The Sixth Commandment

The Sixth Commandment is a BAFTA winning four-part true crime drama written by Sarah Phelps (A Very English Scandal, Dublin Murders), directed by Saul Dibb (Salisbury Poisonings, Bullet Boy) produced by Frances du Pille (The Outlaws) and Executive Produced by Derek Wax, Brian Woods, Sarah Phelps and Lucy Richer for BBC One.

The Sixth Commandment tells the story of how the meeting of an inspirational teacher, Peter Farquhar (Timothy Spall), and a charismatic young student, Ben Field (Éanna Hardwicke), set the stage for one of the most complex and confounding criminal cases in recent history. It also focuses on how suspicions around Ben’s relationship with Peter’s deeply religious neighbour, Ann Moore-Martin (Anne Reid), also targeted by Field, unlocked a series of revelations culminating in a headline-grabbing trial. It captures the initial seductions, the extreme gaslighting, the gripping police investigation and Peter’s killer finally being brought to justice four years after his untimely death.