Filming under way on BBC's true-crime drama 'Sixth Commandment'

June 9 (UPI) -- The BBC said Thursday that filming on its four-part, true-crime drama, The Sixth Commandment, is now under way in Bristol and Bath.

Starring Timothy Spall and Anne Reid, the miniseries is about teacher/author Peter Farquhar and his neighbor Ann Moore-Martin whose lives were destroyed after meeting charismatic student Ben Field (Éanna Hardwicke).

Field was convicted of killing Farquhar, 69, in 2015, but acquitted of attempting to murder Moore-Martin, who died of natural causes two years later at the age of 83.

The cast of the miniseries about the trio includes Annabel Scholey, Sheila Hancock, Ben Bailey Smith, Conor MacNeill, Adrian Rawlins and Amanda Root.

"When I received Sarah Phelps' brilliant scripts I knew this was an essential story to tell. I am honored to be playing the remarkable Peter Farquhar and hope I do him justice, which is the very least he deserves," Spall said in a statement Thursday.

Phelps' credits also include A Very British Scandal and The Pale Horse.

"The Sixth Commandment explores the way in which both Peter and Ann were manipulated by Field, capturing the extreme gaslighting, the gripping police investigation and the high-profile trial," the BBC said in a press release, noting Farquhar's and Moore-Martin's families are cooperating with the project.

"While poignantly highlighting the devastating effect of isolation and loneliness, as Field closed in on them, it also celebrates both Peter and Ann's lives as cherished mentors, much loved relatives and adored friends."