Skip to content
The Sixth Commandment opens with the text…
- “This is a true story. What follows is based on extensive research, interviews and published accounts, with some scenes created for dramatic purposes”
I’d never heard of this case, but right off the bat, we’re told that both soon-to-be-retiring teacher, Peter Farquhar (Timothy Spall – Away) and neighbour, Ann Moore-Martin (Anne Reid – SAS: Red Notice), were each born in different areas, yet both died in Maids Moreton, but how?
Well, he starts the day, all prim and proper as he gets dressed for work – yes, even makes his bed! I like mine unmade, not because of the example set by Tracey Emin, but just to air itself out during the day…
He’s a God-fearing man who is gay, and never thinks he’ll find ‘the one’, but after leaving the teaching profession, he then goes on to… teach at a University. What? Not even stay home for a bit and get through his PS4 backlog? Oh well…
As such, student Ben Field (Éanna Hardwicke) comes into his life, arranges a lodger for him from one of his classes, but as both Peter and Ben’s friendship deepened, I did think he shouldn’t get so close to his students, though for professional reasons, especially given when Ben declares that he’s fallen in love with him.
What follows all moves very fast in the opener, which is all I’ve seen so far prior to broadcast, but all four episodes will be available on day one.
Timothy Spall is absolutely fantastic as usual, while Ms Reid has yet to make her mark, and I’ve not come across Éanna Hardwicke before, and so because I’m not aware of the original case, I will watch the rest before looking anything up, and I recommend you do the same if you’re in the same boat.
Watching episode 2 when broadcast, I’ll give no spoilers, but Anne Reid was incredible, and I hope both of them are nominated for BAFTAs for this when the time comes round.
The Sixth Commandment begins tomorrow on BBC1 at 9pm, and is available to pre-order on DVD, ahead of the release date of August 28th. On day one, the whole series will be on the BBC iPlayer.
Director: Saul Dibb
Producers: Fran du Pille
Writer: Sarah Phelps
Music: Rael Jones
Cast:
Peter Farquhar: Timothy Spall
Ben Field: Éanna Hardwicke
Ann Moore-Martin: Anne Reid
Elizabeth Zettl: Sheila Hancock
Ann-Marie Blake: Annabel Scholey
Martyn Smith: Conor MacNeill
Ian Farquhar: Adrian Rawlins
Sue Farquhar: Amanda Root
Natalie Golding: Anna Crilly
Vicar: Jon Bard
DCI Mark Glover: Jonathan Aris
Oliver Saxby: Rick Warden
David Jeremy: Peter Sullivan
Ann: Lorna Nickson Brown
Tim Moloney: Michael Shaeffer
Nicola Leaman: Charlotte Pyke
Younger Ann Moore-Martin: Elizabeth Conboy
Ben’s Brief: Tom Swale
Gab: Nikhita Lesler
Yulia: Milena Valentin
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.