‘Timothy Spall is one of the finest actors this country has ever produced’
BBC viewers have been left speechless by Timothy Spall’s performance in harrowing new drama, The Sixth Commandment.
The four-part BBC series has been airing on BBC One this week and is based on real-world events.
Spall plays Peter Farquhar, a former teacher who was killed by a student called Ben Field, played by Éanna Hardwicke.
In the early 2010s, Field had befriended Farquhar and tricked him into believing he was in love with the lecturer. Field moved into his house and eventually managed to convince the former academic to make him the sole beneficiary from his will.
Field then started to drug the older man with hallucinogenic drugs and killed the 69-year-old in 2015, making it appear as if Farquhar had died from alcoholism.
After Farquhar’s death, Field targeted one of his neighbours, Ann Moore-Martin, 83. But a relative became suspicious of Field and reported him to the police, who were then able to link him to Farquhar’s death.
Field was sentenced to life in prison in 2019 for the murder of Farquhar, 69, but the “well-practiced and able liar” was found not guilty of plotting to kill Moore-Martin, who is played by Anne Reid in the series.
He admitted to tricking both Farquhar and Moore-Martin into fake relationships with him in the hope that they would change their wills to include him, but denied any involvement in their deaths.
Spall’s performance as Farquhar drew praise from viewers after the first two episode of the series were aired on BBC One, with some labelling it the “performance of a lifetime.”
One person wrote: “The Sixth Commandment is a truly chilling piece of television. It’s hard to believe that something like this actually happened – and not long ago too.
“Timothy Spall and Anne Reid once again prove that they’re two of Britain’s greatest actors.
Another echoed these sentiments, labelling Spall “one of the finest actors this country has ever produced.”
A third said: “Wow, just watched the 1st episode of The Sixth Commandment on BBC1 and it is genius.
“Timothy Spall gives the performance of his life. So moving! A frightening story.”
Someone else said Spall’s performance will “tear your heart out.”
And a fourth added: “That was the best first episode of a BBC drama that I’ve ever watched.
“Congratulations to Timothy Spall and the writers and everyone involved.”
The first two episodes of the mini-series aired on Monday and Tuesday, with the final two episodes scheduled to be broadcast next week at 9pm on Monday (July 24) and Tuesday (July 25).
If you’ve missed any of the previous episodes, or just don’t want to wait to watch it all, the entire show is available on BBC iPlayer.
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