ITV has reportedly shelved plans for further episodes of its drama series Litvinenko, starring David Tennant, following poor ratings and critical backlash. The four-part series, which aired on ITVX, dramatised the poisoning of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006.
Reviews were scathing, with one critic calling the show “woeful” and “nigh-on pointless”. The drama was described as a “plodding police procedural” that failed to capture the real-life horror of Litvinenko's death. Critics noted that the series dispensed with its main character by the end of the first episode, focusing instead on a dull investigation.
The script was widely criticised for clunky dialogue, with one line — “The only way to stop yourself feeling like that is to catch the bastards” — singled out as particularly poor. The most effective moment was reportedly a verbatim reading of Litvinenko's final statement, but reviewers argued that art should be more than a transcript.
Litvinenko died in 2006 after being poisoned with polonium-210, an act widely attributed to Russian state agents. The series was seen as a missed opportunity to tell a meaningful story about authoritarianism and state violence, instead offering a “dreary shadow” of the truth.
