Two new Sophie series to vie for our attention

The makers of two separate documentaries on West Cork’s most infamous murder announced this week that they will be broadcast next year.

A new five-part series about the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier promises new and exciting content that hasn’t been seen before. 

Six-time Oscar nominee Jim Sheridan has spent 10 years making the documentary series Murder at the Cottage: The search for justice for Sophie and it features those closest to the case, including Sophie’s family and key suspect Ian Bailey, who has never been charged. 

Sheridan, who narrates the documentary and appears on screen, will take viewers on a journey as he unravels the unsolved case from 1996. The series pieces 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.

He said: ‘This is a story that has fascinated me for over two decades. It is a murder that carries implications for the meaning of justice in Ireland, in France and in the UK. It is a murder that calls into question the meaning of Europe, as the convicted man in France is free in Ireland. It is a story that calls into question the meaning and process of the police and the legal system. It is a story that shines a light on domestic violence. It is a story about primal fear. About a devil in the hills. About the existence of evil among us. I would like to thank all those who have contributed to this series, but in particular to Sophie’s family who are still searching for justice.’

The series is expected to air on Sky Crime next year.

Meanwhile, a new three-part documentary series about Sophie Toscan du Plantier’s life, made in collaboration with her family, will be broadcast on Netflix. 

 Executive producer Simon Chinn said the series will take viewers ‘on a journey filled with unexpected twists and turns as we carefully unravel an extraordinary story from its beginning’.

He claims the Netflix series is  the only documentary project ever to have been made with the blessing of Sophie’s family. 

He said: ‘We feel it’s critical to properly understand who Sophie was as a person, and the events that led her to her terrible fate.’