Litvinenko | Preview (ITV1)

David Tennant portrays Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian Federal Security Services and KGB officer, whose death from Polonium-210 poisoning in November 2006 triggered one of the most complex and dangerous investigations in the history of the Metropolitan Police.

Litvinenko is the story of the determined New Scotland Yard officers who worked to prove who was responsible for the death of Alexander Litvinenko.

Written by acclaimed screenwriter George Kaythe drama will relate 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 (The Deuce, The Blacklist), 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.

Litvinenko is available now on ITVX and airs from Monday 19th June on ITV1.