The Sixth Commandment tells the devastating true story of the deaths of Peter Farquhar (Timothy Spall) and his neighbor Ann Moore-Martin (Anne Reid) in the village of Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire.
Peter and Ann were devout Christians who fell in love with outgoing student Ben Field (Éanna Hardwicke). However, his innocent exterior was hiding something truly horrifying as he drugged and murdered Peter, before preying on Ann for her cash.
The series follows how both victims were manipulated by Ben and captures the extreme gaslighting he subjected Peter and Ann to throughout his relationship with them. It also explores the gripping police investigation and the high-profile trial of one of the most complex and baffling criminal cases.
Here is the star-studded cast of The Sixth Commandment...
Meet The Sixth Commandment cast
Timothy Spall as Peter Farquhar
Timothy Spall plays the titular role of Peter Farquhar, a 69-year-old retired teacher, novelist and university lecturer who bonded with 30-year-old student Ben Field over their shared love of books.
We first meet Peter as he is about to take up a position as a guest lecturer at Buckingham University and we discover early on that he is a devout Christian who finds it very difficult "to reconcile his repressed sexuality with his faith." Although he is highly respected and has many friends, he feels deeply isolated.
Timothy has an extensive acting career spanning four decades and has appeared in a number of hit TV shows and films including, The Syndicate, The Enfield Haunting, Auf Wiedersehen Pet, Harry Potter, A Series of Unfortunate Events, The King's Speech, The Last Samurai and Pierrepoint.
Anne Reid as Ann Moore-Martin
Anne Reid stars as Ann Moore-Martin, a retired headmistress and Peter's neighbour who also falls for Ben's deception.
The trusting pensioner is deeply religious and becomes friendly with Ben, who fakes a religious belief to get close to her. Ann, who was also a successful model when she was young, is drawn in by the charismatic student and they eventually start a romantic relationship.
She is known for her roles as Celia in Last Tango in Halifax, Valerie Barlow in Coronation Street and Jean in Dinnerladies. She has also starred in Hold The Sunset, Sanditon, Our Zoo, Upstairs Downstairs, The Jury, Years and Years and Prisoners Wives.
Éanna Hardwicke as Ben Field
Éanna Hardwicke plays conman and murderer Ben Field who manipulated Peter and Ann with his lies.
Ben is one of Peter's students at Buckingham University and comes across as an intellectual devout Christian, which opens the doorway to his relationship with Peter. However, his outgoing façade is hiding sinister motivations that expose his truly evil nature.
Éanna has starred as Rob in the hit BBC drama Normal People and Sebastian in Fate: The Winx Saga season 2. He has also appeared in Vivarium alongside Jesse Eisenberg and will appear in the upcoming film The Sparrow and TV series The Doll Factory.
Annabel Scholey as Ann-Marie Blake
Annabel Scholey portrays Ann-Marie Blake, Ann Moore-Martin's niece. She shares an extremely close bond with her beloved auntie and becomes determined to find out what's wrong with Ann when she falls ill.
Over time, she begins to feel uneasy about Ann's new lover, Ben and senses that something isn't quite right.
Annabel's previous projects include The Split, The Salisbury Poisonings, Being Human and Britannia.
Jonathan Aris as DCI Mark Glover
Jonathan Aris plays DCI Mark Glover, one of the detectives who investigates the deaths of Peter and Ann. The soft spoken investigator is determined to uncover the truth and get justice for the victims and their families.
Jonathan has an extensive acting CV in both TV and film, having had roles in: The Martian, The World's End, Rogue One, His Dark Materials, Sherlock and The End of the F***ing World.
Who else stars in The Sixth Commandment?
Also starring in The Sixth Commandment are...
- Anna Crilly as DS Natalie Goulding
- James Harkness as DS Richard Earl
- Ben Bailey Smith as Simon Blake
- Conor MacNeill as Martyn Smith
- Sheila Hancock as Liz Zettl
- Adrian Rawlin as Ian Farquhar
- Amanda Root as Sue Farquhar
The Sixth Commandment airs on Monday, July 17 on BBC One.
