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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Rachel Cooke

Even if you hate true crime, you should watch The Sixth Commandment

Timothy Spall in The Sixth Commandment, a serious-looking man in a dressing gown sits in front of bookshelves
‘Here, you think, is an actor who can do just about anything’: Timothy Spall in The Sixth Commandment. Photograph: Amanda Searle/BBC/Wild Mercury

It’s hard to imagine better television – more dignified, more noticing – than The Sixth Commandment, which began last week on BBC1.

Mostly, I loathe true crime. To make entertainment of the horrifying acts of a Dennis Nilsen or a Jeffrey Dahmer isn’t just gratuitously exploitative; it can only bring more pain to those who loved the men they killed.

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