Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

ITV commissions three part drama, Des - with David Tennant as Dennis Nilsen

22/11/2019

ITV commissions three part drama, Des - with David Tennant as Dennis Nilsen

ITV has announced the commission of Des, a three part drama which follows the arrest and trial of serial killer Dennis Nilsen, known as Des.

Written by Luke Neal and developed by Luke Neal and Lewis Arnold, the drama is based on material from the book Killing for Company by Brian Masters, which focuses on one of the most infamous cases in UK criminal history, that of serial killer Dennis Nilsen.

Told through the prism of three men - Dennis Nilsen played by David Tennant (Good Omens, Broadchurch), Detective Chief Inspector Peter Jay played by Daniel Mays (Line of Duty, Temple) and biographer Brian Masters played by Jason Watkins (The Crown, The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies) - the series will explore the personal and professional consequences of coming into contact with a man like Nilsen.

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?

Additional cast include Ron Cook, Faye McKeever, Chanel Cresswell, Barry Ward, Tony Way, Bronagh Waugh, Laurie Kynaston, Ross Anderson, Ben Bailey Smith, Jay Simpson, Silas Carson, Stuart McQuarrie, Jamie Parker, Lex Shrapnel, Gerard Horan, Joel Morris, Jonathan Coy, Amy Booth-Steel, Ken Bones, Andrew Woodall and Amaka Okafor.

Commented ITV's Head of Drama Polly Hill:

This drama starts with Nilsen's arrest and is looking at him through the eyes of the police officer trying to identify those he killed and deliver justice for them and the biographer he chose to tell his story. David Tennant is going to be brilliant as Dennis Nilsen and with Daniel Mays as Jay and Jason Watkins as Brian, this has an incredible cast to bring this story to screen and we are delighted to be making this with New Pictures for ITV.

Kim Varvell, Executive Producer for New Pictures added:

Dennis Nilsen's crimes shocked the nation in the early 1980s. Our programme focuses on the emotional impact of those terrible crimes, both on those who came into contact with Nilsen himself, and also on the victims' families. We're thrilled to be working with Luke and Lewis on this project, as well as the incredible cast.

The series is produced by New Pictures (Catherine The Great, The Missing) in association with all3media international for ITV and executive produced by Willow Grylls, Kim Varvell, Charlie Pattinson, Elaine Pyke, Luke Neal, Lewis Arnold and David Tennant.

Des is written by Luke Neal (episode 1 and 2) and Kelly Jones (episode 3), based on material from the book Killing For Company by Brian Masters. Directed by Lewis Arnold and produced by David Meanti, Des has been commissioned for ITV by Head of Drama, Polly Hill.

all3media international will distribute the series internationally.
LINK: https://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/itv-commissions-three-p...
See more stories from itv

Europe Stories

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

14/01/2026

ITV selects Yospace for Advanced Ad Measurement and Monetisation on Freely

Staines-upon-Thames, UK, 13th January, 2026 ITV, one of the UKs leading broadcasters, has selected Yospace, the global leader in Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI), to ...

14/01/2026

Steiger Media reimagines broadcast workflows with Calrec

Steiger Media's adoption of Calrec's compact Argo M console not only makes its innovative new hybrid truck faster, more efficient, and agile, but also e...

14/01/2026

Sky News announces Cathy Newman to lead flagship new political programme

Wednesday 14 January 2026 Sky News announces Cathy Newman to lead flagship new political programme Sky News today announces that award-winning journalist and ...

14/01/2026

Special stamp celebrates 100 Years of Broadcasting in Ireland

The first stamp of An Post's 2026 Stamp Programme, marking 100 Years of Broadcasting, was unveiled at by Patrick O'Donovan TD, Minister for Culture, Com...

14/01/2026

It's Official! Beverley Callard joins Fair City

It's official! Beverley Callard has landed in Carrigstown. The beloved actor, known for her unforgettable roles and iconic screen presence, is joining the c...

13/01/2026

AGILE Against the Odds: Backing Innovative Income Streams for Independent Media

Independent media in Brazil and Colombia is facing an urgent crisis of traditional business models alongside a deteriorating security environment, according to ...

13/01/2026

SES Acknowledges Moody's Rating Action and Reiterates Deleveraging Commitments

Luxembourg, December 17, 2025 - SES S.A. ( SES or the Company ), a leading spa...

13/01/2026

Sky commissions original drama series The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, based on Stieg Larssons globally bestselling Millennium novels

Written and executive produced by Steve Lightfoot and Angela LaManna, produced b...

13/01/2026

New updates to Hitmaker Expansion from Celemony and Softube

New updates to Hitmaker Expansion from Celemony and Softube Edit pitch-perfect vocals with Melodyne Essential and get radio-ready guitar tones from Softube...

13/01/2026

RT to mark 100 Years with special broadcasts live from the GPO this Thursday, January 15

Live broadcasts from RT 2FM Breakfast with Carl, Roz & Aisling, RT Radio 1 Tod...

12/01/2026

New Year, New Jobs, Renewed Commitment

Spotify's new co-CEOs, Alex Norstr m and Gustav S derstr m, start off the new year with a message of renewed leadership, creative responsibility, and what&#...

12/01/2026

Spotify's Artists to Watch 2026 Are Ready for the Spotlight

At Spotify, we listen to a lot of music. And every year, our global editors and artist partnerships teams come together to spotlight the emerging voices we beli...

12/01/2026

Spotify's Music Team Reveals Its Songwriters to Watch 2026

Spotify's global editors and Songwriter & Publisher Partnerships team spend their days immersed in new music, tracking the writers behind the songs breaking...

12/01/2026

Rohde & Schwarz opens larger office in Japan and increases its support for the Japanese automotive market

Rohde & Schwarz opens larger office in Japan and increases its support for the J...

12/01/2026

X-Rite and Rhopoint Launch Rhopoint PANTORA Aesthetix to Streamline Creation of Digital Material Twins

X-Rite and Rhopoint Launch Rhopoint PANTORA Aesthetix to Streamline Creation of...

12/01/2026

VEON's Kyivstar Launches 5G Pilot in Lviv

12 Jan 2026 VEON's Kyivstar Launches 5G Pilot in Lviv Lviv, January 12, 2026 - VEON, a global digital operator (Nasdaq: VEON), today announces that Kyivsta...

12/01/2026

The ultimate betrayal: Harry and Jamie Redknapp, Paul Merson and Karel Prince team up to find the culprit ahead of Transfer Deadline Day

Monday 12 January 2026 The ultimate betrayal: Harry and Jamie Redknapp, Paul Me...

12/01/2026

Rohde & Schwarz opens larger office in Japan to increase its support for the Japanese automotive market

Rohde & Schwarz opens larger office in Japan to increase its support for the Jap...

12/01/2026

Welcome to the AVECO team: introducing new members of management

Welcome to the AVECO team: introducing new members of management At AVECO, we are continuing to implement our #newAVECO strategy, which aims to build an even s...

12/01/2026

Comedian and actor Michael Fry becomes the first celebrity to exit Dancing with the Stars

For the first time in the nine-year history of Dancing with the Stars, the first...

10/01/2026

Golden Week Nominees Night Celebrates a Podcasting Milestone

This year, podcasts are making their Golden Globes debut with a new category honoring the medium's leading shows and creators. To mark the occasion, Spotify...

09/01/2026

RT delivers another record year in 2025, bringing Ireland together with national moments

RT Player has 157 million streams, up 10% year-on-year An increase on 2024, RT...

09/01/2026

2FM announces line-up of Rising Artists for 2026

RT 2FM has today announced the highly anticipated list of 2FM Rising Artists for 2026, kicking off 2FM Rising week for the eighth year on The Tracy Clifford Sh...

09/01/2026

RT to Host the 2026 RTS Ireland Awards

RT to Host the 2026 RTS Ireland Awards Thursday, 16 April 2026 | Dublin Royal Convention Centre The RTS Ireland Television Awards 2026 | Gradaim RTS 2026 | R...

08/01/2026

How disinformation is shaping Sudan's conflict: a new report

An evidence-based analysis on disinformation and information manipulation in Sudan's ongoing conflict is published today. (January 8th 2026). Thomson Found...

08/01/2026

One Year In: How Creators Are Growing Their Shows and Connecting With Audiences Through the Spotify Partner Program

In 2025 we launched the Spotify Partner Program to give creators more ways to tu...

08/01/2026

Spotify Toasts to the Future of Podcasting With Creators at Our New Sycamore Studios

On Wednesday in Los Angeles, Spotify welcomed creators and press to a brunch cel...

08/01/2026

TSA awards Rohde & Schwarz contract for advanced airport screening ahead of Soccer World Cup 2026

TSA awards Rohde & Schwarz contract for advanced airport screening ahead of Socc...

08/01/2026

Sound on Sound Magazine reviews CORE+ technology

The review looks back at DPA's miniature microphone development over the years. It compares the evolving technologies from the original mics through CORE an...

08/01/2026

Comscore Launches Audio Targeting and Measurement Capabilities with The Trade Desk, Helping to Unlock Incremental Reach for Advertisers

Comscore Launches Audio Targeting and Measurement Capabilities with The Trade De...

08/01/2026

Parents of murdered Irish woman Kirsty Ward speak out People need to know his name

Tonight, on RT Prime Time at 9:35pm on RT One and RT Player Tonight, Prime T...

08/01/2026

It's The Late Late Show Trad Special

The Late Late Show celebrates the very best of traditional Irish music with its first-ever full special dedicated entirely to the tradition Lisa Canny | Kevin...

08/01/2026

DANCING WITH THE STARS - WHO WILL BE THE VICTIM OF THE EARLIEST EVER SERIES ELIMINATION?

It will be murder on the dancefloor when Dancing with the Stars returns this S...

07/01/2026

A Defining Moment for Podcasts: Spotify Kicks Off Week of Festivities After Contributing More Than $10 Billion to the Industry

Spotify is launching a week-long celebration spotlighting creators at the center...

07/01/2026

Introducing Listening Activity and Request to Jam in Messages on Spotify

We know people use Spotify not just to listen, but to share the songs, podcasts, and audiobooks they love with their friends and family. When we launched Messag...

07/01/2026

Go Inside Spotify Sycamore Studios, Our New State-of-the-Art Podcast Studio in Hollywood

This week, all eyes are on the podcast industry as the Golden Globes recognizes ...

07/01/2026

Making It Easier for Video Podcasters to Earn on Spotify

Podcasts are stepping onto a new stage this week as the Golden Globes recognize the medium for the first time. To mark this milestone moment, we're hosting ...

06/01/2026

Spotify Celebrates Podcasting's Big Moment Ahead of First-Ever Golden Globes Category

Spotify is launching a week-long celebration spotlighting creators at the center...

06/01/2026

Spotify's New Gov Ball Experience Turns the 2026 Lineup Into a Personalized Data Story for Every Fan

Lorde. A$AP Rocky. JENNIE. Baby Keem. KATSEYE. That's just a taste of who...

06/01/2026

Channel 4 and UKTV Deliver Unmissable Entertainment and More Choice for Viewers

Channel 4 and UKTV are giving viewers even more reasons to stream, with UKTV's U service set to feature thousands of hours of free, unmissable and bingeable...

06/01/2026

An update on our Sky Mobile prices

Tuesday 6 January 2026 An update on our Sky Mobile prices Devesh Raj, Chief Operating Officer, Sky Today, we've announced some changes to the prices of ...

06/01/2026

Comscore Launches Daily Program-Level Reporting with Deduplicated Insights on Shows and Episodes across CTV and Linear TV

Comscore Launches Daily Program-Level Reporting with Deduplicated Insights on Sh...

06/01/2026

Comscore Completes Recapitalization Transaction with Preferred Stockholders Following Approval from Common Stockholders

Comscore Completes Recapitalization Transaction with Preferred Stockholders Foll...

05/01/2026

Celebrate Bad Bunny's DeB TiRAR MS FOToS' Anniversary With Playlist Cover Art Stickers and More

Bad Bunny's DeB TiRAR M S FOToS defined the sound of 2025 for listeners eve...

05/01/2026

RT waltzes into 2026 and entertains the nation as Dancing With The Stars and Room To Improve are huge hit

As the clock struck midnight and 2026 was born, so was an exciting range of new ...