Des is ITV’s biggest drama launch of the year as 5.4 million viewers tune in to watch David Tennant’s harrowing portrayal of brutal serial killer
- The three-part series documents Dennis Nilsen’s arrest and subsequent trial for the brutal murders of 15 young men
- The first episode peaked at 5.9m and was watched by close to a third of all viewers – some 32 percent – across is allotted 9pm time slot
- It marks the channel’s biggest viewing figures since six-part series Cleaning Up launched in January 2019
Chilling new drama Des has given ITV its biggest drama launch of the year after an average 5.4 million viewers tuned in to watch David Tennant play serial killer Dennis Nilsen.
The three-part series, which documents Nilsen’s arrest and subsequent trial for the brutal murders of 15 young men, launched to critical acclaim on Monday September 14.
The first episode peaked at 5.9m and was watched by close to a third of all viewers – some 32 percent – across is allotted 9pm time slot.
Gripping: Chilling new drama Des has given ITV its biggest drama launch of the year after an average 5.4 million viewers tuned in to watch David Tennant play serial killer Dennis Nilsen
It marks the channel’s biggest viewing figures since six-part series Cleaning Up launched in January 2019.
The sizable figure also makes it the biggest drama launch across all channels since the turn of the year.
Viewers were left in shock as David Tennant’s Nilsen calmly admitted to murdering ’15 or 16′ men during Mondays opening episode.
Well received: The three-part series, which documents Nilsen’s arrest and subsequent trial for the brutal murders of 15 young men, launched to critical acclaim on Monday September 14
Nilsen, who died at the age of 74 in 2018 at HMP Full Sutton, 34 years into his life sentence, is believed to have killed as many as 15 gay men, most of them homeless, at his homes in north London suburbs Cricklewood and Muswell Hill late 1970s and early 1980s.
During his killing spree, Nilsen would befriend his subjects in pubs and bars in London before luring them into his flat, where he would murder them and sit with their corpses before dismembering them.
His crimes were discovered when a drain outside his home on Cranley Gardens, Muswell Hill, became blocked by human remains that he had tried to flush away.
Arresting officer: Des also features Daniel Mays as Detective Chief Inspector Peter Jays
Nilsen was jailed for life with a recommendation he serve a minimum of 25 years in 1983, on six counts of murder and two of attempted murder.
The sentence was later upgraded to a whole-life tariff.
Des also features performances from Daniel Mays as Detective Chief Inspector Peter Jays and Jason Watkins as Nilsen biographer Brian Masters.
ITV has three of the top five most watched drama launches this year. As well as Des, the first episodes of Quiz picked up 5.3million viewers, while Van Der Valk was watched by 5.2million.
Des airs from Monday September 14 to Wednesday September 16, 9pm, ITV.