Poisoned policeman admits parents ‘weren’t happy’ about BBC’s Novichok drama The Salisbury Poisonings
THE parents of the cop poisoned by novichok in the Salisbury attacks did not want the BBC drama about what happened to got to air.
Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey was left in critical care after being poisoned by the nerve agent in 2018 as he investigated the assassination attempt of Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury.
A chilling three-part TV series called The Salisbury Poisionings tells the story of what happened and is coming to BBC One on June 14.
Rafe Spall plays DS Bailey, who joined the police force in 2002.
He opened up on Good Morning Britain today about depression he’s experienced since the attack, but also how his parents did not want the drama to go to air.
But once Nick’s parents spoke to BBC bosses they felt happier for the series to happen.
He said: “My parents weren’t happy… they found out through the press. They didn’t know it was happening.”
DS Bailey sped to help Mr Skripal and his daughter following a nerve agent attack in Salisbury.
The ex-KGB spy and his daughter Yulia, 34, collapsed while out in Salisbury on Sunday, March 4, 2018.
They were found slumped on a bench in a “catatonic state”.
It was revealed that the pair had been victims of a nerve agent attack, which was later confirmed as being novichok.
After further investigation, it was discovered that the nerve agent had been administered to the property’s door handle, and that DS Bailey had become contaminated during his investigation of the house.
Dawn Sturgess died after she and her boyfriend Charlie Rowley were exposed to the same Novichok nerve agent.
The two Russians accused of carrying out the attack, were seen visiting Salisbury at the time gave the now infamous interview claiming they had been in the area to visit the famous “123-metre spire”.
Speaking on GMB, the officer today said the years since the 2018 investigation had been a “whirlwind”.
He said: “I have been left and my family to pick up the pieces.
“It’s been really, really tough and I’m not embarrassed to say I’ve suffered with depression and trying to sort myself out and climb out of the hole I feel like I’ve been in.”
He is now hoping to return to work on Monday – the third time he has made the move as he continues to struggle with the trauma from the attack.
The star-studded BBC1 drama The Salisbury Poisonings reveals just how close the nerve agent came to killing thousands more — and the untold stories of the everyday heroes in the local emergency response who helped contain it.
The hour-long episodes will be shown across three consecutive nights on June 14, 15 and 16.
All three episodes will also be available to watch on BBC iPlayer after they have been shown on TV.
The show features an impressive cast, including a host of British stars such as Sex Education actress Anne-Marie Duff, Downtown Abbey’s MyAnna Buring and Game of Thrones actor Mark Addy.
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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 is not always an easy watch.
“It deals with real trauma, experienced by real people, not very long ago. So why show it now?
“Because it is a story of people coming together in remarkable ways, finding strength in family and community.
“But perhaps most of all, because it reflects a kind of heroism that we have all come to recognise recently. ”
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