Bassy
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Des
Sept 21, 2020 21:16:09 GMT
Post by Bassy on Sept 21, 2020 21:16:09 GMT
I really enjoyed this recent dramatisation of the arrest, interrogation and trial of Scottish serial killer Dennis "Des" Nilsen, who committed murderous atrocities against men and boys between 1978 and 1983.
Conspicuously lacking in mayhem and gore, it will probably have disappointed those expecting a non-fictional British equivalent of "Silence of the lambs".
Both Daniel May (playing the lead detective on the case) and David Tennant (Nilsen) were excellent in their nuanced portrayals, which, in less talented hands, could have been unsubtle grotesqueries.
The suppose "outrage" over the amount of violence (virtually none, in fact) and smoking (plenty, but it's an accurate reflection of the period) were wildy misplaced and, I suspect, largely exaggerated by our habitually dishonest and loathsome press.
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Des
Sept 22, 2020 8:11:57 GMT
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Post by Lord Emsworth on Sept 22, 2020 8:11:57 GMT
I watched this the other night Bassy and agree with your assessment I read the Brian Masters book Killing For Company when it came out, which was the basis of this dramatisation. Brian Masters was also a consultant for the programme. I wondered if the lack of jeopardy would work - it opens with Nilsen's arrest, so we know where it's going. However the drama comes via the exploration of the toll the case takes on everyone involved: the police investigating the crimes who are trying to identify the victims, on Brian Masters the biographer, and of course the families of the victims As you say, all the leads are excellent, although you didn't mention the always excellent Jason Watkins who plays Brian Masters The mood and direction are superb, and it's a really credible evocation of early 80s north London
Well worth watching.
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Des
Sept 22, 2020 12:51:06 GMT
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Post by johnnyoi on Sept 22, 2020 12:51:06 GMT
Yeah I enjoyed this too.Like you say great performances from Daniel May,David Tennant and Jason Watkins.It seems a lot of serial killer documentaries we see on our screens are from the 70’s and 80’s.Hopefully with the advent of cctv,DNA and new technology would be serial killers will be nipped in the bud before they have time to wreak havoc.Can’t see a new Yorkshire Ripper coming along and getting away with it for so long.
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Des
Sept 22, 2020 12:58:01 GMT
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Post by Lord Emsworth on Sept 22, 2020 12:58:01 GMT
Yeah I enjoyed this too.Like you say great performances from Daniel May,David Tennant and Jason Watkins.It seems a lot of serial killer documentaries we see on our screens are from the 70’s and 80’s.Hopefully with the advent of cctv,DNA and new technology would be serial killers will be nipped in the bud before they have time to wreak havoc.Can’t see a new Yorkshire Ripper coming along and getting away with it for so long. Talking of the Yorkshire Ripper there was an excellent three part doc on the iPlayer until recently.... www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0003m05Hopefully it will come back if you didn't see it Johnny, you're spot on. Modern forensics, DNA and CCTV would make it much harder for someone like Sutcliffe to remain undetected The other point about the Ripper investigation was the incompetence of the police. The documentary explains how they were fixated on him only targetting prostitutes so discounted testimony from people who had survived attacks by him because they didn't fit the preconceptions the police had. They were also completely convinced by the Wearside Jack tape which was a hoax. |
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Bassy
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Posts: 131
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Post by Bassy on Sept 22, 2020 21:10:43 GMT
His Lordship said "Johnny, you're spot on. Modern forensics, DNA and CCTV would make it much harder for someone like Sutcliffe to remain undetected".
Theoretically, you'd hope that this would be the case.
Unfortunately, the almost 24/7 diet of "True crime" documentaries on dedicated channels has lead to the recent phenomenon of murderers and rapists becoming "forensics aware".
The most extravagantly insane will always slip up and leave some type of clue. More calculating perpetrators of such crimes and those who function perfectly well in public now have all the information they need to avoid, or at least delay, detection.
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Des
Sept 23, 2020 6:02:54 GMT
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Post by Lord Emsworth on Sept 23, 2020 6:02:54 GMT
There was a three part documentary series on iPlayer a while back called 24/7 focussing on the Essex police and three separate crimes. In all of them it was a combination of CCTV, mobile phones proving location, and DNA which solved the cases.
I know that's a bit different from a cunning, forensics aware sociopath but it certainly makes it much harder for a serial killer to evade capture
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2020 19:42:15 GMT
Just watched all of this earlier with Mrs RP.
Couldn't agree more with all the comments. All great performances especially Daniel May and David Tennant who was chillingly accurate as Nilsen.
Incredible to think that this guy played the jovial Dr Who.
Also, let's not forget Barry Ward who played Jay's sidekick Steve.👍
ITV are well ahead of the BBC in the drama stakes and 'Des' further underlines this supremacy.👍
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Des
Sept 24, 2020 17:37:05 GMT
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Post by stu77 on Sept 24, 2020 17:37:05 GMT
I never knew that his first victim was 14.
What a repulsive turd he was .
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Deleted
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Des
Sept 24, 2020 19:13:30 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2020 19:13:30 GMT
Me neither.
The way he talked about his victims so casually and non chalontly too.....it was if he was inviting them around to help him with the decorating.
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Des
Sept 24, 2020 20:09:11 GMT
Post by stu77 on Sept 24, 2020 20:09:11 GMT
Another one who should have been caught well before he was but wasn't due to plod dimwittedness
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Deleted
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Des
Sept 24, 2020 20:22:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2020 20:22:15 GMT
It seemed to me the cops were more interested in budgets and the fact that he was gay and one of their own rather than bringing him to justice.
They obviously didn't give a fuck about young homeless people not surprisingly.
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