New and exclusive to Crime + Investigation, the two-part true crime documentary Bubble & Squeak Murder: The Killing of David Jackson investigates the events in Somerset that led to the murder of 78-year-old retired army officer, David Jackson, by his 66-year-old wife, Penny Jackson. She stabbed him three times with a paring knife, the final blow came while on the phone to the emergency services reporting his death.
On the eve of Valentine’s Day 2021, a private birthday celebration in a sleepy seaside resort ended in bloody murder, apparently sparked by an argument over Penny Jackson’s cooking. During the trial later that year, recordings of the aftermath of the crime were beamed around the world, with the recording of Penny Jackson’s 999 call and police bodycam footage of her arrest going viral.
Bubble & Squeak Murder: The Killing of David Jackson takes a deep dive into the case, going beyond the bodycam footage, the 999 call and the causes behind this act of brutality, which shocked the nation.
Featuring first-hand accounts from friends, relatives, investigating police officers, local journalists, and psychologists, the two-part documentary investigates the story behind the case, examining the complexities, intricacies, and secrets of the Jacksons’ marriage leading up to that fateful night in February 2021.
With shocking disclosures of infidelity, betrayal, and heavy alcohol use that plagued the Jacksons’ marriages, Bubble & Squeak Murder: The Killing of David Jackson reveals how much more there is to this crime than first meets the eye. Was this a trivial argument that went too far, or a tragedy over two decades in the making?
Bubble & Squeak Murder: The Killing of David Jackson premieres on Crime+Investigation on Monday 13th of February at 9pm and as a boxset on Crime + Investigation PLAY from Tuesday, 14th February.
Episode 1: 'I Know What I’ve Done and Why I’ve Done It…' - Monday, 13th February at 9pm
When Penny Jackson was arrested for the murder of her husband, 78-year-old David Jackson, the world was stunned by her apparent lack of remorse and her concern that she may not have harmed him enough to kill him. The motivation was supposedly nothing more than an argument over her choice to serve bubble and squeak with the gourmet evening meal. How could this seemingly nondescript middle-class woman have transformed into a cold-blooded killer?
In interviews with family members, friends, journalists, and experts this episode examines the case against Penny Jackson and her complicated past.
Episode 2: 'I Should Have Stabbed Him Some More…' Monday, 20th February at 9pm
Although Penny Jackson openly confessed to police to brutally stabbing her husband to death in the kitchen of their family home, she claimed she only did so after having been pushed to her limit by a sustained campaign of abuse. It’s a claim vigorously disputed by the prosecution and by David Jackson’s sister, Jenny. But support for David’s aggressive tendencies comes from an unlikely source, who was never called to testify at trial – David Jackson’s estranged brother, Alan.
In this second episode, Penny Jackson’s defence is explored, particularly her claims of physical and psychological abuse, which emerged at her trial at Bristol Crown Court in October 2021.
