ALL3MEDIA REACHES EARLY DEALS FOR TRUE CRIMEN SERIES "DES"

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 a 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 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.