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Season 1 – Des

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – Des Sep 2020 Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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90% Tomatometer 20 Reviews 92% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
When the police discover his drain clogged with rotting flesh and bones, Dennis Nilsen freely admits his crimes to the police; as they try to secure a conviction, biographer Brian Masters' attempts to understand his motives grow ever more obsessive.
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Des — Season 1

Des — Season 1

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Des is a smartly scripted, sufficiently eerie true crime drama anchored by a chilling performance from David Tennant.

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Critics Reviews

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John Anderson Wall Street Journal Oct 14, 2020
[Des] is delivered in three tautly constructed, economical episodes about crime and punishment, the crime, as usual, being more engrossing than the punishment. Go to Full Review
Liam Fay The Times (UK) Sep 22, 2020
David Tennant's performance as the titular psychopath, known as Des to his fellow civil servants, was richly detailed and impeccably controlled. Ultimately, however, the show's central strength was Luke Neal's agile screenplay. Go to Full Review
Scott Bryan BBC.com Sep 19, 2020
In short, it's a fascinating portrait of a terrible man. Go to Full Review
Graeme Tuckett The Post NZ Sep 3, 2021
Recommended, but only with a strong drink nearby. Go to Full Review
Hannah Brown Jerusalem Post Feb 9, 2021
It stars David Tennant, who was so memorable as DI Alec Hardy in Broadchurch, and he gives another tightly wound performance here. However, it is an extremely disturbing miniseries and not for the faint of heart. Go to Full Review
Josh Bell CBR Oct 15, 2020
Des captures this unassuming real-life serial killer thanks to an excellent performance from David Tennant, but it focuses just as much on two men who helped bring Nilsen to justice. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Alain E @AlainE Jul 29, 2026 In cardiology DES are the initials for the medicated stents used to treat coronary blockages. Here is how the disturbing serial killer, played very well by David Tennant, likes to be called. The real life crime series is a great success because, even though we learn from the beginning the identity of the culprit, we continue to watch with undiminished interest. What moves the plot is that the killer plays a cat and mouse game with the police pretending that he doesn’t remember the names of his victims. The chief detective, a very good Daniel Mays, has to carefully analyze the existing evidence, which the killer did his best to render almost useless. At the same time, his superiors are pressuring him to wrap the whole thing up. Faye McKeever plays very well the small role of the ex wife of one of the victims. On Prime. See more
Kalissa H @kali_416 Jul 14, 2026 A very well done mini-series. 100% worth a watch. See more
Joel C @Gravedigger Jul 11, 2026 This show proved that you don't need gore or kills to tell a captivating story, and after watching this I immediately looked up Dennis Nilsen because not only does this tell the story from the Officer's point of view, but it also shows how creepy and unpredictable Nilsen can be. 10 out of 10!!! See more
J P @NotZeppoMarx Jun 15, 2026 Good but not great. Kept my interest. Watched free on Tubi. See more
Diana I @RT86965059 Oct 5, 2024 A. Psychological, look into a manipulative serial killer. Excellent script executed to perfection See more
DMC M @Dee1957 Sep 7, 2024 It was pretty good, I watched all 3 episodes at one time. The actors were good. David Tennant is a clone of Dennis Nilsen, it's uncanny. There's a Netflix doc called "The Nilsen tapes" and a clip of that reveals that he actually said more to police about his motives than what was in this 3 part series, I feel there could have been a lot more to this story other than the frustration the police had trying to get him convicted. See more
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Des — Season 1

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Lewis Arnold

Director

Luke Neal

Creator

Lewis Arnold

Creator

David Tennant

Dennis Nilsen

Daniel Mays

DCI Peter Jay

Jason Watkins

Brian Masters

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Sep 14, 2020 On Feb. 9, 1983, Detective Chief Inspector Peter Jay discovers a drain clogged with rotting flesh and bones; the culprit, Dennis Nilsen, freely admits to the police that it's not just one or two bodies, but more than a dozen. Details Episode 2 Aired Sep 15, 2020 With limited resources, Jay and the police continue to dig into Dennis Nilsen's memories in an effort to convict him of the murders; when Des withdraws his cooperation and stops talking, Jay fears justice will be lost. Details Episode 3 Aired Sep 16, 2020 Reeling from Des' change in plea, Jay and the police throw themselves into proving premeditation; if they can show the court that Des was undoubtedly of sound mind when he committed his crimes, he will go down and never be released. Details

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Des — Season 1

Des View more photos

Season Info

Director
Lewis Arnold
Creator
Luke Neal, Lewis Arnold
Executive Producer
Willow Grylls, Kim Varvell, Charles Pattinson, Elaine Pyke, Luke Neal, Lewis Arnold, David Tennant
Screenwriter
Luke Neal
Network
UTVHD
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
British English
Release Date
Sep 14, 2020
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