The Scottish production company MacTV is producing a documentary series about peat. The series is exploring magnificent peatlands in Scotland and around the world – and why they are the unsung eco-heroes of our planet. Presenter Anne McAlpine takes us on a journey from the boreal peatlands of Canada, to the expansive peat plains of Finland and the beautiful blanket bogs of home.

Along the way we see Iron Age bog bodies, stunning pool systems, meat-eating plants and bogs covering stone walls older than the Pyramids. Anne meets a peat scientist in Sutherland monitoring the health of a vast and spectacular landscape dotted with bog pools – Europe’s biggest blanket bog.

The peat moors of Lewis inspire writers, artists and musicians, including local band Peat & Diesel. Anne also goes to the Netherlands, where she learns of the role in peat extraction of the country’s most iconic symbol – the windmill.

The Netherlands was exploiting peat’s industrial potential from the 13th Century. Without any large seams of coal, the country’s huge sugar and salt refining industries depended on peat to fuel them.  Centuries of draining peatland also led to still ongoing subsidence problems in this already low-lying country.

Today the Netherlands has exhausted its own commercial peat supply. Besides in the Netherlands, MacTV also films in Scotland, Ireland, Canada and Finland. Secrets in the Peat is a UK-Canada co-production. Co-producers are MacTV, Below the Radar and Idéacom International.

During the editing of the documentary series, Dutch to English translations need to be checked and quotes need to be shortened to refine the edit. After the filming in the Netherlands Featurez checked translations in first edit, helped shortening quotes to refine edit.