Home
TV
Documentaries
Catching A Killer: Viewers react to 'truly frightening' C4 documentary on Peter Farquhar's murder

Catching A Killer: Viewers react to 'truly frightening' C4 documentary on Peter Farquhar's murder

The documentary explored the death of elderly teacher Peter Farquhar

David Craig

Published: Tuesday, 14 January 2020 at 12:50 pm

Viewers were horrified by the actions of convicted murderer Ben Field during the latest entry in Channel 4's Catching A Killer series.

With the subtitle A Diary From The Grave, the one-off documentary explored the case of elderly teacher and author Peter Farquhar, whose death initially appeared to be an accident before it emerged that it was something far more sinister. Peter Farquhar wrote three books, Between Boy and Man, A Bitter Heart and then A Wide Wide Sea, which was dedicated to Field.

Using extracts from the late Peter's diary, Thames Valley Police were able to piece together what happened and close-in on the cold killer.

Viewers took to Twitter to talk about how tragic the story was, describing it as "emotional", "heartbreaking" and sensitively handled by the filmmakers.

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Twitter may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Twitter and its required purposes.

Accept and continue

Want to see this content?

Accept and continue

Want to see this content?

Accept and continue

Many were shocked by just how cruel and detached killer Ben Field appeared to be on the documentary, with broadcaster India Willoughby describing him as a "psychopath."

Want to see this content?

Accept and continue

Want to see this content?

Accept and continue

Thames Valley Police was live tweeting throughout the documentary as it aired, offering extra insight and answering some of the questions people had about the case.

Want to see this content?

Accept and continue

Want to see this content?

Accept and continue

Want to see this content?

Accept and continue

The Twitter account also made some more lighthearted comments between the informative tweets, which came under fire from one Twitter user. Thames Valley Police said they were in "no way undermining or making light" of what happened in the case.

Want to see this content?

Accept and continue

Catching A Killer: A Diary From the Grave is now available on All 4.

Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of David Craig, smiling against a lime green background.

David CraigSenior Drama Writer

David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.

Visit us on Twitter

Get the Christmas double issue

Too much to watch at Christmas? Let Radio Times do the choosing to find something the whole family will enjoy.

Subscribe by 3 Dec