Channel 4 Orders Salisbury Poisonings Docuseries

Channel 4 has ordered Salisbury Poisonings, about the 2018 Novichok poisonings in Salisbury, from Wonderhood Studios (Evacuation).

The series will detail the events that kicked off in March 2018, when a former Russian double agent and his daughter fought for their lives after being poisoned with Novichok, one of the most toxic manmade substances ever created. Four months after the attempted assassination, an innocent British mother of three died from Novichok after her partner found a perfume bottle and gifted it to her, not knowing that it contained the deadly nerve agent.

Her death was the result of the first known nerve agent attack on British soil since World War II.

The docuseries will provide unprecedented access to those on the frontlines and feature testimonies from the men and women who found themselves responding to the major event. It will also include revelations from the ongoing public inquiry.

“It’s an honor to tell this increasingly urgent story of how Putin’s deadly nerve agents struck at the heart of Britain,” said Samantha Anstiss, chief creative officer at Wonderhood Studios. “This series will unravel the enduring human impact of the attack and the hidden spy thriller that comes to a tragic, real-world conclusion. Through the eyes of frontline and dogged investigative journalists, we’ll follow the harrowing revelations that put them on the frontlines of uncovering this unprecedented attack. As these events unfolded, it became a defining moment for the West—a wake-up call to Putin’s blatant disregard for international order.”

Sacha Mirzoeff, senior documentaries and factual entertainment commissioner at Channel 4, added, “As the public inquiry concludes and the true impact of the Salisbury poisonings becomes clear, this series arrives at a pivotal moment. This is a story that goes beyond the gripping headlines that held the nation’s attention in 2018, uncovering the deeper truths behind the investigation that revealed the would-be assassins. The series not only follows the twists of an international spy thriller but also sheds light on the enduring toll this series of events took on those on the frontline.”