Channel 4 commissions Wonderhood Studios for world-exclusive investigation

30 October 2024

Channel 4 has commissioned Wonderhood Studios to produce Poison (working title), a major, two-part premium factual series based on a world-exclusive investigation by The Times' Social Affairs Editor, James Beal. The series tells the story of how a Canadian chef has been accused of sending over 1,000 packages of poison to suicidal young people across the globe, leading to hundreds of deaths worldwide.

Toronto-based Kenneth Law is currently facing multiple charges of first-degree murder in Canada, he is pleading not guilty to the charges.  In the UK, the National Crime Agency has identified 97 victims that died after buying the poison which was sold on Kenneth Law’s website. If Law is ever successfully prosecuted for all these alleged deaths, he would be one of the most prolific killers in history.

With exclusive access to The Times’ investigation, the series plots the gripping story of journalist James Beal, Social Affairs Editor at The Times, and his harrowing investigation into the death of a young man who took his own life.

In 2022, James Beal was contacted by a grieving father, searching for answers about his son Tom’s tragic death. Tom had taken his own life with a lethal poison he had bought online. Although police ruled Tom’s death as suicide, Tom’s father wasn’t satisfied. He wanted to know who had sent his son this deadly poison, and how they could get away with it.

But as James starts to investigate the poisonous substance, he starts to realise that Tom is not the only person to die this way. Multiple young people across the planet, from the US to Canada, Germany and Australia, are taking their own lives in exactly the same way. Going undercover, and posing as a suicidal young person himself, James discovers a dark world of online suicide forums, and a website which appears to be shipping a lethal poison around the world…

Based on original articles by James Beal published in the Times and the accompanying award-winning podcast, and with powerful testimony from the families of those who tragically took their own lives, the series follows James as he investigates these deaths and their possible connection to Kenneth Law, a Canadian chef. In doing so, the series exposes the dangers and lack of regulation of online suicide forums against the backdrop of a global mental health epidemic.

The series is commissioned by Anna Miralis, Simon Lee & Alisa Pomeroy for Channel 4. Poison (w/t) is Series Directed & Produced by BAFTA nominated Joy Ash (Fear Clinic, Super Surgeons & Baby Surgeons). Executive Producers are Samantha Anstiss (Chief Creative Officer, Wonderhood Studios), Tom Garton (Director of Development Wonderhood Studios) and Times Media. Casey McConnell (Evacuation & Super Surgeons) is the Production Manager.

Samantha Anstiss, Chief Creative Officer, Wonderhood studios says: “It’s a privilege to partner with the families who have lost their loved ones to tell this important story.  Journalist James Beal and The Times’s groundbreaking, and brave journalism unearthed this shocking story and BAFTA nominated Joy Ash’s series will in, her signature style, tell the story with a strong sense of compassion, humanity, and social purpose.”  

Anna Miralis, Senior Commissioning Editor, Documentaries, Channel 4 said: “In a time where suicide in young people is on the rise, this series comes at a poignant moment. This is a gripping story which allows us to see the humans who are behind the statistics of deaths linked to Kenneth Law. The investigation into uncovering the poison seller plays out like an emotional drama, with nail-biting suspense. This series reveals the darker world of the internet and will hopefully help to break the social silence around suicide.”

Wonderhood Studios’ recent commissions and productions include BAFTA, Rose d’Or and Broadcast nominated doc series Evacuation (Channel 4), Fear Clinic (Channel 4), The Kidnap of Angel Lynn (Channel 4), Dodi: Last Days of Playboy (Paramount+/Channel 5), My Grandparents’ War (Channel 4), Super Surgeons: A Chance at Life (Channel 4), Scouting for Girls: Fashion’s Darkest Secret and Devil’s Advocate (Sky Documentaries).