Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Season 1 – Des

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – Des 2020 Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
90% Tomatometer 20 Reviews 97% Popcornmeter Fewer than 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.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (20) Critics Reviews
John Anderson Wall Street Journal [Des] is delivered in three tautly constructed, economical episodes about crime and punishment, the crime, as usual, being more engrossing than the punishment. Oct 14, 2020 Full Review Liam Fay Times (UK) 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. Sep 22, 2020 Full Review Scott Bryan BBC.com In short, it's a fascinating portrait of a terrible man. Sep 19, 2020 Full Review Graeme Tuckett The Post NZ Recommended, but only with a strong drink nearby. Sep 3, 2021 Full Review Hannah Brown Jerusalem Post 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. Feb 9, 2021 Full Review Josh Bell CBR 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. Oct 15, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (7) audience reviews
Diana I A. Psychological, look into a manipulative serial killer. Excellent script executed to perfection Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/05/24 Full Review DMC M 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. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/07/24 Full Review ThaMago L Very good, wish we could see a little bit more tho Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/24 Full Review Margaret W Excellently well-written, -acted, and -executed by the entire creative team, cast, and crew. It's hard to move on after watching and being confronted with such heinous violence inflicted on innocent human beings. I think that the questions of how to respond in such an unfathomable situation--primarily, seeking some form of justice, or at the least, closure and accountability, for the victims and wondering what might cause someone to be capable of this--were handled with what felt like a great deal of thought and respect. The leading performances are fantastic, as has been mentioned, but the supporting cast, especially the actors who played Sinclair's family, Allen's ex-partner, and Stotter, gave incredibly impactful performances in the short time they had on-screen. Take care in deciding to watch, as the series is incredibly upsetting (as it probably should be, given the horrific subject matter) but a worthwhile watch for sure. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/09/24 Full Review Gareth v A smart and excellent limited series on the arrest and trial of notorious serial killer, Dennis Nilsen. David Tennant's potrayal of Nilsen as both a bland individual and a chilling murderer is superb, as is May as tension riddled cheif dectective Peter Jay. One of the hidden gems of 2020. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/24/23 Full Review leokimvideo Impeccable acting, story telling and details BUT what was totally overdone was the endless smoking scenes. Honestly must have a record number of smoking scenes in a short series Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Des — Season 1

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

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; he 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
Prey 100% 80% Prey Watchlist The Victim 92% 95% The Victim Watchlist The Thing About Pam 46% 58% The Thing About Pam Watchlist TRAILER for The Thing About Pam Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders 71% 50% Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders Watchlist TRAILER for Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders Deceit 73% % Deceit Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

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