Scripted

Leading independent distributor all3media international has secured key early deals for new true crime drama Des starring David Tennant, as broadcasters in the Americas, Australasia and Scandinavia acquire rights ahead of ITV’s premiere TX.

Based on the true story of serial killer Dennis Nilsen (Tennant), New Pictures’ chilling three-parter, which will debut on commissioning broadcaster ITV in the UK later this year, has been signed by AMC Networks’ streaming service Sundance Now for the USA, Canada and the Caribbean. Sundance Now will premiere the series soon after ITV’s UK premiere later this year.

Also in the Americas, DIRECTV has picked up rights for the Latin American region, whilst STAN has a premiere window secured in Australia.

Initial European deals for Des are led by a pan territory acquisition from C More Entertainment encompassing Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Further pick-ups in Europe include VRT (Flemish Belgium), Siminn hf (Iceland), TV2 (Norway), Virgin Media Television (Eire) and BritBox (UK), and Dazzler Media has signed UK DVD/DTO rights. TVNZ has also acquired rights to Des for New Zealand.

Sally Habbershaw, EVP Americas at all3media international, commented, “We’ve received a significant amount of interest in this powerful new true crime drama and are pleased to see this now translating into early deals in key territories. Featuring an incredible cast, led by David Tennant in a standout role as Dennis Nilsen, Des brings this infamous case vividly to life, focusing on the investigation and trial, as well as the impact media coverage had on public perceptions. This premium primetime mini-series is set to be one of this year’s most gripping true crime dramas, and these first deals are just the start of its international journey.”

Shannon Cooper, VP Programming for Sundance Now, said, “Sundance Now is thrilled to partner with our friends at all3media international to bring this riveting true story to US and Canadian audiences. With its incredible script and stellar ensemble cast led by David Tennant, our subscribers are sure to love this true crime drama.”

Directed by Lewis Arnold (Dark Money) and written by Luke Neal and Kelly Jones, Des is produced by all3media group’s New Pictures (Catherine the Great, The Missing) in association with all3media international for ITV. Des is based on material from the book Killing for Company by Brian Masters.

DES is a true-crime drama focusing on one of the most infamous criminal cases in UK history – DENNIS NILSEN. Known as the ‘kindly killer’, Nilsen (David Tennant, Good Omens, Broadchurch) was a local civil servant who spent five years murdering boys and young men he met on the streets of London’s Soho from 1978 to 1983. He would meet and befriend these men before offering them food or lodgings for the evening back at his North London flat. His victims were often homeless or living off grid, having slipped through the cracks of 1980s British society and were therefore welcoming of this stranger’s apparent generosity. When he was finally caught on 9 February 1983, Nilsen had murdered a total of fifteen men over a period of five years, making him Britain’s most prolific serial killer of the time.

After his arrest, Nilsen was astonishing in his honesty: admitting outright to all fifteen murders in the police car outside his flat. But infuriatingly for the investigating detectives, he couldn’t remember any of his victims’ names. With no apparent motive, inconclusive forensic evidence and most of Nilsen’s victims living off-grid, the police started the biggest manhunt investigation in UK history. This time not for the murderer, but for the murdered.

The story is told through the prism of three isolated men - a detective, a biographer, and Nilsen himself. While DETECTIVE PETER JAY (Daniel Mays, Line of Duty) and the police investigation’s attempt to get justice for as many victims as possible provides the narrative and emotional spine, the relationship between NILSEN and his biographer BRIAN MASTERS (Jason Watkins, The Crown) allows us to delve into the mind of one of the most emotionally elusive serial killers the world has ever seen. Can we ever really understand the mind of a psychopathic killer? And, if we try, what price do we pay?