- Film And TV
- 19 Apr 21
The wife of French filmmaker Daniel Toscan du Plantier was murdered at her holiday cottage in Schull, West Cork, in 1996.
Sky has released a teaser for Murder at the Cottage: The Search for Justice for Sophie. The highly anticipated Sky Original documentary was produced in Ireland, and examines the unsolved case of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, who was brutally murdered at her holiday home in West Cork in 1996.
"The murder rocked the quiet, Irish town and 24 years later, the case remains a mystery," reads a press statement about the documentary. "The key suspect, English journalist Ian Bailey – the first reporter on the scene – was quickly arrested by local Gardaí following eye-witness reports, yet was never found guilty in Ireland, owing to a lack of reliable evidence. Despite this, Bailey was found guilty in absentia by the French courts in 2019 and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Having successfully fought repeated extradition requests from the French authorities, Bailey still resides in West Cork and maintains his innocence to this day."
The five-part documentary series, which is coming to Sky Crime soon, is directed by Ireland’s six-time Oscar® nominee Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, In The Name of the Father) and features access to those closest to the case, including Sophie’s family and key suspect Ian Bailey.
Sheridan narrates the documentary and appears on-screen. He will attempt to unravel the elements of the unsolved case that has haunted West Cork for almost 25 years. The series promises to piecee together original evidence, never-before-seen footage and interviews with those closest to the case as Sheridan tries to make sense of what happened that night; all set against the rural landscapes and wilderness of his home country.
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The documentary series is produced by Irish production company Hell’s Kitchen and Dare Films in association with Sky Studios, Sky’s development, and production arm.
Watch the trailer below.