The Salisbury Poisonings on BBC1 - Start date, plot and everything you need to know

The Salisbury Poisonings
(Image credit: BBC/Dancing Ledge/James Pardon/Ray Burmiston)

The three-part series tells a chilling true story.

The Salisbury Poisonings, shown first on BBC1, is based on the true story of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, who were targeted with a deadly nerve agent.

Here's everything you need to know about the series... and check out our BBC dramas 2020 guide for more shows to enjoy on iPlayer.

What is the Salisbury Poisonings about?

The series is centered around the 2018 Novichok poisonings. Ex Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were targeted and ended up in hospital.

Both were in a critical condition, but managed to make a recovery. However, British national Dawn Sturgess was fatally poisoned in the attack. The British government quickly blamed Russia for the posionings.

The official synopsis reads, "The drama tells the remarkable story of how ordinary people and public services reacted to a crisis on their doorstep, displaying extraordinary heroism as their city became the focus of an unprecedented national emergency."

It adds, "The Salisbury Poisonings captures the bravery, resilience and, in some cases, personal tragedy of the unsuspecting locals, who faced a situation of unimaginable horror so close to home.”

The Salisbury Poisonings

MyAnna Buring is Dawn Sturgess in the new series. (Picture: Getty)

Who stars in the new series?

MyAnna Buring stars as Dawn Sturgess, Anne-Marie Duff as Tracy Daszkiewicz, and Rafe Spall as Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey.

Other cast includes Johnny Harris as Charlie Rowley, Annabel Scholey as Sarah Bailey, and Mark Addy as Ross Cassidy.

Stella Gonet and Ron Cook star as Dawn's parents, Caroline and Stan Sturgess.

When can we watch The Salisbury Poisonings?

The series is available on iPlayer.

Is there a trailer?

Yes, United Agents shared a first-look at the new series.

See more

Speaking about the series, writers Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn, said, “We feel extremely privileged to be telling this story.

"Extensive, meticulous research is at the heart of how we like to work and we’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity of the people of Salisbury who have opened up to us over the past few months and continue to do so."

“This is an extraordinary story full of ordinary heroes, the tale of how a community responded to an inconceivable event.”

Check our our TV Guide for more shows to enjoy.

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.


She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress