Des cast revealed as chilling real-life serial killer drama starts on ITV
Based on shocking real-life murders, chilling new drama Des will start on ITV on Monday night
by Simon DukeThings are taking a sinister turn on ITV this week with the launch of a new drama based on shocking real life events.
ITV are a channel famous for their gripping drama series and, while there's still a shortage of new ones coming off the production line thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, they will launch Des on Monday night.
The three part show follows the arrest and trial of serial killer Dennis Nilsen, known as Des. 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.
Commenting on their hard-hitting new drama when it was announced last year, ITV’s Head of Drama Polly Hill said: “ 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.”
The Des cast in full is:
David Tennant - Dennis Nilsen
Daniel Mays - Peter Jay
Jason Watkins - Brian Masters
Ron Cook - DCS Geoffrey Chambers
Barry Ward - DI Steve McCusker
Chanel Cresswell - Lesley Mead
Jay Simpson plays DS Chris Healey
Ben Bailey Smith - DC Brian Lodge
Alex Bhat - DS Jones
Ross Anderson - Douglas Stewart
Oscar Garland - Juan
Cal MacAninch - Neil Sinclair
The cast also includes Silas Carson, Stuart McQuarrie, Jamie Parker, Bronagh Waugh, Laurie Kynaston, Lex Shrapnel, Gerard Horan, Joel Morris, Jonathan Coy, Amy Booth-Steel, Ken Bones, Andrew Woodall and Amaka Okafor.