David Tennant is set to star in Litvinenko, a brand new crime drama announced by ITV.
Written by acclaimed screenwriter, George Kay (Lupin, Criminal), the four-part series will tell the story of the team of officers from Scotland Yard who spent ten years investigating the death of former Russian Federal Security Services and KGB officer, Alexander Litvinenko, in November 2006.
David Tennant will portray Alexander Litvinenko. He claimed he was poisoned on direct order from Vladimir Putin during a police interview at his bedside in London's University College Hospital.
The Russian dissident was interviewed multiple times from his hospital bed and provided meticulous details about the events leading up to his illness. This evidence ultimately helped detectives track down two Russians who had poisoned Litvinenko with the highly radioactive substance, Polonium 210.
As well as telling the story of this investigation, Litvinenko also focuses on Litvinenko's widow, Marina. It will relate her fight to persuade the British Government to name her husband's murderers and to acknowledge the role of the Russian state in his death. Marina Litvinenko will be played by Margarita Levieva (The Deuce, The Blacklist).
George Kay commented: “In late 2006, Alexander Litvinenko was a living witness to his own murder. He spent his dying days entrusting the Metropolitan Police with the details of what happened to him.
"It took those police and his remarkable widow Marina Litvinenko a decade to have those claims ratified. Their stamina, hard work, and bravery are what make this not only an essential story of our times but a privilege to be asked to write."
The series has been produced with many key individuals from the original investigation and public inquiry including former Scotland Yard officers Clive Timmons and Brent Hyatt, Ben Emmerson QC, and Alexander's family. Mark Bonnar will play Clive Timmons, and Neil Maskell will portray Brent Hyatt.
We do not currently have a release date for Litvinenko. For more information on all the latest shows, check out our TV Guide.
