Litvinenko’s widow Marina reveals why she agreed to ITVX drama

By Lidia Molina-Whyte

Published: Friday, 02 December 2022 at 12:00 am

David Tennant is set to star in ITVX’s upcoming drama Litvinenko, which chronicles the true story of how ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko (Tennant) was poisoned in London in 2006, and the subsequent investigation.

Litvinenko’s wife Marina, played by Margarita Levieva in the drama, has given her support to the series and spoke about why it is so important at a screening attended by RadioTimes.com and other press.

“It’s so important to keep his voice alive, whether it’s [through a] documentary, or whether it’s [through a] drama, but he will be alive, with us, and his message, finally, will be heard. Anything that I could use, I tried to do,” she said.

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Margarita Levieva as Marina in Litvinenko.

Litvinkeno, who described Tennant and Levieva’s performances as “absolutely amazing”, added: “Watching his episode, it wasn’t easy. But I realise with this drama, [there] will be more understanding for what happened.

“There’s still some questions [from people]. ‘Are you sure it’s happened like this? Are you sure he was poisoned?’ – when they watch this episode, I think more and more people will realise what happened.”

Ever since her husband’s death from polonium poisoning in November 2006, Litvinenko has met with several politicians in her search for justice.

“I talked to many [politicians],” she explained. “I have respect for some, I have a lot of critical opinion to others. But I believe they must watch this.

“This is not only political story, it’s not only crime, it is absolutely [a] human story. It’s a story of love. It’s [a story] of hope.”

‌Additional reporting by Morgan Jeffery.

Litvinenko arrives on ITVX as a full boxset on Thursday 15th December. For more news, interviews and features, visit our Drama hub, or find something to watch now with our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.

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