James Howells makes documentary about his lost hard drive.

James Howells is the Welsh IT Engineer who accidentally threw out a hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoins. He now tells his story in a new documentary.

A new documentary explores what could be the most costly mistake in digital history.

A decade of searching for £570 million (€672 million) Bitcoin

Howells accidentally threw out a harddrive containing his Bitcoin wallet in 2013. At the time the cryptocurrency was worth about $8 million. Today, those same 8,000 bitcoins are valued at £570 million (€672 million).

The drive ended up at Newport’s Docksway Landfill after being thrown away during a clean-up of a home office. Howells realized the mistake immediately and began an ambitious recovery plan.

His search was repeatedly blocked despite his assembling of a team of AI experts and excavation specialists and offering 30% of the recovered fortunes to Newport’s council and residents. Newport City Council cited both environmental and legal concerns and warned of potential risks, such as toxic gases release and groundwater pollution.

In 2024, a High Court judge dismissed Howells’ attempt to sue the council for £495 million (€586.7 million) in compensation, stating he had “no realistic prospect” of winning. Another appeal was also denied in March 2025 even after Howells had used AI to help build his case.

He’s not giving up despite the setbacks. His latest plan is to buy the landfill outright once it closes during the 2025-26 financial year. Buy the landfill outright once it closes during the 2025–26 financial year.

As reported by BBCThe US-based company LEBUL purchased the exclusive rights to create a documentary about Howells’ search. James Howells: the real-life treasure hunt of James Howells.

Howells told of the BBC He says he is “excited that he can finally tell his story in his words” and notes, “Everyone wanted to film this.” He says he had received 200 offers from companies that won BAFTAs and Emmys, but he held off because of ongoing court cases.

James Howells says: “I won’t give up the fight.”

Filming will likely take place during the summer of 2025. Release is planned for either October or November. Reese Van Allen of LEBUL says that this is a “live-action tech thriller” with a nearly billion dollar stake.

Howells has not been deterred despite the court’s ruling. “It will follow the live treasure hunt if you will because even though the court has said no to me – I’m not giving up the fight,” he said, adding that once the documentary airs, people will see “this is a very achievable plan.”

Bitcoin boom

Bitcoin’s price has risen dramatically since 2013. Crypto journalist Billy Bambrough explained the situation. BBCEarly adopters, like Howells, were part of an elite group of “Cypherpunks”, fascinated by decentralised financial systems and digital privacy.

Bitcoin prices rose in 2017 during the COVID-19 epidemic, and more recently, after Donald Trump won his election, because of his pro-crypto administration.

See all the latest news on cryptocurrency.