Is it possible to "binge watch" a television drama that consists of just four episodes? I am not sure. Anyway if it is possible, I just binge-watched a gripping drama called "The Sixth Commandment" - courtesy of our wonderful BBC.
It was the dramatisation of a real life murder story. The victim was a retired English teacher called Peter Farquhar. He was murdered at his home in Buckinghamshire in 2015 by one of his students - Ben Field.
This wasn't a simple common or garden murder, it involved great cunning and planning and chilling psychological elements of control, exploitation and cruelty. It is also believed that Field murdered one of Peter Farquhar's neighbours - a retired primary school headteacher called Ann Moore-Martin. However, there was insufficient evidence of this to convince the trial jury in Oxford in 2019.
Of course I could easily rabbit on about the plot and bore you to tears but I would rather just say that "The Sixth Commandment" was probably the best show I have seen on television this year. Thoroughly entertaining and rather disturbing too.
It did not give in to sensationalism. The four episodes were subtly constructed and the characters were given depth. A real sense of place was developed. The police enquiry was not slated. It was shown to be thorough, sensitive and professional like the dedicated officers involved.
Dominating the drama is the charismatic figure of Ben Field played quite brilliantly by the Irish actor Éanna Hardwicke. I wouldn't wish to meet him down a dark alleyway - I can tell you. There were other outstanding performances by Timothy Spall as Peter Farquhar, Anne Reid as Ann Moore-Martin and Annabel Scholey as Anne-Marie - Miss Moore-Martin's beloved niece.
Directed by Saul Dibbs and based upon a book by Sarah Phelps, "The Sixth Commandment" shows what is possible in TV drama when talented teams of actors supported by dedicated film crews and support staff come together on suitably funded missions they believe in.
You will be pleased to know that Ben Field was sentenced to life imprisonment in October 2019 with a recommendation that he should serve at least thirty six years.
Bernard Shaw said murder was wrong for two reasons.
ReplyDeleteOne, a waste of a life. Two, a waste of the murderer's time.
When Michael Collins was murdered in Ireland's Civil War,
Dublin-born Shaw said of the killer, * Ah, the fool ! *
A teacher murdered by his student betrays the meaning of education.
If only Ben Field had put all that planning into making his world a better place.
No doubt Field was and is a highly intelligent man. Unpicking the threads of his life to find where the wickedness came from would be as complicated as undertaking a thorough archaeological examination of the site of Pompeii.
DeleteAbnormal psychology : Complex as you say.
DeleteSarah Everard's mother asked Wayne Couzens to look her in the eye
as he sat in impassively in court. He never did.
This is why i love British TV dramas because this story, had it been told by an American producer, would have been sensationalized and yet trivialized at the same time; dumbed down for the masses.
ReplyDeleteWatch it if you can Bob. It will keep you out of mischief for four hours.
DeleteI will be home alone for the upcoming weekend and I thought it would be a great opportunity to watch this but unfortunately, it seems not to be available in Australia.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question, I would regard your viewing as binge watching
The only other series I have binge-watched was "The Handmaid's Tale" during the time of corona.
DeleteI see where he's appealing, yet again.
ReplyDeleteYes. Still believing himself to be above the law somehow.
DeleteI love BBC series. I hope we can get it on one of our streaming platforms.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how these things work but surely it will be available to you before long. I hope it doesn't give you "ideas"!
DeleteNow that you have mentioned it, I will have a look and if it hooks me, i may even binge watch.
ReplyDeleteI deon't know how you will access it in India but retired design engineers can be very resourceful.
DeleteI agree. I watched the first two episodes live and then had to watch the following two on iPlayer, as I couldn't wait for the next two. Very creepy but incredibly well done.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you agree ADDY.
DeleteIt was a wonderful 4 hours of drama, very high acting with a great cast. Good old BBC
ReplyDeleteThere's so much dross on TV, it is great to be immersed in such drama.
DeleteI, too, have just finished watching this and agree that it is one of the BBC's best offerings that I have seen for a long time.
ReplyDeleteSo well told.
DeleteI had not heard of either the real life case nor the book or the series, so thank you for the recommendation. What you say about the police work in this case is a good counter-weight to what we have all just learned about Manchester police work, responsible for having put the wrong man behind bars for 17 years.
ReplyDeleteYes - the story of Andy Malkinson makes my blood boil and yet he has emerged from the tunnel of unfairness with his dignity still intact.
DeleteIn a couple of years, it will probably show on this side of the Atlantic
ReplyDeleteI don't recall having seen this promoted on TV. I don't have access to any streaming services, so will have to hope it's repeated at some time.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check it out. I'm currently rewatching an old show called Son's of Anarchy. I think it has seven seasons so there is plenty of material to keep my binging for awhile. Beyond that is Jack Ryan, which the son of a good friend of mine plays his stunt double on the series. Mandatory viewing for me. Perhaps after that I'll check this one out. Maybe I'll just crank it out this afternoon while it is killing hot outside.
ReplyDeleteOn a tangent, two teens in the next town over where I used to live, are currently in the process of trials/appeals for beating their Spanish teacher to death with a baseball bat and trying to hide her body in a popular walking park under a tarp and a pile of wood. Cunning and sly, they were not.
Sounds good. We'll check it out!
ReplyDelete