The true crime drama is airing on BBC One and iPlayer – but what happened to Timothy Spall’s character? <\/p>
BBC One\u2019s true crime drama The Sixth Commandment<\/a> tells the shocking story of author Peter Farquhar, who was manipulated and murdered<\/a> by a churchwarden in Buckinghamshire in 2015.<\/p>\n The series, written and executive produced by Sarah Phelps, features Timothy Spall as Farquhar, who was killed by Benjamin Field, played by \u00c9anna Hardwicke.<\/p>\n Farquhar and his elderly neighbour Ann Moore-Martin, played by Anne Reid, were duped into fake relationships<\/a> with Field as part of a plot to get them to change their wills so Field could extort money from them.<\/p>\n Field was also accused of plotting to kill Moore-Martin, but was found not guilty<\/a>. Writer Phelps was vocal about the importance of centring the victims when it comes to true crime.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the victim is always the most important element. One thing I didn\u2019t want to do was to glamourise the killer,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of TV programmes give you the sense that you\u2019re falling under the spell of the killer, who\u2019s incredibly intelligent, with some grand plan, but I wanted to understand and honour the victims, to give them life and dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s everything we know about the true story below.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In 2019, Ben Field was found guilty<\/a> of murdering author Peter Farquhar for financial gain after tricking him into changing his will. Field, who was 28 when he was charged with the murder, manipulated 69-year-old Farquhar and tried to make his death look like an accident or suicide.<\/p>\n Farquhar died in the Buckinghamshire village of Maids Moreton in October 2015, while his 83-year-old neighbour Ann Moore-Martin, who lived three doors away, died aged in May 2017 from natural causes. Field was also accused of plotting to kill Moore-Martin, but was found not guilty.<\/p>\n During the trial it was heard that Field subjected Farquhar to coercive control and carried out a sustained gaslighting plot aimed at making Farquhar question his sanity, according to Prosecutor Oliver Saxby QC.<\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n Field admitted to spiking Farquhar\u2019s drinks with alcohol and laced his food with drugs to \u201ctorment\u201d him. This was discovered when police began investigating and exhumed Farquhar\u2019s body for testing.<\/p>\n Field had also undergone a \u201cbetrothal\u201d ceremony with Farquhar. Farquhar, a devout baptist, had been equivocal over his sexuality due to his religion.<\/p>\n Farquhar, who taught part-time at the University of Buckingham, suffered night terrors and hallucinations which he recorded in a handwritten journal. As a published author, his third novel A Wide Wide Sea, released the year of his death in 2015, was dedicated to Field, who delivered the eulogy at his funeral.<\/p>\n On the night of the murder, Field suffocated Farquhar and left a half-empty bottle of whisky in Farquhar\u2019s room to make it look as though he had drunk himself to death.<\/p>\n While Field admitted to manipulating Farquhar and Moore-Martin into fake relationships with him as part of a plot to get them to change their wills, he denied any involvement in their deaths.<\/p>\n Field was jailed for life for Farquhar\u2019s murder.<\/p>\n The Sixth Commandment will continue airing on TV, though all episodes are currently available on BBC iPlayer.<\/p> What really happened to Peter Farquhar from The Sixth Commandment?<\/strong><\/h2>\n