Salisbury Poisonings Doc Ordered for discovery+

Discovery has commissioned The Poisonings (working title), a 90-minute feature documentary that sheds new light on the infamous Salisbury poisonings.

The doc will delve into the attack on Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy, and the long-lasting impact the poisoning has had on Salisbury, England. Produced by DSP, a Banijay UK company, the film will be available to watch on discovery+ in winter 2021.

In March 2018, former Russian agent Skripal and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, were taken to a hospital where they spent several weeks recovering from what was later found to be a poisoning attack from Novichok nerve agent. The Salisbury event was soon met with widespread media attention and an intensified political debate surrounding Russia’s aggressive operations. By the end of March 2018, the British government expelled 153 Russian diplomats following the accusations of the poisoning attack.

This testimony-driven feature documentary will feature an interview with Nick Bailey, the ex-detective poisoned by Novichok, and includes conversations with eyewitnesses who noticed the former Russian spy and his daughter collapse on a bench in central Salisbury. It also covers the tragic death of local woman Dawn Sturgess, who died after spraying herself with a fake perfume bottle containing the Novichok that had been used to poison Sergei Skripal.

Simon Downing, head of factual and docs at Discovery, said: “The horrifying story of Salisbury poisonings saved in history as one of the most spoken-about murder attempts on a political spy. DSP has done an incredible job turning this extremely complex story into a gripping and emotional documentary. We’re honored to be able to give voice to the yet unheard voices on discovery+.”

Donna Clark, managing director at DSP, said: “It’s been fascinating to delve into the story of the Salisbury poisonings and hearing first-hand testimonies from the people whose lives were turned upside down when Russian agents wreaked havoc on this picturesque Wiltshire city.”