David Tennant's new drama 'Litvinenko' is streaming now on ITVX in the UK.
The drama tells 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 would ultimately help detectives track down two Russians who had poisoned Litvinenko with Polonium-210, a highly toxic radioactive substance.
The drama also focuses upon the story of Marina, portrayed by Margarita Levieva, Alexander’s fearless, dignified widow 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.
Litvinenko has been produced with the support of many of the key individuals involved in the investigation and subsequent public inquiry including former New Scotland Yard officers, Clive Timmons and Brent Hyatt, along with Ben Emmerson QC and Alexander’s family. Mark Bonnar portrays Clive Timmons, whilst Neil Maskell portrays Brent Hyatt.
You can read the episode synopsis of each episode below:
Episode 1
November, 2006. Detective Inspector Brent Hyatt and Detective Sergeant Jim Dawson, are summoned to University College Hospital in London to interview a man named Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian spy who claims to have been poisoned. Litvinenko’s wife, Marina, tells the detectives that the doctors are sceptical of his story, though the Russian’s deteriorating physical condition is clear for everyone to see. Over three agonising days, Hyatt and Dawson interview the dying Litvinenko, who provides a meticulous account of who he believes to have killed him, and also the man responsible for ordering his murder, none other than Vladimir Putin.
Episode 2
The day after Litvinenko’s death, radiation teams swarm across London to secure potentially contaminated sites visited by the Russian spy. Officers discover traces of Polonium at Itsu, a sushi restaurant where Litvinenko met Mario Scaramella before a later encounter with Andrey. Lugovoy and Dmitry Kovtun at the Millennium Hotel, which has also tested positive for Polonium. Eliminating Scaramella from their enquiries, Timmons realises Lugovoy and Kovtun are their main suspects and resolves to send a team to Moscow to interview them directly. Now living in an apartment owned by Boris Berezovsky, Marina receives a chilling phone call from Lugovoy.
Episode 3
A team of detectives, led by Brian Tarpey arrive in Moscow to interview Lugovoy and Kovtun, now the prime suspects behind Litvinenko’s murder. Back in London, Timmons and Hyatt search for evidence as to how Litvinenko was poisoned. At Litvinenko’s funeral in Highgate Cemetery, Hyatt updates Marina on the investigation’s progress. She leaves the service considering taking matters into her own hands. Meanwhile, a breakthrough occurs when a teapot from the Millennium Hotel tests positive for polonium: the police now have their murder weapon.
Episode 4
With their investigation complete, Timmons’ team submit their file to the Crown Prosecution Service, who charge Lugovoy and Kovtun with Litvinenko’s murder. However, with the killers safe in Russia and protected by Putin, the chance for true justice appear to be slim. With the encouragement and financial backing of Russian dissident, Boris Berezovsky, Marina hires Ben Emmerson, a charismatic human rights barrister, to push for an inquest into her husband’s murder. This begins Marina’s 8 year battle to try and find justice for her husband’s murder.
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