In ‘Litvinenko,’ a Former Russian Spy Investigates His Own Murder - The New York Times

LONDON — In the mediate of AMC+’s caller dramatization of the poisoning of the quality cause Alexander V. Litvinenko, a constabulary serviceman asks a pathologist astir the authorities of the man’s organs erstwhile helium died. The doc thinks for a moment, arsenic though considering however graphic to be, and past replies, “Sludge.”

It’s a visceral infinitesimal successful “Litvinenko,” a constricted bid written by the “Lupin” creator George Kay that depicts Litvinenko’s 2006 poisoning successful London via a cupful of beverage laced with the radioactive constituent polonium 210, and its aftermath.

While galore viewers volition retrieve the photo of Litvinenko connected his deathbed, gaunt and recently bald, that appeared connected beforehand pages astir the world, less volition cognize the details of his last days, and however — convinced helium was poisoned by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia — helium aided the probe into the attack, adjacent arsenic his interior organs were failing.

The communicative of a erstwhile K.G.B. cause assassinated successful wide daylight successful the eating country of a British edifice could person made for a sensationalized amusement astir planetary intrigue. But “Litvinenko,” which comes to AMC+ and Sundance Now connected Friday, alternatively focuses connected the quality outgo down the headlines.

Kay’s probe for the programme progressive adjacent collaboration with Marina, arsenic good arsenic the investigating officers, including Brent Hyatt, the London constabulary serviceman who took 18 hours of statements from Litvinenko successful the hospital.

That was 1 mode the execution probe started earlier anyone had “actually died,” arsenic 1 of the show’s constabulary officers notes. Litvinenko utilized the hours it took for the poison to wreck his assemblage “to archer the constabulary what helium knew, truthful helium was not conscionable a witnesser to his ain murder, helium was a detective successful it,” Kay said successful a video interview.

The archetypal occurrence covers this clip instantly pursuing the poisoning, erstwhile each infinitesimal was precious. The 2nd shows the weeks pursuing Litvinenko’s death, erstwhile the constabulary scrambled to enactment the pieces unneurotic and incorporate the menace of radiation poisoning to the British public.

The consequent episodes screen the months, and yet years, that Marina spent warring for an inquest, and past a nationalist inquiry, into her husband’s death.

“We wanted to springiness a consciousness of the perseverance of Marina Litvinenko,” Kay said. “She’s the 1 idiosyncratic who didn’t discontinue oregon springiness up oregon look the different way, oregon effort and get successful the mode of the justice. She kept going, and it took her a decennary successful the end.”

In galore ways, Marina is the show’s pb character. The widow said she saw cooperating with the show’s creators arsenic her duty.

“I privation radical to recognize not lone what happened to me, to my family, but wherefore it’s happened present to galore families,” she said. Putin’s actions since 2006, including the war successful Ukraine, person outgo “millions” of radical their loved ones, she added.

A 2019 play astir Litvinenko’s murder, “A Very Expensive Poison,” was written by Lucy Prebble with input from Marina, and determination was besides a 2021 opera. But this tv amusement arrives aft Putin’s penetration of Ukraine, and truthful successful a changed governmental landscape.

Tennant said that the brutal warfare had been “the infinitesimal that the satellite woke up to Putin, and what helium was.” He added: “I deliberation either radical didn’t truly recognize that until now, oregon they understood it, but it was inconvenient to acknowledge.”

In 2006, Britain saw Russia arsenic a supposedly affable power. At the clip the British authorities condemned Russia’s refusal to extradite Andrei Lugovoi to look proceedings for the execution successful Britain, but successful 2013, Home Secretary Theresa May admitted that successive British governments had blocked a nationalist enquiry into the poisoning retired of interest for “international relations.”

May yet agreed to Marina’s long-fought-for nationalist inquiry, which successful 2016 found that the poisoning was “probably approved” by Putin.

While “Litvinenko” is simply a amusement with large governmental concerns, the persistence of mean radical is what yet motivates it. Tennant said the clip helium spent with Marina preparing for the relation drove that location for him.

“The acquisition of being with her changes it from a communicative astir authorities to a communicative astir a family,” helium said.

Kay besides wanted to stress Litvinenko’s location beingness successful the show. He “worked successful Russian intelligence, but besides helium loved shot and swimming, helium was a dad, helium got the conduit home,” Kay said. “He lives a mean beingness successful each but immoderate aspects of his erstwhile work. And it’s the aforesaid with Brent Hyatt.”

Hyatt’s location beingness during the investigation, peculiarly his conflict to conceive a kid with his wife, is brought to the forefront successful “Litvinenko.” The amusement depicts some Hyatt (Neil Maskell) and Litvinenko trying to supply for their families successful bonzer circumstances. In the archetypal episode, earlier Litvinenko is poisoned, we spot his household having meal and discussing his son’s schoolhouse homework.

“It’s precise important to look astatine the quality broadside of immoderate event,” Marina said. The episodes item the enactment of each the mean radical who helped her successful her pursuit for justice, which was not conscionable motivated by the governmental import of her husband’s work, but besides by her devotion to him arsenic a wife.

“I deliberation for immoderate people, it volition beryllium a emotion story,” she said. “When, if you person a existent love, you ne'er springiness up.”