IAN HYLAND on last night’s telly

It feels like David Tennant was born to play this part

Des, ITV: ★★★★★

Whatever you think of the Britain’s Got Talent acts this year, you can’t say ITV isn’t providing variety elsewhere. This week we have a grisly drama about a serial killer who murdered at least 15 young men in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Based on last night’s opener, this threepart story of Dennis “Des” Nilsen will be just as gripping as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? – for different reasons, obviously.

That is down to the unfathomable horror of the crimes Nilsen committed, and some first-class performances by David Tennant, Daniel Mays and Jason Watkins.

At the risk of sounding flippant, it feels like Tennant was born to play this part as his physical resemblance to Nilsen is uncanny.

Few actors could combine coldness and charisma as well as Tennant does here.

And in the role of DCI Peter Jay, the detective investigating the case, Mays matches Tennant expression for expression.

His face somehow managed to go from revulsion to disbelief to something bordering on admiration in last night’s episode.

Then Watkins arrived to do theatrical battle with Tennant, playing biographer Brian Masters, who visited Nilsen in prison.

Wisely, the production team took the decision to include several snippets of archive news footage – reminding riveted viewers that an all too true story lies behind this set of barnstorming performances.