David Tennant stars as Alexander Litvinenko in first look at ITVX drama
The actor is playing the Russian dissident who died of polonium-210 poisoning in London.
ITV has shared a first-look image of David Tennant as Alexander Litvinenko in the drama Litvinenko, which will air on its new streaming platform ITVX this December.
The actor stars as 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.
In the first-look picture shared on ITV's Twitter, Tennant and the production team have recreated the famous photo of Litvinenko in his hospital bed, which made global headlines before his death.
The four-parter has been written by screenwriter George Kay, creator and showrunner of the hit crime thriller Lupin. It will tell the 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.
ITV says: "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."
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The series will also focus on Litvinenko's wife Marina, portrayed by Margarita Levieva (The Deuce, The Blacklist), who campaigned tirelessly to persuade the British Government to publicly name her husband's killers and acknowledge the role of the Russian State in his murder.
In a statement, writer Kay previously said: "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."
Litvinenko has been made with the support of those who were involved in the investigation and the public inquiry which unfolded, including former New Scotland Yard officers Clive Timmons and Brent Hyatt, along with Ben Emmerson QC and Alexander's family.
The drama will air exclusively on ITV's new free streaming platform ITVX, which launches later this year.
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