David Tennant stars in new UK drama Litvinenko

A first photo has been released of David Tennant starring in UK drama Litvinenko, coming to Seven in 2023.

The 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 (Tennant), a Russian dissident who claimed to have been poisoned on the direct orders of Vladimir Putin.

As part of filming for the drama, David Tennant and the production team replicated the iconic photo taken of Alexander Litvinenko in his hospital bed which made international headlines before he died.

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.

Mark Bonnar (Catastrophe, Quiz) portrays Clive Timmons, whilst Neil Maskell (Small Axe, Utopia) portrays Brent Hyatt.

Litvinenko, written by screenwriter George Kay, has been directed by Jim Field Smith (Criminal, Endeavour) and was filmed on location in and around London.