AMC explores BBC’s ‘Salisbury Poisonings’ after striking Fremantle deal

The Salisbury Poisonings

US cable network AMC has picked up rights to BBC scripted series The Salisbury Poisonings, which recently became the UK broadcaster’s biggest overnight drama launch in six years.

The show, which will debut in the US this autumn, is based on the true story of the 2018 Novichok poisonings and the impact it had on the local community in the UK town of Salisbury. It is produced by Fremantle-backed UK producer Dancing Ledge Productions, with the global media firm distributing internationally.

The four-part drama tracks the assassination attempt on double agent and spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, who were targeted with a lethal nerve agent called Novichok – half a teaspoon of which could kill 20,000 people.

Within four days, hundreds of traces were found across the city and a woman subsequently died after finding a perfume bottle containing the nerve agent. Many of those affected by the assassination attempt were involved in the show, which stars stars Anne-Marie Duff (His Dark Materials) and Rafe Spall (Trying).

“The Salisbury Poisonings is a riveting story about the bravery and resilience of a small town under siege by a silent killer,” said Dan McDermott, president of original programming for AMC and co-president of AMC Studios.

“With mysterious twists and turns and an array of complex, heroic characters, it’s exactly the type of captivating, high-end scripted drama that our audience craves, and we’re thrilled to share it with them this fall.”

The Salisbury Poisonings launched on BBC One on Sunday night with 7.2 million viewers, marking a 39% share and its biggest overnight launch of a new drama across all channels since The Musketeers in 2014.