Channel 4 has commissioned Poison (working title), a two-part documentary based on James Beal’s investigation for The Times about a Canadian chef’s alleged involvement in hundreds of assisted suicides.
Kenneth Law lives in Toronto, and is accused of sending over 1,000 packages of poison around the world to people intent on dying by suicide.
The deaths allegedly connected to Law now number in the hundreds, including 97 in the UK. Due to stand trial for numerous counts of first-degree murder in Canada, a conviction would officially make Law one of the most prolific killers in history.
Beal, social affairs editor at The Times, began investigating the case in 2022, when he was contacted by the father of someone who died by suicide using poison. What Beal uncovered was an active – and underregulated – community of online suicide forums.
The documentary draws from exclusive access to Beal’s work, which later spawned a podcast series, also called Poison.
“In a time where suicide in young people is on the rise, this series comes at a poignant moment,” said Anna Miralis, senior commissioning editor for documentaries at Channel 4.
“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.”
