Watch the trailer for David Tennant’s new ’80s serial killer drama ‘Des’

ITV has released the first look at David Tennant in Des.

The new true crime drama series follows the arrest and trial of real-life serial killer Dennis Nilsen in the early 1980s.

Based on Brian Masters’ book Killing for Company, the three-part mini-series dramatises one of the most infamous cases in UK criminal history.

The story is told through the prism of three men – Dennis Nilsen, played by David Tennant (Broadchurch), Detective Chief Inspector Peter Jay, played by Daniel Mays (Line of Duty), and biographer Brian Masters, played by Jason Watkins (The Crown).

Des will air in the UK next month on ITV.

Watch the trailer:

 

The official synopsis reads: “Nilsen murdered boys and young men in his flat from 1978 to 1983. He was undetected for five years, and it was only when DCI Peter Jay was called to 23 Cranley Gardens on 9 February, 1983, to investigate human fragments of flesh and bone clogging the drains, that the police realised they had a serial killer on their hands.

“Dennis Nilsen was arrested and convicted at the Old Bailey of six counts of murder and two of attempted murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, which was replaced by a whole life tariff in 1994. He died in May 2018.

“Told from both the police and Masters’ point of view, Des will explore how a man like Nilsen was able to prey on the young and vulnerable in 1980s Britain. The series will not only highlight the police investigation and trial but also the effect of the media coverage on public perceptions of the victims at the time, raising questions of just how far have we really come since then?”

A broadcaster for Des in the US hasn’t yet been announced.

Brian Masters’ book Killing for Company is available on Amazon.