Peacock's Once Upon a Time in Londongrad: How did Scot Young die?

Peacock's upcoming docu-series starring Heidi Blake, Once Upon a Time in Londograd, is all set to explore the mysterious death of Scot Young, a super fixer for rich people who died after falling off his balcony. This was during a turbulent time in his life, with a high-profile divorce and bankruptcy looming over, which resulted in authorities wondering if they were dealing with a suicide case.

However, his death was much like 13 other deaths where people died under mysterious circumstances, with only one common connection between them- Russia. The description of the documentary read:

"Set across Vladimir Putin’s two decades in power, Once Upon a Time in Londongrad charts how the UK became reliant on Russian money and missed opportunities to contain the Kremlin."

It continued:

"The timely series explores fourteen mysterious deaths in the UK with alleged connections to Russia, delving into the hidden underworld of Russian exiles in London to link some of the most internationally significant cases in living memory – including the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko, the suspicious death of oligarch Boris Berezovsky and the attempted assassination of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal. Once Upon a Time in Londongrad is both a cautionary tale and an origins story of Russia’s path to eventually invading Ukraine."

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Scot Young was diagnosed with bipolar disorder before his death

The son of former Dundee United player Duncan Young, Scot Young, grew up on Clepington Street in Dundee but moved to London after he grew up. This is where he met his wife Michelle Young. The couple was married for 11 years, from 1995 to 2006, and had two children together.

He initially started building contacts in the property business with aid from his father-in-law before taking up gambling on telecoms in the 90s, making millions of euros in the process. He reportedly built a £2 billion fortune. He was called a super fixer in the trailer of the documentary.

After a bitter divorce battle ensued between Scot Young and Michelle, details about the former's fortune became public. During that time, Scot Young revealed that he was in fact penniless. According to sources, he lost all his money on a deal for retail development in Moscow. In 2013, during his divorce battle, he was sent to prison for refusing to reveal his financial standing.

Before his death, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He also allegedly used drugs, especially cocaine, in the weeks leading up to his demise. According to reports, he also told his friends and family that he was being targeted by Russian hitmen.

He reportedly died after falling off a 60ft high, fourth-floor window of a penthouse in Montagu Square, London. His body was impaled on the railings of the house. In a telephonic conversation that took place moments before his death, he told his partner Noelle Reno that he was going to jump off.

After his body was found, the coroner said that there was not enough evidence to rule the case out as suicide. Suspicions have continued to swirl around the tycoon's death ever since.

Scot Young, and many others like him, will be the subjects of the upcoming Peacock documentary. Once Upon a Time in Londograd will premiere on November 15, 2022.