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.

I've binged.
I cried so much for Peter, my late husband had an overdose of chemo due to a medical error, and he behaved much the same as Peter when he was hallucinating.
The idea of someone purposely causing that is horrific.
I can't remember which episode so I'm going to be a bit vague, but what Ben accused Peter of doing during an "episode ", was that just lies and manipulation?
I'm going to leave it a couple of weeks and watch it again as in parts I couldn't concentrate due to how upsetting it was for me.
Brilliantly acted though.

@CherryogDog - I think I know the accusation you mention - was it in the first episode where Ben was acting all hurt and disappointed at Peter's supposed behaviour whilst "drunk" i.e. "You x and y and z and I had to clean it all up"? I think that was completely made up by Ben to gaslight poor Peter as he knew just how appalled and ashamed Peter would feel. Such terrible, manipulative behaviour on Ben's part.

@CherryogDog That must have been so upsetting for you.

I know about 'episodes', my DH had encephalitis with a period in hospital, it was so distressing to experience this with him. And to see someone making this happen with another gentle human was just awful.

As for whether Peter did those things to Ben, I don't know if it were true, he could've self inflicted and lied about it couldn't he...

Take care watching it again, at least you know what to expect.

I'm sure it was made up.

I wish I could find a way to watch this (am not in the UK)

He made it up. He chose things that would deeply humiliate Peter because they were totally out of his normal character. I also thought his face was his own work iyswim (trying not to spoil)

I’m watching e1 at the moment, I’ve watched the C4 documentary before. I believe psychopathy is one of those genetic mutations that some people are just born with and there’s nothing you can do. Plenty of kids are spoiled or coast through school - I pissed about for a lot of school and still got As/A*s - that doesn’t make you a psychopath! It’s a complete lack of empathy, and not only that but actively wanting to do bad things. He was truly evil.

I do remember this case and read a book about it last year which is worth a look, it's called A Plot to Kill by David Wilson.

The religious nature of the victims definitely played its part; less romantically/sexually naive people wouldn't have been as vulnerable to Field's manipulations. Farquhar was also clearly incredibly ashamed of his sexuality and this led to him hiding the abuse as an extension.

Spall especially is phenomenal in episode one; his vulnerability and sadness is palpable. But props to Anne Reid too, who's doing the won't-be-told thing so well... and you can see her point, she had been a capable and formidable Headteacher in her time by all accounts... she would have felt as though she was a good judge of character and knew how to deal with people. Field would have been a whole new level of complex and manipulative from anything she and likely ever known.

Maybe it's to do with the area or the religious nature of Farquhar but he wasn't of a generation that didn't talk about or accept being gay! He was 69 when he died in 2015, so would now be 77, the same age as my Dad. Now fair enough my Dad is from London and lived his youth there, but this was the generation of The Beatles and free love! My Dad had and has lots of gay friends, both before and after it was legal to be gay. Homosexuality was widely discussed and accepted by that generation. I don't recognise the quasi-Victorian way Farquhar seemed to deal with his sexuality at all from that generation. My Dad had a close friend who was openly gay from the time they were at secondary school and he certainly didn't hide it. He died of AIDS in the late 80s, but otherwise I'm sure would still be loudly and flamboyantly not hiding his sexuality at 77!

@ASoapImpressionOfHisWifeWhichHeAte I think maybe due to his strict belief of religion

As god /Jesus didn't approve of same same relationships that he felt he had to keep hidden

@ASoapImpressionOfHisWifeWhichHeAte my Dad's cousin is in his 90s and openly gay. He married his long time partner as soon as it was legal. However, people are different and Farquhar obviously didn't feel that way even though his vicar friend was trying to tell him it was OK.

I don't agree that someone gay, who was born in 1946, would be open about or widely accepted, for their sexuality. In certain circles, perhaps, but not generally so.

Just look at the whole furore when the HIV/Aids crisis blew up in the 80s/90s - gay men were vilified.

Add to that Peter's religion, where being homosexual is definitely an issue. We have had far too many posters on Mumsnet, over the years, talking about how homosexuality is a sin. (Although generally they toe the over-pious line 'hate the sin, love the sinner')

I can quite see how someone like Peter would remain in the closet, and be full of shame for his desires.

Also, as a teacher, he would have been forced to hide his homosexuality as even into the 90s there were people who conflated being gay with being a paedophile - there probably still are. My Dad's cousin mentioned above was an Interior Designer so it was no doubt more acceptable in artistic circles. Thankfully, my 18 year old grandson has never felt the need to hide it.

I binged watched this series and it has really haunted me. I spent a lot of my life growing up around those areas. The idyllic home counties village hides some very sinister under currents.

I had a quick look at Ben Field's background because I wondered what made him into the monster he became. It was so ordinary that it was even more sinister. He dad was a church minister and it seems both his parents were religiously active. It must have been utterly devastating for them that he'd twisted that faith to hunt and kill vulnerable people.

Timothy Spall was amazing as Peter, he was so skilled at portraying his vulnerability and desperation. Poor soul, so wrong how his sexuality could have kept him so desperately unhappy and vulnerable.

Wonder if Ben parents were consulted when making this the way Peter and Ann's family were

One thing that occurred to me, if Ben Field is diagnosed NPD isn't he going to be loving the fact that his crimes have been portrayed in a major BBC drama?

That shouldn't be a factor in making this drama btw, but can't help but think he's getting the attention he wants.

It sounds like your father moved in much more liberal and liberated circles than Farquhar who must have met openly gay men at Cambridge but his Christian upbringing and ethics prevented him from coming out. I had two close friends at school in early 1980s who were closeted gay. One of them married a woman. I had no idea he was gay as he talked about women all the time, even though he was quite camp. Both of them were from strictly religious families.

I think the impact of a religious upbringing can still be problematic today. Our local church is very contemporary - vicars in torn jeans etc but they preach against homosexuality in an aggressive way i find truly disturbing. Imagine growing up with that message.

Just FTR, Jesus never said a word against (or for) homosexuality. He just doesn't mention it.

I've wondered this too. I hope the prison he's in blocks all mention of it and doesn't screen it. I am sure they wouldn't. But family members may have told him.

@DaisyThistle one of my main reasons for thinking that Christianity- and organised religion generally- is fucked.

@ASoapImpressionOfHisWifeWhichHeAte

'Maybe it's to do with the area or the religious nature of Farquhar but he wasn't of a generation that didn't talk about or accept being gay! He was 69 when he died in 2015'.

Don't agree. I was at University 1968-72. I never knew, or knew of a single gay person. It never even occurred to me that there might be any !

The 'swinging sixties' of the tabloids, far removed from life as led by most people. Had he admitted being homosexual, he would never have been appointed to his first teaching post, in a boys' school in 1970.

I’ve just watched ‘Catching a Killer’ and if anything, I found it even more harrowing seeing footage of Peter in his prime, so full of life and so happy.
His brother and sister in law are a remarkable couple. So hard to watch seeing them come to terms with Peter’s death becoming a murder investigation.

I found 'Catching a Killer' very moving too, NowNumber5. It was nice to see a bit more about Peter's character and to hear from a couple of his ex-pupils who were obviously very fond and deeply respectful of him. I also very much liked Ben's poor 'girlfriend' and I hope she has been able to move on from her relationship with him - poor woman. She seemed so nice and I felt for her being manipulated by that bastard.

Have just watched the last two episodes, cried so much at the end, it's absolutely heartbreaking and really does shake your faith in humanity.

I don't know what to make of Martin tbh, is anyone that blind?

I rewatched the first two episodes (as I often get distracted and miss things) and the way Anne leaned into Peter, and looked up at him, she was so vulnerable and happy to be loved. It broke my heart.

And I agree about not everyone being open about their sexuality. He said he had never denied it, and it was discussed that Jesus would accept him being in a loving relationship with a man, 'but the church wouldn't'.
^
I was born in 1978 and three of my class mates hid their sexuality until their grandparents had all died or they had moved away. We weren't from religious communities but we are/were from a cluster of rural farming villages. They all moved away and came out in their early 20's. There was still a sense of shame attached to it, which is so sad.^