New BBC drama The Sixth Commandment has sparked fury among locals, with the show dramatising the murder of a beloved English teacher.
The new show studies the gaslighting and abuse of two lonely neighbours by murderer Ben Field. Peter Farquhar, 69, played by Timothy Spall in the show, was killed by Field, who was in his early 30s, in the village of Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire, in 2015. The pair were in a romantic relationship that Mr Farquhar believed was genuine, but which Field pursued in an ultimately successful bid to get his hands on his victim's house and money.
Peter murdered his lover through alcohol poisoning. The murderer admitted to drugging Peter in order to inherit his house and money. Peter lectured at Buckingham University, where his subsequent killer, who is played by Éanna Hardwicke, studied.
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One month after Ben moved in, Peter was admitted into hospital after ingesting 14 sleeping tablets with 400ml of gin which staff suspected was an overdose but, in fact, he had been drugged. The convicted killer told the jury that "he did it for no other reason other than it was cruel, to upset and torment Peter - purely out of meanness", the BBC reported.
Field, who is now serving a minimum 36-year term for murder, went on to ensnare Mr Farquhar's 83-year-old neighbour - retired primary school teacher, Ann Moore-Martin. Ms Moore-Martin, who died of natural causes, is played by acting legend Anne Reid and Field was cleared of killing her at trial.
The show, however, has caused anger among some locals, according to Mail Online. Residents who live in Maids Moreton have shared their dismay at the story being shared on our screens, with some branding it "insensitive". A number of the neighbours have said they want nothing to do with the BBC drama, with the murdder not happening "very long ago".
Micaela Careddu, an Italian mother who only recently moved to the area, says she was completely oblivious to the village's dark past until she watched the Sixth Commandment series. Another man, living just across the road from Mr Farquhar's old house, was still today oblivious to what had happened to residents living on his road years before he moved to the area.
Maids Moreton, the Buckinghamshire village where Mr Farquhar was murdered, is seen in the show, as well as St Edmund's Church. The BBC also filmed the show in Bristol, Keynsham, Clevedon and Bath.
A BBC spokesperson said: "The series was made in full cooperation with members of Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin’s families who viewed the episodes ahead of transmission and are fully supportive of the series. Filming took place in and around Bristol and Bath. Production did not film in Maids Moreton apart from a few establishing shots."
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