discovery+ commissions Salisbury poisonings doc
July 12, 2021
Discovery has announced the commission of The Poisonings (working title), a 90-minute feature documentary that delves into the attack on Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy, and the long-lasting impact the poisoning has had on the quintessentially English city of Salisbury. Produced by DSP, a Banijay UK company, the story will be available to watch on discovery+ towards the end of the year.
In March 2018, a former Russian agent, Sergei 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 as well as 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 shed light on the impact the 2018 events have had on Salisbury, a small English city in the aftermath of the world’s most talked-about poisonings.
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 honoured to be able to give voice to the yet unheard voices on discovery+.”
Donna Clark, Managing Director at DSP, added: “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.”