David Tennant to play serial killer in ITV's 'Des'

Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Good Omens, Doctor Who and Broadchurch icon David Tennant is to play serial killer Dennis Nilsen in ITV's three-part drama Des.

The miniseries is based on the true-crime book Killing for Company by Brian Masters. Lewis Arnold is directing the project.

Temple actor Daniel Mays and Jason Watkins from The Crown will play Police Detective Chief Inspector Peter Jay and biographer Brian Masters respectively.

Nilsen murdered boys and young men in his apartment between 1978 and 1983. He was ultimately discovered when police were called to investigate why flesh and bone fragments were clogging the drains in his building.

He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment and died in May 2018.

"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," Polly Hill, ITV's head of drama, said in a press release. "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."