David Tennant fans will know he's just as brilliant in villainous roles as in heroic ones, and he's definitely leaning into the former in upcoming British miniseries Des.

The first trailer for the three-parter gives us a glimpse of Tennant in seriously sinister form. Using his native Scottish accent, he stars as Dennis Nilsen, a Scottish serial killer who murdered at least 12 young men and boys in the late '70s and early '80s before being brought to justice.

Nilsen – who typically targeted homeless and/or homosexual men – became known as the "Muswell Hill murderer" because most of his murders took place in the Muswell Hill district of north London.

He went undetected for five years and police only became aware of his spate of gruesome murders when they were alerted to fragments of human flesh clogging the drains at 23 Cranley Gardens, Nilsen's Muswell Hill home.

Des co-stars Daniel Mays (Good Omens, Line of Duty) as London police officer Peter Jay and Jason Watkins (Being Human, Line of Duty) as Nilsen's biographer Brian Masters. Both appear in the trailer alongside Tennant.

https://twitter.com/davidtennantcom/status/1297274428125073408?s=20

Des is due to debut in September on U.K. network ITV. In the U.S., it will air on Sundance Now at a date to be announced.

In the meantime, you can whet your appetite with our recent guide to how David Tennant's been keeping busy during lockdown.

Are you looking forward to seeing David Tennant in Des?