David Tennant's most 'commanding' role as real-life serial killer 'Des' coming to Netflix
Tennant portrays notorious murderer Dennis NilsenNetflix subscribers are about to get the chance to see David Tennant give the most disturbing performance of his career in Des as he plays serial killer Dennis Nilsen.
The true crime drama, which originally aired on ITV1 in 2020, sees the Doctor Who star look almost unrecognisable, with creepy spectacles as part of his transformation into the notorious mass murderer.
Everyone was stunned by how the makers managed to make the hugely talented actor look so much like Nilsen, who was known to his friends and colleagues as “Des”. Des took five years to make.
Here’s everything you need to know about Des including how Dennis Nilsen was finally caught, the terrible crimes he committed, when Des hits Netflix, the book it’s based on and the other cast members.
Des Netflix release date
Des will land on Netflix on Saturday, November 8. All three parts will be immediately available to watch on the streaming service.
Each episode is just under 50 minutes. If you can’t wait the series is also available to stream now on ITVX and Disney Plus.
Written by Luke Neal, the drama is based on material from the book Killing for Company by Brian Masters. Masters interviewed Nilsen and exchanged letters with him as he aimed to get into the killer’s mind.
The episodes also include real news footage from the 1980s to help with authenticity.
Des on Netflix: What’s it about?
Des is based on the true story of serial killer Dennis Nilsen, who murdered at least 12 young men and boys in horrific circumstances in north London between 1978 and 1983. The drama opens with the arrest of the Scottish murderer in 1983.
A worker was called to Nilsen’s address, 23 Cranley Gardens in Muswell Hill in north London, after reports of blocked drains. He was shocked to discover that the drains and pipes were packed with human flesh and bones.
DCI Peter Jay (Daniel Mays) went to talk to civil servant Nilsen. Nilsen confessed that he had lured homeless young men and male prostitutes to his home before killing them. He either strangled his victims or drowned them.
Nilsen had started his killing spree in 1978 at a previous north London address — 195 Melrose Avenue. He burnt the bodies of his victims in the garden, using rubber tires to disguise the smell. He later moved to the top-floor flat at 23 Cranley Gardens. But with no back garden he struggled to dispose of his victims’ bodies. This led to him being caught as the flesh parts blocked the drains causing a foul stench, and people complained.
Des follows events through to Nilsen’s trial at London’s Old Bailey in late 1983. He was convicted of six counts of murder and two of attempted murder. However, it’s believed that Nilsen may have killed up to 15 people. Nilsen was sentenced to life imprisonment, which was replaced by a whole life tariff in 1994. He died in May 2018 in his cell aged 72.
David Tennant leads the Des cast
David Tennant, recently seen in ITV’s The Hack, plays Dennis Nilsen. His casting caused a sensation. No one could imagine the actor who’d played such a cheery Time Lord could be a notorious serial killer. David proved everyone wrong and gave a brilliant performance. Now Des coming to Netflix will give a new audience a chance to judge.
The star spoke to the BBC about the challenge of playing Nilsen. “It certainly would seem that those who worked with him at the job office found him pleasant enough. Sometimes he would drone on a little, but there was certainly nothing extraordinary, apparently, about this man.
“So you’re trying to make sense of who that human being is to the outside world, and link it up to this extraordinary private life at home, which had bodies rotting under his floorboards, and which was about luring people back to his flat, where he seemed to have no compunction about taking the life of a young man who just came home for a bit of supper and a chat.”
The Crown star Jason Watkins plays Brian Masters
Jason Watkins plays Brian Masters, who wrote the book Killing for Company, a detailed biography of the serial killer.
“He was both fascinated and appalled by Nilsen and why he committed these awful crimes. So during the investigation he met up with Nilsen in jail, who told him his life story,” said Jason at the time of the drama’s release.
During the making of Des, now coming to Netflix, Jason talked to the real Brian Masters as part of his research. Indeed, ITV even shot some scenes in Brian’s house.
Jason has also explained why Brian decided to write his book. “Homophobia played a part in how the case was covered and I think that was what first piqued Brian’s interest. He was appalled at the way that certain elements of the press had inferred that somehow the dysfunctionality of the murders was somehow akin to the perceived dysfunctionality of being homosexual back then, and in that time of the early 1980s that seemed to be a very prevalent thing.”
Jason played former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson in The Crown. He’s also well known for starring in ITV’s cosy crime drama McDonald & Dodds, which has sadly now been cancelled.
Line of Duty’s Daniel Mays plays DCI Peter Jay
Daniel Mays stars as DCI Peter Jay, who fought to bring Dennis Nilsen to justice. The drama is told from the viewpoint of Peter and Brian Masters. Peter was the cop who went to Nilsen’s home to investigate reports of human flesh clogging the drains.
Peter asked Nilsen where the rest of the body was. “It’s in the cupboard,” replied Nilsen. Peter then arrested him for murder. Nilsen admitted in a police interview to Peter that he’d murdered 15 victims. But Nilsen couldn’t remember the names of them. Peter and his team wanted to find the identity of every victim. They managed to discover the identity of six. Peter’s tireless work ensured Nilsen was convicted.
Moreover, Daniel explained that Peter is the “heart and soul of the story”. He added: “For me, I think it’s probably the most mature, grounded performance I’ve given to date. To act up close and personal with David Tennant was such an honour too. I think this is one of the best performances he’s ever delivered.”
During his research for the drama, Daniel spoke to Peter’s widow. During his career, Daniel has played a lot of cops! He starred as a corrupt police officer in Line of Duty and played two different ones in Moonflower Murders. Most recently he played DCI Chris Hudson in the Netflix film The Thursday Murder Club.
Who else is in the cast for Des?
- I Fought the Law‘s Ron Cook appears as DSI Chambers.
- Protection’s Barry Ward plays DI Steve McCusker.
- The Responder’s Faye McKeever appears as Linda Jay.
- Andor’s Ben Bailey Smith, also known as Doc Brown, is DC Brian Lodge.
- Ridley‘s Bronagh Waugh appears as Charlotte Proctor.
- Grace’s Laura Elphinstone is Tilly.
- The Hack’s Jay Simpson plays DS Chris Healey.
- After Life’s Tony Way appears as Mike Cattran.
- The Rig’s Stuart McQuarrie plays Ronald Moss.
- Great Expectations star Jonathan Coy is Professor David Bowen.
Reviews for Des with David Tennant
One of the reasons you should watch Des on Netflix is because it received stunning reviews. David Tennant was widely seen as giving arguably the performance of his life. The Guardian declared that David gives a “brilliantly controlled understated yet commanding performance” as Nilsen.
In a five-star review, The Times credited Tennant with mimicking and mirroring “this droning, monotoned psychopath not just with his voice but his entire being”.
The Independent wrote that all three leads give “fine performances”. Also adding: “Like all good true crime, Des constantly asks us why we are watching.”
