Home / Series / Trawlermen / Aired Order /

All Seasons

Season 1

  • S01E01 The Great Prawn Hunt

    • July 31, 2006
    • BBC One

    Prawn trawlers Amity and Fruitful Bough head for Devil's Hole where they face a winter storm

  • S01E02 The Storm

    • August 7, 2006
    • BBC One

    Jimmy considers whether his prawn trawler Amity should ride out a storm or head for port, while the pressure builds on the Ocean Venture skipper as the boat struggles to find haddock. The crew depend on their catch making a profit, and a haul of cut-price coley will only cover the trip's costs

  • S01E03 The Edge

    • August 14, 2006
    • BBC One

    Skipper of the Ocean Venture John Buchan takes a huge risk in the deep and treacherous waters of the North Atlantic to find the perfect catch. Following the previous night's storm, the Amity crew face a further setback, while Fruitful Bough fills its hold and heads for home

  • S01E04 Starting Out

    • August 21, 2006
    • BBC One

    Seventeen-year-old Ryan tries his hand at offshore fishing on board Ryanwood - one of a pair of the most successful trawlers in Britain. However, he is forced to battle seasickness and knows that if he does not knuckle down to work, skipper Kevin West will not be asking him to join them again

  • S01E05 Coming Home

    • August 28, 2006
    • BBC One

    Prawn boat Amity's engines are on the brink of failing, and skipper Jimmy Buchan has to decide whether to cut loose the £30,000 nets to ensure a safe return to port. Meanwhile, newcomer Ryan Morrison tries to impress his boss on a trawler with a reputation for success

Season 2

  • S02E01 Episode 1

    • June 18, 2007
    • BBC One

    The lives of Peterhead fishermen working in the North Sea. Prawn boat Amity gets caught in a winter storm 100 miles from shore, and is in danger of sinking while its nets are stuck on the seabed. Elsewhere, a rival trawler with a young skipper and crew is having great success

  • S02E02 Episode 2

    • June 19, 2007
    • BBC One

    A vital chain gives way on the Ocean Venture's nets and Barry Lauder has to think quickly to save the day. Meanwhile on the Amity, skipper Jimmy Buchan ignores the concerns of his first mate and enters the jagged contours of the Ooze Hole to fish for prawns

  • S02E03 Episode 3

    • June 20, 2007
    • BBC One

    The skipper of one of the smallest boats in the Peterhead fleet must decide whether to head back to harbour or brave the treacherous sea following a severe weather warning. Two trawlers that fish as a pair risk disaster as they cast their shared nets on stormy waters, and James Thores' desperation to find haddock sees him act on a potentially costly hunch

  • S02E04 Episode 4

    • June 21, 2007
    • BBC One

    A new £12million pelagic boat presents trouble for Willie and Peter Tait on their hunt for a shoal of migrating mackerel when its state-of-the-art communications system breaks down and an engine fails. Meanwhile, James Buchan finds his cheaper method, using a delicate seine net, has its own risks as he searches for fish among wrecks on the seabed. Narrated by Peter Capaldi

  • S02E05 Episode 5

    • June 22, 2007
    • BBC One

    On board Amity, Jimmy Buchan lands a hefty catch of prawns and wrestles with fears for his own safety and for the lives of his crew. On the Fruitful Harvest, Sandy swaps places with his 18-year-old apprentice in a role-reversal which turns out to be an eye-opening experience. Later, when the boats return home to Peterhead, they get a shock that nobody could have anticipated

Season 3

  • S03E01 Episode 1

    • August 20, 2008
    • BBC One

    Force 11 storms are expected in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, meaning the fishing fleet is safely in harbour with just two boats out at sea. Ocean Venture's skipper John D Buchan is prepared to prove a point to his father and sail to the coast of Norway. Meanwhile, 30 miles off the Shetlands, Charlie and Charles McBride brave the weather to repay their debts

  • S03E02 Episode 2

    • August 27, 2008
    • BBC One

    Father and son team Charlie and Charles McBride have a disastrous week as they lose their fishing net and their boat's hydraulic power is reduced. Jimmy Buchanan has worries of his own when he learns his engine will cost £70,000 to repair. Meanwhile, Chaz Bruce, the youngest skipper in Fraserburgh's prawn fleet, braves force eight gales

  • S03E03 Episode 3

    • September 3, 2008
    • BBC One

    Inexperienced skipper Chaz Bruce and his crew run into difficulty when a rope wraps around the boat's propeller and the engine loses revs, but he is determined to prove himself. Meanwhile, disaster strikes for Jimmy Buchan, and captain Alan Watt heads for the North Atlantic

  • S03E04 Episode 4

    • September 10, 2008
    • BBC One

    Insight into the dangerous job of John Alexander who works alone on his tiny boat, fishing in all weather for brown crabs. Elsewhere, Alan Watt returns from the North Atlantic with a lucrative haul of monkfish, but his journey is put in jeopardy when the main winch jams. On the New Dawn, Chaz Bruce endures a nightmare trip

  • S03E05 Episode 5

    • September 17, 2008
    • BBC One

    Skippers Ian Ritchie and John Stevenson endure ferocious weather and problems with a new net, while Charles and Charlie McBride worry when they catch too much cod in the North Sea after receiving penalties in the past for over-fishing. Over on the Viking Monarch, hopes are high for a bright future

  • S03E06 Episode 6

    • September 24, 2008
    • BBC One

    John Stevenson and Ian Ritchie are forced to take shelter in Bergen, Norway, before an engine failure and a dramatic mercy dash make their trips even worse. Ocean Venture skipper John Buchan Snr seeks exotic species in the Atlantic and has a close encounter with a Spanish trawler.

Season 4

  • S04E01 Episode 1

    • September 9, 2009
    • BBC One

    On the Sunrise, skipper John Stephen Sr is in poor health, which casts a shadow over the boat's future and leads to a daring rescue after he collapses suddenly. Viewers will remember the second boat, New Dawn, from last year. Life for the crew has been blighted by tragedy, though, since then: not long after filming of the last series was completed, Filipino deckhand Reynaldo Benitez, aged just 28, was lost at sea. It was a devastating blow to the crew who, a year on, are still struggling to come to terms with their loss. For the young skipper, Chaz Bruce, it means a fight to regain his dented confidence.

  • S04E02 Episode 2

    • September 16, 2009
    • BBC One

    The cameras follows brothers working on the Fruitful Bough and the Rosebloom as they work in direct competition with one another. There are huge hauls of prawns, terrifying break downs, and one trawler has its net completely ripped away by a massive swell.

  • S04E03 Episode 3

    • September 23, 2009
    • BBC One

    A team goes extreme crabbing off the Outer Hebrides in the worst weather seen in the programme's four-year history. The Arcane's father-and-son team Charlie and Charles McBride owe the Government hundreds of thousands of pounds for illegally landing fish beyond their quota - prison looms if they fail to catch the fish they need to pay off their debts.

Additional Specials