''Des'' is a British three-part television drama miniseries, based on the 1983 arrest of Scottish serial killer Dennis Nilsen, after the discovery of human remains causing the blockage of a drain near his home. The series premiered on 14 September 2020.

Cast

* David Tennant as Dennis Nilsen, serial killer * Daniel Mays as

Detective Chief Inspector Chief inspector (Ch Insp) is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police (CIP). Usage by country Australia The rank of chief inspector is use ...

Peter Jay * Jason Watkins as biographer

Brian Masters Brian Masters (born 1939) is a British writer, best known for his biographies of serial killers. He has also written books on French literature, the British aristocracy, and theatre, and has worked as a translator. Early life Masters "grew up ...

* Ron Cook as DSI Geoff Chambers * Barry Ward as DI Steve McCusker * Doc Brown as DC Brian Lodge (Credited as Ben Bailey) * Ross Anderson as Douglas Stewart, one of the attempted murder victims * Laurie Kynaston as Carl Stottor, one of the attempted murder victims * Jamie Parker as Allan Green QC, trial prosecution counsel * Pip Torrens as

Ivan Lawrence Sir Ivan John Lawrence (born 24 December 1936) is a former British Conservative Member of Parliament and criminal barrister. Early life and legal career Born in Brighton, Lawrence was the only child of parents of Russian-Romanian Jewish descen ...

QC, trial defence counsel *

Ken Bones Ken Bones (born 11 June 1947) is an English actor. He is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Career Theatre Bones trained at RADA between 1971 and 1973, where he won the Honours Diploma, the Ronson Prize, the Kendal Award, the Poel ...

as Justice David Croom-Johnson, trial judge *

Bronagh Waugh Bronagh Waugh (born 6 October 1982) is an actress from Northern Ireland. She played Cheryl Brady in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' from 2009 to 2013. At the 2010 British Soap Awards, Waugh was nominated for awards for Best Newcomer, B ...

as Charlotte Proctor * Ibinabo Jack as Lesley Mead

Episodes

Production

In November 2019, production began on ''Des'', starring David Tennant as Dennis Nilsen. The drama is the ninth in a sequence of ITV miniseries featuring notorious British murder cases of the past two centuries, following on from '' This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper'' (2000), '' Shipman'' (2002), '' A Is for Acid'' (2002), '' The Brides in the Bath'' (2003), '' See No Evil: The Moors Murders'' (2006), '' Appropriate Adult'' (2011), '' Dark Angel'' (2016), '' In Plain Sight'' (2016). The next in the sequence is '' The Pembrokeshire Murders'' (2021).

Reception

Ratings

The premiere episode was watched live by 5.4 million viewers on ITV, a benchmark previously hit in 2019 with '' Cleaning Up''. The peak was 5.9 and nearly a third of all viewers were watching it at the time of its airing.

Critical reception

The series was well received by critics and described as a "sensitive, finely worked drama showing the unrelentingly bleak reality of the monstrous narcissist". Tennant's performance was considered "one of his best in an impeccable career". Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 89%. The website's critics consensus reads, "Des is a smartly scripted, sufficiently eerie true crime drama anchored by a chilling performance from David Tennant."

Awards

In 2021, David Tennant won the International Emmy Award for Best Actor, at the

49th International Emmy Awards The 49th International Emmy Awards ceremony took place on November 22, 2021 at Casa Cipriani in New York City, recognizing excellence in television programs produced and aired originally outside the U.S., and non-English language US primetime progr ...

, for his role in the show.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=tt11656892, title=Des 2020 British television series debuts 2020 British television series endings 2020s British crime drama television series 2020s British LGBT-related drama television series 2020s British police procedural television series 2020s British television miniseries Cultural depictions of British men Cultural depictions of male serial killers English-language television shows ITV crime dramas ITV miniseries Television series about serial killers Television series by All3Media Television series set in 1983 Television series set in the 1970s Television shows set in London True crime television series