ITV Studios Sells ‘Litvinenko’ to 80-Plus Territories

Liza Foreman
·2 min read

CANNES  —  The four-part drama “Litvinenko,” starring Scottish actor David Tennant, has sold to more than 80 international markets, ahead of its debut on the new ITV streaming service, ITVX in the U.K., and on Nent Group’s Viaplay streaming service in the Nordics, Netherlands, Poland and the Baltics.

AMC Networks’ Sundance Now and AMC+ have acquired the exclusive U.S. rights to the drama, and Prime Video has taken the series in Canada.

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In Europe, “Litvinenko” will air on M6 in France, ProSiebenSat.1 in Germany, and Sky Italia, amongst others.

In the Asia Pacific region, Seven Network Australia, TVNZ (New Zealand), and Now TV in Hong Kong are amongst those to have picked up the rights, along with Viacom 18 which will make the title available on the Indian subcontinent. BookMyShow will hold the TVOD rights in India, through its platform BookMyShow Stream, and M-Net has taken the drama for pan-Africa.

“This fascinating, thought-provoking story would pique the interest of viewers globally at any point, but perhaps never more so than this current moment in time. We’re immensely proud to play our part in shedding light on the circumstances surrounding Alexander Litvinenko’s death around the world,” said Ruth Berry, managing director, global distribution at ITV Studios.

“Litvinenko” tells the story of a group of Scotland Yard officers who worked for 10 years to prove who was responsible for the Russian dissident’s death.

Written by George Kay (“Lupin,” “Criminal”), and produced by Patrick Spence, ITV Studios, and Tiger Aspect Productions, the drama is directed by Jim Field Smith (“Criminal,” “Truth Seekers”).

“Litvinenko” was produced with the support of key individuals involved in the investigation and in the public enquiry, including former Scotland Yard officers Clive Timmons and Brent Hyatt along with Ben Emmerson QC and Litvinenko’s family. It was commissioned for ITV by head of drama, Polly Hill.

The story begins in November 2006, when two police officers were called to University College Hospital in London to interview a patient in poor health. It was Litvinenko, who claimed to have been poisoned on the direct orders of Vladimir Putin.

With information he provided to the police from his bedside, detectives tracked down two Russians who had poisoned Litvinenko with Polonium 210, a highly toxic radioactive substance.

After he was pronounced dead on Nov. 23, Scotland Yard launched a murder investigation.

The drama also tells the story of Marina, played by Margarita Levieva (“The Deuce,” “The Blacklist”), his widow who fought hard to persuade the British government to publicly name her husband’s killers and acknowledge the role of the Russian state in his murder.

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