David Tennant undergoes chilling transformation to play serial killer Dennis Nilsen in new series

Nilsen confessed to killing 15 men in London between the years of 1978 and 1983

David Tennant has undergone a chilling transformation for his latest role.

The Scottish actor is playing serial killer Dennis Nilsen in a brand new ITV drama that is set to be broadcast later this year.

Nilsen is said to have confessed to killing 15 men in London between the years of 1978 and 1983. Like the former Doctor Who star, Nilsen was also Scottish.

Titled Des, the new series will follow Nilsen’s trial, which ended with his imprisonment for life in 1983. He died in jail two years ago at the age of 78.

Also appearing in the series will be Jason Watkins, who last year received acclaim playing Prime Minister Harold Wilson in Netflix’s latest season of The Crown. He’ll play the mass murderer biographer Brian Masters.

David Tennant as serial killer Dennis Nilsen in new series ‘Des’ (ITV)

Former Line of Duty actor Daniel Mays will also star as Peter Jay, the Detective Chief Inspector working on the case.

Nilsen targeted gay and homeless men, and would get his victims drunk before killing them.

It was later revealed he would keep their bodies for long periods of time before attempting to flush their body parts down the drain.

His crimes were discovered after a resident in his apartment block summoned a plumber to investigate why the drains were blocked.

Des currently has no release date, but ITV has announced it is “coming soon”.