The Sixth Commandment - BBC 1 9pm -mon 17 and Tue 18th and week after - tv pace. No spoilers

[Blondeshavemorefun]

This is a 4 part factual drama

on Monday 17 and Tue 18 , then mon 24 and Tue 25th

all will be on iPlayer but this is tv paced !!!!

The BBC has released first-look images for The Sixth Commandment, a brand new four-part true crime drama which explores the deaths of Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin in the village of Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire, and the extraordinary events that unfolded over the following years.

The images show Timothy Spall as Peter Farquhar, Anne Reid as Ann Moore-Martin, Éanna Hardwicke as Ben Field and Annabel Scholey as Ann’s niece, Ann-Marie Blake, alongside Sheila Hancock as Liz Zettl and Ben Bailey Smith as Simon Blake.

The Sixth Commandment tells the story of how the meeting of an inspirational teacher, Peter Farquhar (Timothy Spall), and a charismatic student, Ben Field (Éanna Hardwicke), set the stage for one of the most complex and confounding criminal cases in recent memory.

It also focuses on how suspicions around Field’s relationship with Ann Moore-Martin (Anne Reid), Peter’s deeply religious neighbour, unlocked a series of chilling revelations.

The Sixth Commandment explores the way in which both Peter and Ann were manipulated by Field, capturing the extreme gaslighting, the gripping police investigation and the high-profile trial, while poignantly highlighting the devastating effect of isolation and loneliness, as Field closed in on them.

It also celebrates both Peter and Ann’s lives as cherished mentors, much loved relatives and adored friends.

Wasn't it good? Such a stellar cast. I remember watching the documentary on this case.

When Peter recovered after being in the residential home, I said 'Don't go back home!'. It's terribly sad.

My thought too! 😂

I'm not sure I can continue after Ep1. It's just too distressing.

I've read recently about a practice the police call ' cuckooing' where people end up in vulnerable people's homes and start selling drugs from their property and take over their lives. In my area there is even a special police operation set up to deal with it as it's just so prevalent at the moment.
In a way this feels a bit similar although clearly for an even worse outcome and seems Ben was also after money / property.
Just evil

This happened about a mile from my house, so was big news for quite awhile and I think everyone was shocked that something like this could happen in our small community. So will give this a watch later.

This was featured in the tv series Line of Duty.

Thank you @Blondeshavemorefun ! I saw it was on last night but had no idea what it was about. Will catch up with it

@longtompot welcome. Me neither tbh till see it advertised

Sad this really happened

In a way this feels a bit similar although clearly for an even worse outcome and seems Ben was also after money / property.

It seems to me that BF was also after deaths for death's sake. I wondered if there are more victims. I also wondered about the other man's true part in everything.

Psychopath is a label too often bandied about but it is almost certainly appropriate with BF.

I watched the series and the Channel 4 documentary, 'Catching a Killer: A Diary from the Grave', mentioned by pps. The documentary is certainly a harder watch at times, but also interesting to see the factual information in the documentary compared to the dramatised account.

It gives a strong message to look out for the elderly or vulnerable adults in our families and communities, especially where there may be loneliness which is often hidden. Loneliness in itself can be a vulnerability, thankfully not usually to the rare extremes of the likes of BF, but to other exploitation, and to mental and physical ill health and reduced life expectancy.

People may not even appear to be vulnerable but we all have chinks in our armour which can be exploited by the wrong sort of person.

I've binged watched it , the final episode is electric.

I have mixed feelings about this - it seems so incredible that Peter would believe Ben's intentions, given the age gap between them. But it's a true story, so what do I know?!

I though the acting was superb, although it was rather excruciating watching the development of Peter's poisoning

Will persevere though.

It seems strange that he didn't go to the GP or the care home order some blood tests or something like that. Especially as he was fine before this man appeared!
Although Ben probably just did a good job of duping everyone and making people believe he was a big drinker and it was all his fault :(

I think Peter felt he was lucky to be loved and said he wanted to be held and not sex

He was of an older generation and tho accepted he was gay - obv some others didn't

So when he found someone saying he loved him he embraced it

I said before surprised no blood tests showed the drugs - surely any hospital would test esp if having mri

And esp when got better being away from home /Ben

Then poorly again come home

It's really very sad 🥲

It's obviously going the same way with the lady and her dog too.

Yes any Casualty fan knows that it's "FBCs U&Es crossmatch and save" as first priority!

Can anyone give a bit more information about what "distressing" actually translates in this context as because it could be almost anything given the case - extreme violence, torture, cruelty to animals or any number of other scenarios and I do appreciate a good drama or documentary but there's things I and I'm sure others just can't tolerate but the "spoilers" in this instance are so vague. Would be happy to recieve a very spoilery DM if anyone can share one! I'd rather know before I watch or to decide if not to watch.

He had an MRI though 80s? I guess at his age they were looking for neurological reasons.

It's so unutterably sad.

Yes, I guess that an mri was enough

@HowNice23

I think distressing as gaslighting and being poisoned and Ben lied about him to his brother about drinking

It's more psychological and emotional distressing imo.

If you google 'peter farquhar ben field' you can read all about the case.

We’ve just finished watching episode 2. It’s quite a difficult watch and really rather sad and upsetting.

I thought this was a lovely programme so far. Timothy spall was very very good, and (as Lucy Mangan said in the Guardian) the drama is so compassionate and respectful to the poor individuals who were caught up in Ben Field's appallingly cruel behaviour.

I want to understand Ben Field's behaviour. I wish there was a psychologically informed book about him. I keep trying to put myself in his head and see his motivation.

The actual Ben Field looks like a younger Harold Shipman. Just saying.

This drama is just fabulous. A first rate production with a first rate cast.

I previously watched another dramatization of the crime but this was something else entirely.

For me it was distressing to see how Timothy Spall portrayed being lonely and then being in love. It was gut wrenching.