TV & Film
ITV’s new series ‘Des’ hit with Ofcom complaints due to ‘horrifying’ scenes
Have you watched it yet?
Des, a new three-part series on ITV, has been hit with Ofcom complaints as viewers were left ‘horrified’ from the scenes detailing gruesome murders.
Des features the story of serial killer Dennis Nilsen, who murdered at least 12 men in the space of five years, between 1978 and 1983 in London.
Played by David Tennant, Des’s talk of boiled heads, dismemberment and necrophilia, plus extensive chain-smoking on the series, has prompted viewers to complain to Ofcom.
Taking to Twitter, one viewer wrote: “Oh it’s time to scare myself silly again watching @itv #Des I’m hoping @TwiningsUK is going to help this evening #scared #itv #itvdes #tea #twinings #sleep.”
Another tweeted David’s co-star, Daniel Mays, who plays DCI Jay, the detective in charge of the case: “@DanielMays9 Just watched Des, scared to go to sleep now!”
The killer was found out when a workman found chunks of human remains in the drain of Nilsen’s home in Muswell Hill. More remains were found before Des confessed to the murders.
There are chilling scenes which sees Nilsen defend carrying out despicable acts on the corpses.
Nilsen’s biographer, Brian Masters, asked him about having sex with the victims to which Nilsen replied ‘it wasn’t about sex’, adding that Brian was trying to find ‘simple answers.
Brian replies: “I’m not trying to simplify anything but you did have sex with these young men after they died.”
Nilsen creepily replied: “No, I did not. Did I enjoy them? Yes.
“Did I gain some sort of satisfaction from looking at their naked bodies next to mine in the mirror? I didn’t penetrate them.
“The only thing I did was squeeze the life out of a human being, that was wrong, that was unforgivable. I’ll be properly punished for it.”
He continued: “What I did with a corpse was neither here nor there. If you’re more disgusted by what I did to a corpse than what I did to a living man, then your moral system is upside down.”