BBC’s The Sixth Commandment Is A Must See True Crime Miniseries
On the hunt for a new true crime miniseries to sink your teeth into? Introducing the BBC’s latest series, The Sixth Commandment. Already a critical success story, with viewers praising the show’s performances and realism, it stars Harry Potter and The King’s Speech star Timothy Spall. It tells the story of two small village residents who are defrauded and murdered by another resident.
What is The Sixth Commandment about?
The series is written by Sarah Phelps, who wrote the Claire Foy and Paul Bettany starring A Very British Scandal and is set in a village in Buckinghamshire.
Based on a real case in the 2010s, it focuses on Peter Farquhar (Spall) and Ann Moore-Martin (Sanditon’s Anne Reid), two neighbours living in Maids Moreton.
Peter is a retired and religious former schoolmaster, who lives quietly and still lectures at a local university before he’s targeted by local churchwarden Ben Field (played by Normal People’s Éanna Hardwicke). Peter is gay, though keeps this to himself in part due to his religion and upbringing, and his loneliness makes him vulnerable to the slow manipulations of Ben, who takes an interest in him following a lecture. Peter feels like he’s finally found someone he can be genuine and true to himself around, but he’s sadly being taken advantage of.
What makes it a good watch?
Neighbour Ann meanwhile is similar to Peter, in that she’s also a retired teacher and also devoutly religious. She also feels like she wants companionship and someone to be close to, and once again, Ben begins to manipulate her. The two retirees are targeted in part so that Ben can be included in their will and inherit money.
Across the series’ four episodes, we see how both residents are slowly abused mentally and physically before being killed, as well as the later police investigation and trial, that didn’t occur until a few years later. It can often be a difficult and harrowing watch, but The Sixth Commandment will keep you enthralled throughout.
The performances are particularly what makes it such good TV- the cast also includes Annabel Scholey (Doctor Who), Sheila Hancock (Endeavour), Ben Bailey Smith (Andor) and Conor MacNeil (Industry).
When will it be released?
All episodes are now available on BBC iPlayer.
