Fancy a new TV drama to binge this winter? The four-part ITV drama Litvinenko starring David Tennant is based on the true story of the police investigation into the mysterious poisoning of the former Russian spy, Alexander Litvinenko. Pointing his finger directly at the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, Litvinenko's eventual death sparks an investigation into a chemical attack on the streets of London and a ten-year investigation between Britain and Russia to find justice for his murder.
Litvinenko release date
Litvinenko will be released on Thursday, 15 December on the new ITV streaming service ITVX. All episodes will be available to watch immediately.
Litvinenko cast
Making up the cast, David Tennant (Dennis, Doctor Who) portrays Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian Federal Security Services and KGB officer and Margarita Levieva (The Deuce, The Blacklist) plays his wife, Marina.
Former New Scotland Yard officers Clive Timmons and Brent Hyatt are played by Mark Bonnar (Catastrophe, Quiz) and Neil Maskell (Small Axe, Utopia).
Litvinenko plot
The ITV drama will reveal the full story of how in November 2006 two police officers were called to University College Hospital in London to interview a patient in declining health. The patient was Alexander Litvinenko, a Russian dissident who claimed to have been poisoned on the direct orders of Vladimir Putin.
During the police interviews, Alexander provided meticulous details from his hospital bedside about the events leading up to his illness, which he knew would prove fatal. His information helped detectives track down the two Russians who had poisoned him with Polonium-210, a highly toxic radioactive substance.
The show will also focus on Alexander’s fearless, dignified widow Marina who fought tirelessly to persuade the British Government to publicly name her husband’s killers and acknowledge the role of the Russian State in his murder.
Alexander passed away 22 days after being poisoned.