In this episode, 1970s Britain is struggling with industrial decline and mass unemployment, but first oil flowing from the North Sea brings hope. Offshore platforms are soon pumping gallons of oil and gas back to mainland Britian and into the economy. It's tough, dangerous work, but it promises good wages and steady employment to thousands of men. At the heart of this boom is Piper Alpha: a giant, oil and gas-producing platform located 120 miles off the coast of Aberdeen that feeds the UK's energy supply.

We meet the men who worked it: drilling foreman Mark Reid, superintendent engineer Andy Mochan, electrician Bob Ballantyne, control room operator Geoff Bollands and underwater inspection diver Ed Punchard.