To think the sixth commandment is so disturbing

[Figmentofmyimagination]

How can anyone be so evil. I’m really struggling to watch it.

Did anyone realise that Eanna Hardwicke was the same actor who played Rob in ‘Normal People’? (The gawky teenage friend) I couldn’t believe it when I realise it was the same actor. He is truly incredible.

But yes, the whole thing is so very sad.

I think it was a useful lesson in; , how easy it is to be manipulated, that people who are lonely are so eager to be loved that common sense flies out the window and that, sadly, some people are really evil. I remember reading about the case when the trial took place , and it really was jaw dropping.

It was fantastically well acted and very disturbing which made it hard to watch at times. I also watched the documentary on Channel 4 about the case. A true psychopath who should never be released IMO.

Also watched this, completely missed the RL case at the time - very compelling drama and yea the guy playing Ben was horribly creepy. In court too when he kept saying “thanks” to everyone. Eew.

Also want to know what the programme about a the oxen is now though.

Couldn’t watch the first two episodes that detailed the abuse, just watched the last two showing the police investigation. Heartbreaking.

A brilliant dramatisation which showed Peter and Ann as decent, kind, popular people of high intelligence. A tribute to them. They could so easily have been sloppily written as daft, anachronistic god-botherers.

And wow, the bravery and determination of the niece, Anne-Marie!

I thought that the actor playing Martyn was outstanding. His terror and confusion was brilliantly portrayed. Field targeted him as his wing man and feeling like a failure, he was flattered that the confident and handsome Field seemingly wanted to be his friend.

Liz Zettl, played by Sheila Hancock, was the oldest person ever to testify in a murder trial. And she lived to 105. However, she did not live long enough to see Sheila’s portrayal of her as a strong, loyal woman, which is a shame I think.

Brilliantly acted but highly disturbing. We just watched the catching a killer detailing the investigation, very upsetting and I can’t help but hope someone gets to this psychopath monster inside

Brilliant acting, made me cry. The thought of one of my elderly relatives being treated like that was heartbreaking.

I watched the documentary last year, thought I’d watch the dramatisation but stopped half way through first episode, I couldn’t cope with it. The man is pure evil and hope he never get out of prison.

There are only two TV dramas I’ve watched in the last few years that have really touched me, this was one.

It’s a Sin was the other.

Me too. I was hooked. Watched the whole lot tonight.

Tough watch but absolutely brilliant..

I found it fascinating as well, but also difficult to watch.

As a doctor, it makes me wonder if we may have missed that sort of thing with our own patients in the past. It will certainly make me think in future

Superb acting, superb script, superb directing. If this doesn't get a load of BAFTA awards I'll eat my hat!

But the programme was brilliantly made and with superb acting.
I agree

A very difficult one to watch, but utterly brilliant acting in all roles, and a masterful portrayal of the victims as real, intelligent and interesting people, not doddery old victims, which speaks to the quality of the direction as well.

It was excellent. The balance of episodes was spot on - I had to check after the first that there was going to be no more ‘live’ abuse of Peter, and no extensive flashbacks, as I would have found that unbearable. That feels right somehow- enough to make you really understand the horror, but not so much you switch off (well, at least some people don’t switch off).

The Channel 4 documentary on the case is well worth a watch too. They show footage of Ben Field. Éanna Hardwicke did an excellent job portraying him.

When I started watching I remembered the case. I found it very very upsetting to watch but, as others have said, the cast and the acting are just outstanding, it's very well made.

I thought it was an excellent programme, made with great respect for the victims. It's not an easy watch, but a very rewarding one if you like watching well-scripted, well-acted programmes that really make you think.

I watched this all cast great and very well acted

i think it’s an interesting comment of the insidious malevolence of the church ….
a man who felt he deserved somebody
a woman’s life of duty meant she ended up with nobody
made them
so susceptible to these people

Also I’m curious about Martyn???
he was an odd character aswell

i wouldn't classify it as the insidious malevolence of the church. to me it's symptomatic of the passive smugness of the church. i'm always shocked by the number of Christians I meet who genuinely believe that non-Christians live by no moral code. i've also met afr more than I care to think about who say that were it not for the church, they;d have no moral code of their own. they are not independently interested in being good for its own sake. So without actively engaging their own critical thinking or moral judgement, they passively assume that anyone active in the church is by default a 'good' person and that lets them off the hook from assessing someone's character, actions, discrepancies.

When I heard that 'sermon' Field gave about the sixth commandment, I thought, how could the entire congregation not be petitioning the vicar afterwards to ask why this illogical, morally skewed person was preaching to them. That sermon was really off. Did no one notice?

It's easy to put this down to Field being an exceptional psychopath, which he absolutely is. Absolute evil in every way, his poor parents as well as his victims.

But scamming the elderly is quite common. I watched a few episodes of Love or Money on iPlayer and in all cases it was lonely older often widowed people who were flattered a better-looking younger person came along offering companionship and love, and didn't ask any questions about why. It's tragic to watch as it's extremely obvious from the outside that these are not genuine relationships and the 'love' poured out in texts/emails is simply not real and just a ploy for money. Some in that programme have lost over £100,000 plus. They did seem remarkably accepting though that these 'out of their league' people suddenly fell for them, and it's interesting to think why as most of us might be highly sceptical, we think, at least.

In Field's case he is doubly evil because he lived with and pretended to love these people in real-life which takes a particular type of enjoyment in manipulation. But it's not unique that people cut off from the fact the 'mark' (victim) is a real person with feelings and just see them as a source of money.

I was scammed online and on the phone (in a double targetted approach) and that was the worst thing for me, that the person on the phone pretending to help me knew they were scamming me, as I panicked and cried (losing a huge amount of money) and they simply didn't care about me as a human at all. I did get the money all back but that feeling that some people are just bad humans is a horrible one, even a tiny taste of it.

The acting in this is superb, Timothy Spall is so believable and pulled me in... so terribly sad.

Field wasn't a 'curate' nor ordained in any way.