Des Review

ITV has had a series of shows that focused on infamous serial killers. Their most recent show looks at the case against Dennis Nilsen.

In 1983 London has had an influx of men looking for work, but many end up homeless or addicted to drugs. An unassuming public servant, Dennis “Des” Nilsen (David Tennant) took advantage and lured many men to his flat so that he can kill them. Des was only discovered when human remains were found in the drains pipes to his flat. DCI Peter Jay (Daniel Mays) was the police officer who investigated the crime.

ITV has an excellent record making true-life, three-part series and Des was one of the best. A major factor was the casting. David Tennant is a highly regarded actor who’s best known for playing The Doctor. With the role of Des, Tennant gave a chilling performance as the serial killer. He had a calm and controlled demeanour, who tells the police he had killed several men and seemingly co-operates with the police. However, Des was a sociopath and liked to maintain control. The police have to sift the fact from the fiction. Des was a man who wanted to be the centre of attention so contacts a biographer.

Des looked like an unassuming figure due to his big glasses and flat hair. If you compare Tennant’s appearance in the series with Nilsen’s mugshots they look similar. Des looks and speaking matter made him seem approachable and his intellect made him a scarier character than any horror villain. Even after Des’ conviction he still held a lot of power because only he knew who all the victims’ identities. DCI Jay and Des’ biographer, Brian Masters (Jason Watkins), had to maintain a relationship with the serial killer despite the fact they despise him.

The rest of the cast was strong. Daniel Mays as DCI Jay was a man who had to walk a lot of tightropes. He’s having to navigate the sensitivities of a case that a lot of media attention and having to deal with Metropolitan Police internal politics due to the profile of one of the victims and the money spent on the investigation. Jay had to be careful with how he handled Des and any potential witnesses. I am used to seeing Mays in comedic roles, so it was great to see him flex his dramatic muscles.

Nilsen was a vile serial killer, yet the show wisely avoided showing any of the killings. Des starts with the police getting the call about the discovery and jumps straight into the investigation. The writer and directors of the series avoided showing the crimes for two main reasons. It would have been exploitive since these were real murders and all the witnesses were unreliable, so no one really knew what happened behind closed doors. Violence was alluded to, like a pot having a severed head in it and a forensics officer advising Jay not to look in it.

The series was broken down into three episodes. The first episode was about the initial investigation and the police have to figure out the identities of the victims; the second was about the murder of Kenneth Ockenden and the Met putting pressure on Jay to wrap up the investigation; the third episode was about the trial. Even those the outcome was known the series still had a sense of tension, especially during the trial because Des said he was not guilty and the prosecution case gets derailed.

Des serves as a masterclass on acting and a great example on to make a compelling true-life drama without feeling exploitive.