BBC's 'The Salisbury Poisonings' Will Air In The US This Fall

When AMC bought up a majority stake in BBC America back in 2014, the plan was for the two companies to join forces in an ever-consolidating entertainment world. BBC America, despite the name, did not have a first-run right of refusal with the U.K. version of the network. As an advert-supported creation of commercial subsidiary BBC Worldwide, it had to bid just like everyone else for programming. It regularly lost out on British programming to deep-pocketed rivals like Netflix. AMC has been working to close that gap, and, in the last week, has managed to score two major series.

The first, The Salisbury Poisonings, is a big get for the network. The three-part miniseries is based on the real-life nerve agent attack on former double agent Russian spy Sergei Skripal in 2018.  Starring Anne-Marie Duff, Rafe Spall, and Annabel Scholey, the series focuses less on the Russian agent side of things (which Moscow to this day denies). Instead, it tells the story from the view of the locals who suddenly found themselves with a movie-esque espionage mystery in their midst. The series has been a massive hit in the UK, bringing in 7.2 million viewers, and is the highest-rated series in five years, tying with the premiere of His Dark Materials Season 1 last fall.

The potential of a hit fall miniseries with awards potential isn't the only reason this is a win for AMC. With the COVID-19 shutdowns, everyone is scrambling for programming come the fall, and a completed series like this, even at only three episodes, is a prize ready to air while other channels hope their line-ups can start filming in time for airing.