TV review:
Catching A Killer:
A Diary From The Grave.
Today’s #TuesdayTip is a TV review. Catching A Killer: A Diary From The Grave, shown recently on Channel 4 and available on My4, is actually a repeat of an episode first shown in 2020, but it is worth a watch.
My wife and I were already familiar with the sad and twisted tale of the murder of Peter Farquhar and the alleged attempted murder of his neighbour Ann Moore-Martin by the trainee vicar Ben Fields. It has featured in other true crime series, and was made into a superb BBC TV miniseries, The Sixth Commandment, starring Timothy Spall and Anne Reid.
However, this episode includes Fly-On-The-Wall documentary techniques and takes us into the police investigation. It’s worth watching because of the insight it gives into a complex investigation. It’s also chilling, because of the significant amount of footage of the killer Ben Fields in interviews and also his interactions with police officers within the station. What struck me most was the scary politeness and indifference of Fields. Fictional serial killers are often portrayed as charming individuals and it has become a clichéd hallmark of psychopaths. Here we see it in action. Fields is unfailingly pleasant and polite to all he meets, acting exactly as one would expect of a trainee vicar seen as the bedrock of the church. Rarely, if ever, does that mask (if it is one) ever drop.
Most poignantly, the title for the episode comes from use of Peter Farquhar’s own diaries, read aloud by a very good voice actor. In them Farquhar, a closeted homosexual who struggled with the conflict between his sexuality and his faith, records his growing love for Fields, along with the decline in his faculties as Fields slowly poisons him. The callous betrayal of this much-loved man is truly heart-breaking. Judicious use of interviews by Farquhar’s friends – many of whom were former pupils that kept in touch with their influential teacher – shows that he truly was deeply loved by all who knew him.
Interestingly, the documentary camera crews accompanied the police as they interviewed witnesses, and supplied a fascinating insight into how these things work. After one such interview, the interviewee innocently asks if Fields has done something wrong. The police decline to answer that question, and it becomes apparent that the witness has not been told why they are interested in Fields. This is something we rarely see. I watch a lot of these programmes and had somewhat naively assumed that many of the interviews are either restaged later, or the person being interviewed actually knew why the police were there. To see the police carefully juggling the need to interview someone without giving away too much information was really interesting.
Even if you feel you are familiar with this particular story, I heartily recommend seeking out this documentary.
What did you think of this documentary? Did it add something to a story already familiar to you? As always, feel free to comment here or on social media.
Until next time,
Paul
If you are a writer with a tip to share, or fancy writing a fictional interview between you and one of your characters, please feel free to email me.
My wife and I were already familiar with the sad and twisted tale of the murder of Peter Farquhar and the alleged attempted murder of his neighbour Ann Moore-Martin by the trainee vicar Ben Fields. It has featured in other true crime series, and was made into a superb BBC TV miniseries, The Sixth Commandment, starring Timothy Spall and Anne Reid.
However, this episode includes Fly-On-The-Wall documentary techniques and takes us into the police investigation. It’s worth watching because of the insight it gives into a complex investigation. It’s also chilling, because of the significant amount of footage of the killer Ben Fields in interviews and also his interactions with police officers within the station. What struck me most was the scary politeness and indifference of Fields. Fictional serial killers are often portrayed as charming individuals and it has become a clichéd hallmark of psychopaths. Here we see it in action. Fields is unfailingly pleasant and polite to all he meets, acting exactly as one would expect of a trainee vicar seen as the bedrock of the church. Rarely, if ever, does that mask (if it is one) ever drop.
Most poignantly, the title for the episode comes from use of Peter Farquhar’s own diaries, read aloud by a very good voice actor. In them Farquhar, a closeted homosexual who struggled with the conflict between his sexuality and his faith, records his growing love for Fields, along with the decline in his faculties as Fields slowly poisons him. The callous betrayal of this much-loved man is truly heart-breaking. Judicious use of interviews by Farquhar’s friends – many of whom were former pupils that kept in touch with their influential teacher – shows that he truly was deeply loved by all who knew him.
Interestingly, the documentary camera crews accompanied the police as they interviewed witnesses, and supplied a fascinating insight into how these things work. After one such interview, the interviewee innocently asks if Fields has done something wrong. The police decline to answer that question, and it becomes apparent that the witness has not been told why they are interested in Fields. This is something we rarely see. I watch a lot of these programmes and had somewhat naively assumed that many of the interviews are either restaged later, or the person being interviewed actually knew why the police were there. To see the police carefully juggling the need to interview someone without giving away too much information was really interesting.
Even if you feel you are familiar with this particular story, I heartily recommend seeking out this documentary.
What did you think of this documentary? Did it add something to a story already familiar to you? As always, feel free to comment here or on social media.
Until next time,
Paul
If you are a writer with a tip to share, or fancy writing a fictional interview between you and one of your characters, please feel free to email me.
