The miniseries is based on the real 1983 arrest of Scottish serial killer Dennis Nilsen, which came after human remains were found blocking a drain near his home.

Des is the ninth entry in a sequence of ITV miniseries dramatizing notorious British murder cases, following earlier productions such as Shipman (2002) and See No Evil: The Moors Murders (2006), and preceding The Pembrokeshire Murders (2021).

David Tennant plays serial killer Dennis Nilsen, with the cast also including Daniel Mays as Detective Chief Inspector Peter Jay and Jason Watkins as biographer Brian Masters.

Production on the series began in November 2019.

The premiere episode drew 5.4 million live viewers on ITV, matching a benchmark previously set in 2019 by Cleaning Up, with a peak audience of 5.9 million representing nearly a third of all viewers watching TV at that time.

The series holds an 89% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising it as a smartly scripted, eerie true crime drama anchored by a chilling performance from David Tennant.

David Tennant won the International Emmy Award for Best Actor at the 49th International Emmy Awards in 2021 for his role as Dennis Nilsen.