tense wait at fishing's equivalent of the Oscars to find out if he's won an award for a new kind of net he has developed.