Sky’s Once Upon A Time In Londongrad: this is why the internet is abuzz with excitement over this new documentary

OnceUpon A Time in Londongrad

Credit: Sky

Under Her Eye


Sky’s Once Upon A Time In Londongrad: this is why the internet is abuzz with excitement over this new documentary

By Morgan Cormack

3 years ago

1 min read

Sky’s Once Upon A Time In Londongrad documentary airs tonight and explores mystery murders, world politics and scandal in the most gripping way. 

There are some TV shows and documentaries that, no matter what is already on our watchlist, simply have to fly to the top. Once Upon A Time In Londongrad is the latest docuseries to do just that, and rest assured, it’s shaping up to be the kind of documentary that will keep people talking a long time after watching.

Based on BuzzFeed’s From Russia With Blood investigation by reporter Heidi Blake and her team, it’s not only set to lift the lid on a scandalous international mystery, but it is also incredibly topical, given the current war in Ukraine

Blake received a tip off about the death of a multi-millionaire property tycoon, which then unfolded into a convoluted web of mystery Russian oligarch deaths. It led to 10 Downing Street, Washington DC and, throughout the investigation, roads of intrigue kept leading back to Vladimir Putin’s two decades in power

Once Upon A Time In Londongrad

Credit: Sky

A slew of deaths is a hard thing to explain but when 14 separate mystery deaths with alleged connections to Russia start piling up? It calls for an investigation of incredible proportions – and one hell of a documentary, it seems.

The Sky project is, of course, timely and important but is set to be a no-holds-barred look at the case at hand. We’ll hear from friends and family members of the deceased as well as CIA members and security experts who have explored these cases. Perhaps one of the most well-known of them all is the case of Alexander Litvinenko – who is also the subject of an upcoming David Tennant ITV drama and a Benedict Cumberbatch HBO series.  

The list of cases also includes the poisoning of former Russian military officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, which became known as the Salisbury Poisonings

There was also the mysterious suicide of Boris Berezovsky and then of MI6 agent Gareth Williams, whose body was found in a holdall at his flat in Pimlico. These are just a few of the cases covered, and as well as documenting them, Once Upon A Time In Londongrad will also explore how the UK’s increasing reliance on Russian money meant that these opportunities for clarification and justice were missed. 

OnceUpon A Time in Londongrad

Credit: Sky

The documentary is directed by Jed Rothstein, who is known for his hit Hulu documentary WeWork: Or The Making And Breaking Of A $47 Billion Unicorn. He was also nominated for an Oscar for the documentary short Killing In The Name. Rise Films is producing the project, who many will know for the ground-breaking Netflix documentary-thriller Icarus.

And, to add to our excitement, we have a gripping trailer for Once Upon A Time In Londongrad

Once Upon A Time In Londongrad

Credit: Sky

In the trailer, we get a sense of the never-ending rabbit hole of evidence that these reporters had to wade through and, as one reporter says: “This is completely insane.”

“The bigger picture became apparent, the common theme was Russia,” another reporter claims.

As clips of Putin and other government figures flash across the screen, the tension of the trailer is enough to get us suitably geared up for this documentary. But, as the trailer suggests, there’s more at play here: “London is levitating on a sea of dirty money and there have been no consequences.”

Watch the trailer for yourself here: 

And judging by the current internet reaction, this is a documentary that many people are excitedly waiting for:

Once Upon A Time In Londongrad premieres on Sky Documentaries tonight at 9pm and all episodes are now available to watch via streaming service NOW.

Images: Sky

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