Folge #1.1

This was a brilliant intro to both the story of Nielsen and the cast who will be portraying it. Tennant is at his best in this role showing both talent and range.The same could easily be said about Daniel Mays as Detective Peter Jay too, very impressed! I feel the rest of the cast are brilliant too and I can't wait for next weeks episode!

The format of this opening episode was different to what I'd expected, we don't get much of a build up, we get straight into the heart of the story.

It's a chilling story, it'll be interesting to see where they go next.

One of the best dramas I've seen for some time, absolutely brilliant, you get absorbed straight into the story.

David Tennant, absolutely incredible, he was incredible casting, he has an uncanny resemblance to Nilsen, he'll be winning an award for this one I'm certain.

Deserves a 10/10.

The acting was superb, story compelling and does everything the first episode should. Can't wait for the rest of the series

Though genuinely unsettling & respectfully chronicling the horrors of Dennis Nilsen's atrocities reliably, "Des" is somewhat limited by the fact that it feels as though it's desperately trying to be a David Fincher film - emulating his grim, distinctive signature style... Without actually possessing the benefit of having any of David Fincher's involvement in this project, whether it be his meticulous direction or the usual gratuitous production budget he tends to bring as a helpful added bonus.

That's not to say it's bad - far from it - but when the creators have so obviously tried to establish their own UK reimagining of Netflix's "Mindhunter", it's hard not to notice the shortcomings when you make that immediate comparison - though you have to commend a British broadcaster like ITV for even having the audacity to make an attempt - despite the fact that such a venture would never have been (& never will be) realistic or affordable.

However, there are positives & the obvious accomplishment is the show's faultless casting. For instance, David Tennant is a perfect choice as the title character & being the indomitable talent & national treasure that he so undoubtedly is, it's safe to say he continues to cement his legacy - after a career spanning decades - as one of the best working actors of this generation by delivering yet another astonishingly convincing performance as an utterly hateful monster. The way in which he embodies the ambivalent serial killer is both chilling & remarkable & it cannot be stated enough - he's incredible.

Hence, to conclude: is "Des" a masterpiece? No, but regardless, is it recommendable? Yes, absolutely.

The thing that stuck in my mind when Dennis Nilsen was arrested in 1983 was that body parts were found in the drain pipes.

As a teenager at the time, it was a jolt knowing that the world can be an evil place.

Some of the victims of Nilsen were teenagers and young men. The first episode of the drama opens with a a guy from a Dyna Rod finding human remains in the drains.

When the police meet Nilsen after he returns to work, he confesses to his crimes in a matter of fact way.

ITV has a penchant for real life crime dramas. For Des, they waited for Nilsen to die which he did in 2018. The first episode covers Nilsen's arrest and interview with the police. It ends with Nilsen talking to the writer Brian Masters who wrote the biography of Nilsen that this drama is based on.

David Tennant gives a chilling but understated performance. There is a drab and macabre look to the drama. When DCI Peter Jay first enters Nilsen's flat, the odour of rotting flesh seems to have permeated through my television set.

It did lack drama though. When confronted by the police in the opening minutes, Nilsen told everything to the police.