M6 is broadcasting this Thursday evening the first two episodes of “Murder at Polonium – The Litvinenko Affair”, a mini-series carried by David Tennant, which looks back on the sordid story around the murder of Alexander Litvinenko.
The story of Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian secret service agent and whistleblower, who was poisoned by a radioactive substance, polonium 210. On his deathbed, he gives clues to the British police. Their investigation will reveal that Litvinenko was poisoned in a special FSB operation, with the permission of FSB Director Nikolai Patrushev and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Thursdays January 19 and 26 from 9:10 p.m. on M6. Episodes seen: 4/4.
In Polonium Murder – The Litvinenko Affair, it was David Tennant who had the difficult task of slipping into the shoes of Alexander Litvinenko. The British comedian seen in Broadchurch and Doctor Who is also a producer of the series. His wife, Marina Litvinenko, is camped by Margarita Levieva, an actress of Russian origin that we have seen in particular in the series Revenge.
The two detectives in charge of the investigation are played by Mark Bonnar (Shetland) and Neil Maskell (Peaky Blinders). Daniel Ryan (The Bay), Barry Sloane (Revenge), Mark Ivanir (Babylon Berlin) and Sam Troughton (Chernobyl) complete the cast.
On the technical side, it was George Kay, the creator of the Netflix hit Lupine, who took care of the scripts while Jim Field Smith, director of Truth Seekers and Criminal: United Kingdom, went behind the camera.
At a time when news items are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for screenwriters, ITV has decided to add its stone to the edifice by offering Polonium Murder – The Litvinenko Affair (more soberly called Litvinenko in VO), a mini -series in 4 episodes which returns to the sinister story of Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian secret service agent and whistleblower, who was poisoned with polonium 210, a radioactive substance, in November 2006.
On his deathbed, Alexander provided investigators with specific details about past events, places he has been recently, and most importantly, people he has met in order to help them find the culprits of his own murder.
Written by George Kay, who is notably at the origin of the international success Lupin, Litvinenko looks back on the complex and extraordinary investigation of the two Scotland Yard agents, who will have to fight to find the culprit of Litvinenko’s murder.
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If David Tennant is, as usual, still stunning in the skin of Alexander Litvinenko, fans of the actor will surely be disappointed to discover that he only appears in the first episode. Georges Kay has indeed made the choice (more or less successful) to offer viewers a linear narration, without any flashbacks, which could probably have helped us to better understand why the Kremlin ordered his death.
An understandable but surprising choice, when we see that the communication of the series has mainly revolved around the presence of the actor.
ITV Studios
Ultimately, Litvinenko mainly focuses on the investigation following Alexander’s death and especially the involvement of his wife, Marina, masterfully played by Margarita Levieva, with the police and her fight to have the British government recognize the involvement of Russia in the assassination of her husband.
It is also episode 3, which takes place largely in Russia, which allows the series to distinguish itself. This episode in the form of a political thriller in the middle of the Cold War sees a group of police officers travel to Moscow to investigate. An intense episode that shows the reality and the disillusionment of the police in the face of the Kremlin’s shenanigans.
In short, Litvinenko is a classic and captivating mini-series that takes us behind the scenes of a chilling affair that, even 15 years later, finds a parallel with the current situation in Ukraine.