‘Once Upon a Time in Londongrad’ explores mysterious deaths in the city

Fourteen bizarre deaths in London share something in common: a connection with the Russian state. James Rampton spoke to the creators of a new documentary series investigating what happened

The documentary tries to piece together the strange death of MI6 agent, Gareth Williams (Rise Films)

One man died after padlocking himself naked inside a holdall. Another repeatedly stabbed himself to death with two kitchen knives. A third was found impaled on wrought-iron railings after jumping from a fourth-floor flat.

These bizarre deaths would not look out of place in a James Bond movie or on the pages of a John le Carre spy novel. And yet they all happened in real life within the last 12 years. In London.

They are just three of the 14 gruesome deaths that have taken place in the city which all have one thing in common: a mysterious connection with the Russian state. This has helped the UK capital earn the unwanted nickname of “Londongrad”.