One of David Tennant’s coldest performances…

It’s fair to say ITV’s Dennis Nilsen drama Des had the cards stacked against it from day one. From having to respectfully handle the deaths of the 12-15 young men murdered by Dennis Dilsen from 1978 to 1983, to ensuring the portrayal of Nilsen was in no way a glorification or made you feel at all empathetic for him. It had to do a lot in a short span of time, and it seems like they properly pulled it off.

For one thing, Des is seen through the eyes of DCI Peter Jay (played by Daniel Mays), the official who led the investigation into the various killings. The show also reveals the failing of the system as Nilsen was only convicted for six of the murders, due to the financial concerns of the prosecution regarding opening a wider investigation. Not to mention, the show truly portrays the devastating evil of Nilsen’s crimes, highlighting how vulnerable his victims were (some were as young as 14) and how he would take advantage of at-risk members of society.

David Tennant’s performance is shockingly on point as well, delivering an icy-cold portrayal of Nilsen that reflects Nilsen’s pure evil and a lack of remorse. At one point he delivers the line “I never kept a stock check” regarding the bodies stored at his property, and man it’s terrifying. It makes you feel properly violated, and just goes to show the abhorrent nature of Nilsen’s crimes and his total overflow of evil.

Luckily, Nilsen will never see the show, as he died from a ruptured abdominal aneurysm in prison in 2018. But regardless, it’s an important watch, and highlights how the failure of the system to do right by the victim’s families still happens today in 2020. You can check out the full series on Stan.