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ITV’s Dennis Nilsen drama Des hit by Ofcom complaints from horrified viewers shocked by killer’s gory murders
ITV'S serial killer drama Des has been hit with Ofcom complaints after viewers were horrified by Dennis Nilsen's gruesome murders.
The dark three-parter saw Nilsen, played by David Tennant, nonchalantly recall ending the lives of at least 12 men during a five-year killing spree.
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Talk of boiled heads, dismemberment and necrophilia - as well as the amount of chain-smoking by characters - prompted seven viewers to complain to broadcast regulator Ofcom.
The grisly true life tale left those watching at home ‘scared to sleep’.
Taking to Twitter, one wrote: "Oh it’s time to scare myself silly again Face screaming in fearwatching @itv #Des I’m hoping @TwiningsUK Sleeping symbol is going to help this evening #scared #itv #itvdes #tea #twinings #sleep."
Another tweeted David's co-star Daniel Mays, who plays the detective in charge of the case, DCI Jay: "@DanielMays9 Just watched Des, scared to go to sleep now!"
A third added: "I can attest that reading Dennis Nilsen’s Wikipedia page before turning in doesn’t make for a great night’s sleep. #Des."
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The killer was rumbled when a workman discovered chunks of human flesh in the drain of Nilsen's Muswell Hill home.
Cops discovered further remains in his top floor flat before the psychopath willingly confessed to murdering more men between 1978 and 1983.
Chilling scenes saw monster Nilsen defend carrying out despicable acts on the corpses.
Brian Masters - Nilsen's biographer - asked the killer about having sex with the bodies of his victims.
Nilsen insisted it "wasn't about sex" and accused Brian of trying to find "simple answers".
But Brian - played by Jason Watkins - replied: "I'm not trying to simplify anything but you did have sex with these young men after they died."
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Nilsen then chillingly 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."
This Morning's Eamonn horrified as cop who arrested Dennis Nilsen reveals moment he opened cupboard full of body parts
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