''Des'' is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

three-part television drama miniseries, based on the 1983 arrest of Scottish

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

Dennis Nilsen Dennis Andrew Nilsen (23 November 1945 – 12 May 2018) was a Scottish serial killer and necrophile who murdered at least twelve young men and boys between 1978 and 1983 in London. Convicted at the Old Bailey of six counts of murder and two of ...

, 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 David John Tennant (''né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show '' Doctor Who'', reprising the rol ...

, serial killer *

Daniel Mays Daniel Mays (born 31 March 1978) is an English actor. Early life Born in Epping, Essex, the third of four boys, Mays was brought up in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, by his electrician father and bank cashier mother. He attended the Italia Conti Acad ...

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 Jason Watkins (born 28 October 1962) is an English stage, film and television actor. He played the lead role in the two-part drama ''The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies'', for which he won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor. He has also ...

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 Ronald G. Cook (born 1948) is an English actor. He has been active in film, television and theatre since the 1970s. Early and personal life Cook was born in 1948 in South Shields, County Durham, England, the son of a school cook and a car wo ...

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 Laurence Stephen Kynaston (born 24 February 1994) is a Welsh actor. He won an ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Award for his performance in '' The Son'', as well as receiving a WhatsOnStage Award nomination. He starred in the BBC Two sitcom ''Cradle ...

as Carl Stottor, one of the attempted murder victims *

Jamie Parker Jamie Parker (born 14 August 1979) is an English actor and singer. He is best known for his role as Harry Potter in the original cast for the West End play ''Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', for which he received a Laurence Olivier Award f ...

Allan Green Allan Lamar Green (born September 20, 1979) is an American professional boxer. He is a former NABO super middleweight champion, and has challenged for world titles at both super middleweight and light heavyweight. Amateur career Green had a st ...

QC, trial prosecution counsel *

Pip Torrens Philip D'Oyly "Pip" Torrens (born 2 June 1960) is an English actor. Known for playing urbane, authoritative figures, Torrens portrayed courtier Tommy Lascelles in the Netflix drama ''The Crown'', aristocrat Lord Massen in the HBO series ''The ...

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 Sir David Powell Croom-Johnson, DSC, VRD (28 November 1914 – 21 November 2000) was a British barrister and judge who served as a Lord Justice of Appeal from 1984 to 1989. Biography Born in Cheam, Surrey, Croom-Johnson was the son of po ...

, 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 Ibinabo Jack is an English actress, known for her role as Theresa Sutton on the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has ...

as Lesley Mead

Episodes

Production

In November 2019, production began on ''Des'', starring

. 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 ''A Is for Acid'' is a 2002 British television film based on the life of the serial killer John George Haigh, known as the Acid Bath Murderer, because he dissolved the bodies of six people in sulphuric acid. Haigh, hanged in 1949 for his crimes, ...

'' (2002), ''

The Brides in the Bath ''The Brides in the Bath'' is a 2003 television film by Yorkshire Television for ITV, based on the life and trial of British serial killer and bigamist George Joseph Smith, the "Brides in the Bath Murderer". Martin Kemp plays the role of Smith ...

'' (2003), '' See No Evil: The Moors Murders'' (2006), ''

Appropriate Adult In English law, an appropriate adult is a parent, guardian or social worker; or if no person matching this is available, any responsible person over 18. The term was introduced as part of the policing reforms in the Police and Criminal Evidence ...

'' (2011), '' Dark Angel'' (2016), ''

In Plain Sight ''In Plain Sight'' is an American drama television series that premiered on the USA Network on June 1, 2008. The series revolves around Mary Shannon (Mary McCormack), a Deputy United States Marshal attached to the Albuquerque, New Mexico, office ...

'' (2016). The next in the sequence is ''

The Pembrokeshire Murders ''The Pembrokeshire Murders'' is a Welsh three-part television drama miniseries based on the Pembrokeshire murders by Welsh serial killer John Cooper. In 2006, newly promoted Detective Superintendent Steve Wilkins decided to reopen two unsolved ...

'' (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 Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

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,

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