User reviews

I wasn't quite sure whether to watch this or not, as I had seen the disturbing documentary on the case that had been on television recently, so I thought I was too familiar with the story for it to have any real impact.

I was wrong. This is a great production, with top-notch acting and and a marvellous script that draws you into the story and brings to life all the information that was contained in the documentary and enhancing it. I was thoroughly engrossed throughout the four episodes and the case gets more chilling the more you learn about it.

So, even if you may already feel your over-familiar with this horrific tale, I recommend that you give this series a go and it will not disappoint you.

Sadly this is based on a rather horrible case that viewers in the UK will almost certainly remember. Its written by Sarah Phelps, well known for her series of Agatha Christie adaptations on the BBC in recent years. It was made with the full permission of the victim's families.

Its a quietly effective and moving drama which is a sometimes difficult and uncomfortable watch. Very well-written and made.

The use of hand-held camera gave it a documentary feel at times. For me it was very much an actor led piece and this is its greatest strength. The three principals, Tim Spall, Anne Reid and Eanna Hardwicke all deliver big time with understated and nuanced performances.

One of the strongest UK dramas of 2023.

To be transparent I live in Maids Moreton and both victims were near neighbours of mine. Many people here viewed this upcoming drama with a certain degree of trepidation as to how this extraordinary and shocking story would be told.

I think the producers have managed to create something that showed a lot of regard for the victims and it is not sensationalised, for that they should be congratulated.

If I were to make any criticism it is that both Peter and Ann's lives were shown only through the prism of their surviving relatives and it didn't show that, whilst to a certain degree they were private, they did engage with the local community, especially Peter. It was also not clear on the timelines involved sometimes as to the sequence of events and how long a period had elapsed between Peter's decline and death and Ann being taken to hospital. However, I am guessing there were lots of things not included due to time constraints and some were frankly too upsetting to cover.

I feel it would also have been better to have included a bit more backstory on Ben Field and his sidekick Martin...

A dramatisation of actual events, the deaths of Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin, two mature residents and neighbours from the small village of Maids Moreton, who both died after meeting and falling in love with a younger man, one Ben Field.

Arguably the best drama of 2023 so far, it's been a little time since I've said it, but this is truly The BBC at its very best, this is an outstanding, uncomfortable, sometimes upsetting watch.

This story was big news when it broke, it never seemed to make any sense, what this dramatisation does, is give you an almost factual detail of events, I understand that much of it was obviously dramatised, but I think they've got the core essence of what happened.

It is remarkable just how much Eanna Hardwicke looks like the real life Ben Field. His performance here was quite exceptional, and whilst I will rave about Timothy Spall and Anne Reid, Hardwicke made the whole thing come to life.

Timothy Spall should win an award for his performance, he was incredible, Anne Reid also phenomenal.

Fantastic.

9/10.

This is a brilliant film based on real events.

A couple of decent elderly people who are lonely are befriended by a young male who apparently uses his charms to get into their heads.

He uses his physical attributes in a way to benefit himself to the detriment of the victims.

It is a 4 part series and a excellent production and direction.

More or less every single one in this show gives a show stopping performance.

The way the story is presented is magnificent. The characters reveal their goodness, badness and evil.

Nuanced characterizations are so well done!

It is a lesson to us all about the extent to which someone can be so wicked:

9/10.

Ben Field manipulated, seduced and murdered old people for money: 'The Sixth Commandment' tells the story of his crimes. It's a horrific tale, but it doesn't work perfectly as drama. The first two episodes show his modus operandi: it's awful but more painful than dramatic. The third episode, where the police piece together his crimes, is most compelling, a dramatised version of '24 Hours in Police Custody'. The final scene, focused on the trial, is arguably overlong, although it does reveal quite how relentless Field was in spinning his lies. The story could have been told at shorter length: the acting is quite good. Eanna Hardwicke is plausible as Field; a surprisingly old-looking Tim Spall plays one of the victims.

I can't remember having watched such compelling drama in a very long time. The pacing is superb - a slow ratchet towards the climax of the jury's verdict.

What makes it work is a combination of brilliant performances and scripting together with the constant, horrible knowledge that this is a true story. This may be Timothy Spall's greatest performance in a splendid career, which is saying something. Every actor, though, delivers, even those in the minor roles.

One unusual achievement of this four parter is a shift in style. It begins as an indescribably tense psychological drama, rather like The Talented Mr Ripley. In part 3 it shifts to more of a police procedural, but manages to maintain the tension.

You will almost not want to watch, but find yourself compelled to. At the end I found myself exhausted and, I'm not ashamed to say, with a tear in my eye.

Don't believe the glowing reviews - this show is not anywhere near a top quality production.

The writing is substandard and at no point did I care for any of the characters because there was no character development.

It was as though the writer read a newspaper article and turned it into a television show.

The direction was equally poor - drama means conflict and there was absolutely no tension in the first 2hrs, which resulted in my boredom.

More time was needed so possibly the writer was hampered with a limit of 4 episodes.

With too many hand-held camera shots. The lighting was no better with mainly 'keep it real' being the objective, which resulted in a 'cold' show with no warm colours to add depth to the characters.

Maybe it didn't help that the show was.

An excellent drama by the BBC. The acting was of a high standard and the script was respectful in favour of the victims. It was compelling viewing but difficult to watch at times and heartbreaking the way the victims were used and manipulated.

Although the drama does expose and show the chilling coldness and evil of the killer, it doesn't in any way glamorous him. Instead I felt it honoured the victims and gave them a voice, as well as providing an insight into how the families must have suffered. It also showed the diligence of one of the victim's families along with the police investigation to get justice.

This is a very good production. The actors are magnificent. Not sure if it was intended, but it is quite hard not to laugh at the settings where these old religious people fall for the act of the murderer. These victims are portrayed as not very bright and its hard not to see this as being a result of their religious minds. Its almost like the director is telling people to go out and trick elderly biblepeople. Timothy Spall who has the part of Peter the gay teacher does this part good. Considering he is straight he sends out this perfect creepy "gay gym teacher" vibe when doing this part. He is the best actor in this series. The dark humor fades the two first episodes, i wish they could have continued with that in all episodes.

Wow, wow and more wow.

You watch Timothy Spall in something and go...what a good performance...and then you watch this. Wow! It has award stamped all over it.

Anne Reid, who I think is one of the UK's much underrated actresses, shines like a supernova in her portrayal of Anne.

Éanna Hardwicke? Yes, I know. I haven't heard of him either. Wherever he's been hiding then this superb creepy, manipulating, hazy devil's portrayal is absolutely top notch and you should be seeing more of him no doubt.

The remainder of the cast put in fabulous performances in this four part excellently written and paced "true story".

You MUST watch this. This makes the Licence Fee top value.

So many accounts of real life crimes like this are handled badly, exploiting the victims and giving the perpetrators a voice, credibility and a certain level of celebrity. Lucky this BBC production treads a careful line between sensationalism and a stale documentary style.

The script has a level of pace that makes it easily watchable and is well constructed, there is just enough detail to make it, for want of a better word, enjoyable. This story is far from enjoyable, it's dark and exposes how evil some people are.

The casting is spot on, the actors bar none are superb but Timothy Spall's acting is exceptional superb, nuanced and emotional and played perfectly. The rest of the cast almost match his portrayal of their character and there are no weak links in the delivery of this story.

It's a must see series but not an easy watch, perhaps the sadness it provokes makes it so good.

A really good production based on the true story of an evil man and his accomplice. I wasn't aware of this case before seeing this but it's a pretty accurate encapsulation of the events.

Outstanding cast and well written script and, as it's filmed in and around Bath and Bristol, very familiar location filming for me. Tim Spall is as brilliant and understated as ever and the two perpetrators, whilst totally opposite in character, are superbly played.

The casting is absolutely perfect and there's little to criticise about the entire show other than that I'd like it to have been a little more detailed in terms of the evidence gathered by the police and the building of the prosecution case.

The Sixth Commandment - Streaming on Foxtel. My Rating 10/10

I first saw this fine series a few months ago and remember being so impressed by the quality of the script which was written by Sarah Phelps who also wrote the wonderful series A Very British Scandal and Dublin Murders plus adaptations of various Agatha Christie novels.

The Sixth Commandment is a four-part British true-life crime drama, written by Sarah Phelps and directed by Saul Dibb. Based on the murders of Peter Farquhar and attempted murder of Ann Moore-Martin a retired Head Mistress.

In 2015 two murders occur in the village of Maids Moreton,Buckinghamshire the murder victim Peter Farquhar is an esteemed academic who is brilliantly played by Timothy Spall in yet another fine characterisation to add to his impressive achievements on screen.

The other attempted murder victim Anne Moore -Martin is equally brilliantly played by another favourite of mine Anne Reid both characters are lonely and elderly and both are easy prey for the charismatic con man Ben Field a 28 year old trainee clergyman .

Éanna Hardwicke gives a great performance as a charismatic Ben Field the manipulative and calculating criminal who convinces a closeted elderly gay retired university lecturer who has never experienced a loving same sex relationship to allow him to become his companion eventually convincing him to alter his will in his favour.

After Peter Farquhar dies in mysterious circumstances that at first appear to be natural causes the charismatic Ben turns his attentions to a neighbouring widow Ann Moore-Martin who's only companionship is her devoted niece Annabelle and her beloved dog Rosie.

The Sixth Commandment is a study in the power of faith ,loneliness and the endless vulnerability of the elderly who no matter how intelligent can fall prey to obsessive flattery and manipulative criminal minds.

In Peter Farquhar's case he was easy pickings especially because of his faith and temperament he barely ever acted on his homosexual impulses. . "Even my deviance is pathetic," he tells his priest and counsellor.

The Sixth Commandment is superbly directed by Saul Dibb who has directed many fine television dramas one an all time favourite of mine The Line of Beauty 2006 plus Dublin Murders, The Salisbury Poisonings and The Duchess.

I'd love to see Sarah Dibb and Sarah Dibb get together when the dust settles and more is revealed on a current true life Australian mystery drama involving a couple of deadly mushroom fatalities,it's a most intriguing story.

A well done 4 parter, despite many omissions.

But I read that many things had to be omitted , just to fit into the allocated time. But surely even 1 line of dialogue would have sufficied instead of omission.

No mention of how the murderer got hold of psychotics, or why medics would not test for psychotics on first reports of symptoms.

The weakest part for me was the portrayal of the start of the fake relationship between the murder and first victim, quite not credible , although later parts of the script partly explain.

Unclear exactly how the murderer had some hold or influence over Martyn Smith.

One puzzling thing. What is the significance of the many shots of the clock tower, and tolling bell, in the last two episodes. Wasted moments maybe could have been used for wider dialogue about the omissions.

Strong performance by all the leads, and Éanna Hardwicke is positively creepy in this role, even down to the manufactured accent, which only slips in one few-seconds scene.

Marvellous to see Anne Reid, Timothy Spall, Sheila Hancock giving their all.

It is hard to believe that anyone could make a fascinating true story like this with a first class cast that included Timothy Spall and Anne Reid this dull and lacking in pace but BBC succeeded. It was disjointed and missed out on so many salient factors surrounding this case. Why did they omit the fact that Ben Fields had a notebook with the names of over 100 potential victims or that he conned the woman out of £27000 to pay for medical treatment for a fictitious brother? Surely facts worth including. The cast, with the exception of the actress who played the niece who seemed to have the ability to display only one emotion, were excellent despite bring burdened by such a pedantic script and such uninspired direction. A pale shadow of the dramatisations of the Wests, Brady and Hindley and similar true stories and a million miles removed from the likes of the brilliant Little Boy Blue. An opportunity sadly missed.

I'm glad I watched this over two nights and not weeks. The power was all the more intense.

Beautifully written and produced with an outstanding cast. This was no simple murder mystery. For all that we knew exactly what was going on, we were still drawn into the appalling actions of a very sick mind.

I have never seen Timothy Spall better - and I have never seen him give a poor performance. This was something quite beautiful and intensely moving. One of our finest actors as is Anne Reid.

Annabel Scholey gave a beautiful performance which added to the overall production of this harrowing story.

All the cast were extremely good. Éanna Hardwicke was mesmerising in his portrayal of a Very cruel person.

Well done Sarah Phelps and Saul Dibb.

Please watch this Superb drama.

This could have been six episodes given the depths of the real story, but it was brilliant to keep it to four and make it economical by focusing on the sick psychology of the perpetrator. For example, the show doesn't get into his real-life side job as a paid prostitute, but the scenes of him taking shirtless selfies hints that he's the type who would be on the game. We don't get the deeper history of his relationship with his toady Martyn but in a brief scene of public humiliation we get the psychology of it.

The script gives the audience enough credit by not "revealing" Ben's evil fakery as a suprise. The romantic situation he engineers with lonely old Peter is so suspect that we know he's bad before we ever see him behave other than perfectly kind and gentle. When he does start behaving like an egotistical jerk it's not meant to be jarring, and it isn't, but it's deeply creepy because we don't know how far it will go.

This was very hard to watch, it made me so sad 😔. Based on a true story and considering I'm a killer documentary fan, I'm surprised I've never heard of this case. The acting is amazing, I'm so impressed. Timothy Spall once again shows us why he's been in the game for so long. You really feel for the character he plays, Googling the real person (after watching obv's) not only hurts your heart a little more, it emphasises just how good Timothy is. As for Eanna Hardwicke, TAKE. A. BOW! I had no idea who he was before watching this and his character enthralled me so much I had to look him up. What a creepy, slimy, intriguing, charming, (I could go on) man. I've no idea (yet) if the real person was like this, but an absolute masterpiece from him, bravo! I've just watched a couple of his other trailers and couldn't believe it's the same guy in some of them! The rest of the cast were superb and believable. Aaaaaaaaaand only 4 episodes, boom!

This is all a bit of a bore really, a plodding dramatisation of a couple of unremarkable murders by an unremarkable psychopath in an unremarkable English village. The much vaunted performances by Reid and Spall are no better than they've given in the past and they've given better, Annabel Scholey, as the niece who makes the connection, gives an equally good, if not better, performance. Obviously, in such a story, there can be no car chases or shoot outs but the plodding pedestrian pace does nothing to excite or even move the audience and I was only half engaged and extending what is really a 3 episode piece to 4 did nothing for it. I can't honestly recommend this but clearly others really enjoyed.

The sixth commandment is a four part British true life 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 year. The drama explores the way in which Peter and Ann were manipulated by Ben Field capturing the extreme gaslighting and the gripping investigation and the high profile trial.

After hearing of so many people that it was outstanding but incredible sad and it's a must watch I thought I need to watch this as it's based on a true story.

Where to begin when I watched the first episode it was like not sure about this but need to give it a chance. It's a deep dark story and uncomfortable to watch in parts, the drama was produced and directed so well.

The acting is outstanding Timothy spall is a incredible actor in fact there were all superb. Eanna Hardwicke is fantastic in playing a villain/ baddie i just hated him so much on what he was doing In the crime drama.

The way it was acted ,the storytelling was just fantastic. I'm glad I watched it even though there is lot of different emotions when watching The sixth Commandments from anger/ being sad.

Don't want to give to much away but if you like dramas that are based on true stories then this definitely a must watch.

Does contain violence, strong language and some very upsetting scenes.

The sixth commandments is a remarkable story on how there investigated a man who manipulates/ lies and befriends lonely elderly people.

A very sad story !!!

Streaming on BBC I PLAYER it's one to watch.