In this new Sky Original documentary, Death of a Showjumper details the shocking death of Katie Simpson – a promising young, horse-loving jockey in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

When 21-year-old Katie died unexpectedly in 2020, the majority of the horse community accepted she had taken her own life, but a local journalist questioned the official conclusion, with the case triggering a memory of an old case she covered.

With the case bearing striking similarities to Katie's, at the centre of the journalist’s suspicions was Katie’s sister’s partner, Jonathan Creswell: an influential champion showjumper, jockey and horse trainer.

In this new documentary series, investigators, Katie’s friends and family, and Jonathan Creswell’s circle open up about how a secret investigation ended in a high stakes murder trial with an ending that no one expected.

Featuring personal accounts of the events that led up to Katie’s death and after it, the series gives unparalleled insight into a disturbing story of violence and coercive control within a tight-knit sporting community.

The series is a Walk On Air and Sky Studios production in association with Northern Ireland Screen. The Executive Producers are Rachel Hooper and Jonathan Smith for Walk On Air, Vesna Cudic for Sky Studios and Bruce Fletcher for Sky.

The series is directed by Niamh Kennedy and produced by Natalie Maynes.