The Sixth Commandment

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.

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.

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 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.

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.