Des (TV series)

{{Infobox television

| image = Des title card.svg

| image_size = 250

| image_alt =

| caption =

| genre = {{ubl|Crime drama|Thriller}}

| creator = {{ubl|Lewis Arnold|Luke Neal}}

| based_on = {{based on|Killing for Company by Brian Masters}}

| writer = Luke Neal (episodes 1, 2)
Kelly Jones (episode 3)

| screenplay =

| story =

| director = Lewis Arnold

| starring = {{ubl|David Tennant|Daniel Mays|Jason Watkins|}}

| narrated =

| theme_music_composer = Sarah Warne

| country = United Kingdom

| language = English

| num_series = 1

| num_episodes = 3

| producer = David Meanti

| executive_producer =

| editor = Sacha Szwarc

| cinematography =

| runtime =

| company = {{ubl|New Pictures}}

| budget =

| network = ITV

| first_aired = {{Start date|2020|9|14|df=y}}

| last_aired = {{End date|2020|9|16|df=y}}

}}

Des is a British three-part television drama miniseries,{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-54025946 |title=David Tennant says TV drama Des 'does not celebrate' killer Dennis Nilsen |work=BBC News |date=13 September 2020 |access-date=14 September 2020}} based on the 1983 arrest of Scottish serial killer Dennis Nilsen,{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2020-08-22/des-itv-trailer-david-tennant-dennis-nilson/ |title=David Tennant stars as Dennis Nilson in gripping first-look trailer for ITV drama Des |work=Radio Times |access-date=30 August 2020}} after the discovery of human remains causing the blockage of a drain near his home.{{cite web|url=https://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/itv-commissions-three-part-drama-des-david-tennant-dennis-nilsen|title=ITV commissions three part drama, Des - with David Tennant as Dennis Nilsen|date=22 November 2019|publisher=ITV Press Center|access-date=23 January 2020}} The series premiered on 14 September 2020.{{cite web |last1=Cremona |first1=Patrick |title=When is Des on ITV? When David Tennant's true crime drama starts |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2020-09-11/des-itv-drama-air-date/ |website=Radio Times |access-date=14 September 2020 |date=11 September 2020}}

Cast

David Tennant as Dennis Nilsen, serial killer
Daniel Mays as Detective Chief Inspector Peter Jay
Jason Watkins as biographer Brian Masters
Ron Cook as DSI Geoff Chambers
Barry Ward as DI Steve McCusker
Ben Bailey Smith as DC Brian Lodge
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 QC, trial defence counsel
Ken Bones as Justice David Croom-Johnson, trial judge
Bronagh Waugh as Charlotte Proctor
Chanel Cresswell as Lesley Mead

Episodes

{{Episode table |total_width=65 |background=#000000 |overall= |title= |titleT=Episode |director=Lewis Arnold (director) |directorR= |writer= |writerR= |airdate= |airdateR= |country=UK |viewers= |episodes=

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 1

|RTitle = Episode 1

|DirectedBy = Lewis Arnold

|WrittenBy = Luke Neal

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|9|14|df=yes}}

|Viewers = 11.95

|ShortSummary =

|LineColor = 000000

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 2

|RTitle = Episode 2

|DirectedBy = Lewis Arnold

|WrittenBy = Luke Neal

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|9|15|df=yes}}

|Viewers = 10.70

|ShortSummary =

|LineColor = 000000

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 3

|RTitle = Episode 3

|DirectedBy = Lewis Arnold

|WrittenBy = Kelly Jones

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|9|16|df=yes}}

|Viewers = 10.93

|ShortSummary =

|LineColor = 000000

}}

Production

In November 2019, production began on Des, starring David Tennant as Dennis Nilsen.{{cite news |last=Wilson |first=Benji |date=28 August 2020 |title=How David Tennant transformed himself into serial killer Dennis Nilsen |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2020/08/28/david-tennant-transformed-serial-killer-dennis-nilsen/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203082300/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2020/08/28/david-tennant-transformed-serial-killer-dennis-nilsen/ |archive-date=3 December 2023 |access-date=30 August 2020 |work=The Daily Telegraph}}

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.{{Cite journal|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a34025004/des-david-tennant-itv-ratings-record/|title=David Tennant's Des has broken a ratings record for ITV|journal=Digital Spy|first=Sam|last=Warner|date=15 September 2020|access-date=4 February 2021}}

=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".{{cite news|last=Mangan|first=Lucy|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/sep/14/des-review-david-tennant-excels-as-a-perfectly-ordinary-serial-killer|title=Des review – David Tennant excels as a perfectly ordinary serial killer |work=The Guardian|date=14 September 2020|access-date=28 January 2021}} Tennant's performance was considered "one of his best in an impeccable career".{{cite news|last=Ling|first=Thomas|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/2020-09-14/des-review-david-tennant-itv/|title=Des review: David Tennant is superb in ITV series with killer flaw |work=Radio Times|date=14 September 2020|access-date=28 January 2021}}

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."{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/des|title=Des|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=29 January 2021}}