Des (2020): Season 1, Episode 1 - Episode #1.1 - full transcript
When the police are called to a blocked drain, they discover that the drains are blocked with bones and rotting flesh. They talk with the resident of the top floor flat. He is a meek civil ...
Can you offer any hope
for the unemployed?
I think it's going to be
very difficult
to get it down significantly
in 1983.
Drifters who've strayed to London
in the expectation
of streets paved with gold
and beacon lights
that would guide them to prosperity.
You go to the Job Centre -
"Where do you live?"
"No fixed abode." "Sorry,
we can't help you with a job."
There's a growing army
of younger people
looking for work or a new life.
What they need is a secure home
and a job,
but often, they're denied either.
The first thing that they find
is that London isn't what it
appears to be on television.
They've often deliberately
cut all links with the past,
and this makes them an easy target
for exploitation
by criminals or conmen.
It's an increasingly violent place,
particularly for young people.
DOORBELL RINGS
Oh, hi. Come in.
Thank you.
Love, Tilly's here.
Just through here.
Thanks.
Hey, Peter. Sorry to come so early.
Er, just... give me two secs.
There we go.
They said there should
be some cricket pads.
Well, it's February.
The boys won't need them
till the summer term.
I'm gonna see them before then,
surely.
Let me get them.
I'm sorry, Peter.
It's not your fault.
Thanks.
Sorry again for the intrusion.
Till, hang on a minute.
Look, I...
..I know you're trying
to be a good friend to Carol,
and I don't want you
to get in the middle.
But... it can't keep going on
like this.
It's crazy.
Whatever happened
between me and her,
the boys have got nothing
to do with it.
Please.
I miss 'em.
I'll speak to her.
Thank you.
PHONE RINGING
Morning.
Anything on the overnight?
Not much.
Another burglary in Wood Green,
but that's about it.
Any witnesses?
It was only called in
half an hour ago, guv.
Can you take a statement
on your way home?
The boss in?
Yep.
Guv? Yeah?
Steve called.
They've found suspected
human remains in Muswell Hill.
In a drain. Remains?
That's what he said.
Did he give you an address?
Yeah, said 23 Cranley Gardens.
OK. If he calls again,
tell him I'm on my way.
I thought you were giving up.
I am.
Mr Cattran called this in.
All right?
How do you do?
I was telling the officer,
I was called here last night
because of a blockage.
There was a lot more,
but when I got back this morning,
it had gone.
Could it have unblocked itself?
No way.
You'd have to get in there
and clear it by hand.
Plus,
one of the ground floor tenants
heard someone rooting around here
last night.
Do you know how far
the blockage goes up?
About halfway.
But the middle flat's unoccupied,
so it must have come from
the top floor flat.
He's the one that reckoned
it was KFC last night.
That has to be human, right?
Thank you, Mr Cattran.
That it?
Er, we'll contact you to come down
the station for a statement.
Right.
Do you think he wanted a medal?
What do you reckon?
Well,
let's get them down to pathology,
confirm they're human.
Is he home?
At work, apparently.
The Job Centre in Kentish Town.
What do you want to do?
Well, I guess we wait.
Aye.
I knew you were gonna say that.
Dennis Nilsen?
All right?
My name is Detective Chief Inspector
Peter Jay
and this is Detective Inspector
Steve McCusker.
We'd like to talk to you
about your drains.
Since when are the police
interested in drains?
DOG BARKS
Let's talk about that upstairs,
shall we?
All right.
What's this about?
Human remains have been found
in the drains outside.
Right.
DOG BARKS
Come on in.
Don't worry, she's very friendly.
DOG BARKS,
WHINES
Right, don't muck me about.
Where's the rest of the body?
In the cupboard.
BAGS RUSTLING
MCCUSKER GROANS
Dennis Nilsen, I'm arresting you
on the suspicion of murder.
You do not have to say anything,
unless you wish to do so,
but what you do say
may be given in evidence.
Don't let anyone up there
until the pathologist gets here.
So, are we talking about
one body or two?
15 or 16... I think.
So, what do we know?
At least one victim.
Partial remains found
in a bin liner in his cupboard.
Young male, judging by the torso.
Going by the smell in the flat,
I'd say there were a lot more.
There's no actual evidence
of 16 bodies, is there?
It's off limits till morning.
Too damp. We've secured the scene,
but apparently we risk contamination
if we go in too early.
What he was saying in the car
was pretty convincing, guv.
Why were you talking to him
in the car?
I was... What if he says that
confession was given under duress?
If he's telling the truth,
we're gonna have the eyes
of the world on us.
We have to do this by the book
from now on.
We need him to identify the remains
before we can charge him.
What do you reckon?
I think we're gonna get a lot more
bees with honey than with vinegar.
DOOR OPENS
Sorry for the late call, Ronnie.
That's OK.
I'd like a few minutes
with my client, if it's possible?
We're doing it in there, are we?
I thought it'd be
a bit more comfortable for everyone.
I'm Ronald Moss...
This evening, two police officers
entered your flat.
There,
they found the remains of a man.
Do you want to explain that?
In what context?
How did it get there?
Have you searched
the rest of the flat yet?
We're in the process of that
as we speak.
You'll find more in the, er,
tea chest in my bedroom,
and in the turned-up drawer
in my bathroom.
All in all,
the remains of three people.
In the car,
you said that there was more.
I must advise my client...
195 Melrose Avenue, N2.
There, you'll find the remains of 12
or 13 people dating back to 1978.
It's actually a relief
to get this off my chest.
Thank you.
Who do all these remains belong to?
I need a moment with my client...
It's OK. Er...
I'm afraid I don't remember
their names.
None of them? Well, at the time,
I'd only just met them.
Where did you meet them?
All over. Bars, on the street.
Some, I just wanted to give a meal.
London can be a lonely place
sometimes.
A friendly face goes a long way.
So, they were homeless?
Er... some.
Because of the drugs, usually.
It really is a disease,
it's very sad. And, you know,
this bloody government
does nothing for them.
Were they all male?
Aye.
How old were they?
Well, some looked younger
than others. Erm...
Sorry, I'm not being very helpful.
No, you're doing fine.
How did you kill them?
I strangled them.
Where did these murders take place?
In my house.
Mostly in my bed, to be specific.
So, they came home with you
willingly? Yeah.
Were they all homosexual?
I don't remember asking them.
Are you homosexual, Mr Nilsen?
Well, er...
for the sake of convenience,
you should probably class me
as homosexual.
If that's actually true,
I'm not so sure.
The three in Cranley Gardens,
when did these murders take place?
The most recent was three weeks ago.
Erm...
The others, last year sometime.
You kept them for a year?
Aye.
In pieces?
No, no. The dissection's
merely for disposal.
It's the dirty platter
after the feast, if you like.
In Melrose, it was simple
cos it was a ground floor flat,
so there was space
under the floor boards for storage
and sole access to a garden
when a clearance was called for.
Yeah, no, I remember it, Melrose,
when the bodies began to accumulate,
I knew there'd be a smell problem.
So, at the weekend,
I'd take up the floorboards,
I'd get blinding drunk,
so I could face it,
er, put down sort of black plastic,
like a bin liner,
for the mess,
and then I'd start dissection
on the kitchen floor.
I learnt if you make an incision
just below the navel,
you can pretty much
get to everything
without having to deal with
the rib cage and such.
But it was all trial and error.
You buried them in the garden?
No, I burnt them.
Erm, I'd wrap them
in an old piece of carpet
and throw a tyre on top,
hide the smell.
I took no pleasure
in cutting up people,
or boiling heads, or burning bodies.
I did it cos I had to,
there was no more space.
How many bodies did you have
in the house at any one time?
I never did a stock check.
Or ask their names, it seems.
No, no, that I do regret.
Yeah, I wish I could remember
their names to tell you now.
I really do.
I have to ask...
why did you do this?
I don't really know. Erm...
I was rather hoping
you could tell me that.
INDISTINCT CHATTER
DOG BARKS
Take us through them all,
one by one.
With number three,
he was a young-looking man
I picked up at Euston Station.
I was out on the piss that night,
drinking heavily.
Next morning,
he was dead on the floor.
I remember bits and pieces.
I don't remember any violence
at all.
Whilst drinking in Soho,
I got into a conversation
with this Scottish guy...
Number 11 was a skinhead type,
he had "cut here"
tattooed on his neck.
He was boasting about his toughness,
about his hardness.
After killing him,
I just went to bed.
End of day, end of drinking,
end of person.
The 12th was a...
I remember being sat on him...
"My legs, I can't move my legs."
I called him an ambulance.
Number 14, I made him an omelette,
he said he wanted something to eat.
If it was the omelette that
killed him or me, I'm not so sure,
but I don't suppose omelettes
leave red marks on a neck, do they?
What do you think, guv?
I'm thinking there's a lot of words
on those pages,
but not a lot of concrete evidence.
You think he's lying?
About the amount? Possibly.
I dunno, guv. There's something...
I believe him.
Well, let's get a victim's name
and charge him.
Right, I'd better update the yard.
CELL DOOR SLAMS SHUT
WOMAN: That's it, look surprised.
CAMERA CLICKS
That's it.
Bring that up a bit.
What's this?
Er, this is the detective.
Jay, right?
Charlotte Proctor.
You went to the press?
You seemed like
you didn't believe me,
so I had to tell someone.
Can you confirm
the remains you found were human?
Detective, have you arrested
Mr Nilsen yet?
Guv... I wouldn't, if I were you.
How didn't we know?
SIRENS BLARING
When I got there this morning,
there was a journo
a few doors down
from Cranley Gardens
with the drain guy from yesterday.
That didn't take him long, did it?
Right, media blackout from now on,
boys.
They get nothing from us.
Understood? ALL: Yes, guv.
Last thing we need is an early siege
before we charge him.
Er, where are we at
with everything else?
Chris, did you search his office?
We weren't allowed to.
What do you mean?
His colleagues said
they couldn't believe
he would do anything like this,
and if we wanted to search
the office,
we'd need to get a warrant.
You're kidding me. Take down one of
the bags we found in his flat,
maybe that would act as a warrant.
Anything else from the lab?
Bowen's confirmed strangulation
as the cause of death.
That was quick.
Well, one of the pieces we took down
had a ligature mark on it.
Has he been able to identify anyone?
No, not yet.
So all of this is irrelevant
until he gives us a name.
DOOR OPENS,
FOOTSTEPS
He used to be a policeman.
What?
Where?
With the Met.
Willesden. Left in '73.
Why did he leave?
Nothing on file.
He just left.
Shit.
Are you fucking with us?
Mr Chambers...
You're ex-police.
You left that out last night.
I didn't mention it
cos it's not relevant. Not relevant?
No, I wasn't doing this while
I was there, so it's not relevant.
Not at the present time, anyhow.
It's in nobody's interest
for me to lie.
Why did you leave?
Homophobia.
A name. Right now.
Mr Nilsen,
you don't have to say anything.
Like I said to you last night,
the last one was Scottish,
we were saying
how shite Scotland is in the winter.
A Scottish name.
Stephen. It was Stephen.
Stephen what?
Oh, I'm sorry,
I really don't remember.
I think now would be a good time
to pause the interview, anyway.
No, let's keep going.
Steve, get me a list of all Stephens
reported missing from Scotland.
That's gonna be a pretty long list,
guv. That's all we got.
Do it.
I want to help the officers
and the men caught up in my mess.
Mr Chambers, may I have a minute
with my client?
As I see it, a solicitor is here
to advise and facilitate
my legal rights. Am I correct?
Huh? Then your advice should've been
to tell the detectives everything.
There's still a process, Mr Nilsen.
Mr Moss, I won't be needing you
any longer. I don't advise this.
No, it's my final decision.
It's the only way
we're gonna get to the bottom
of this mess, once and for all.
If you could.
Please?
Mr Chambers.
Ronnie.
Shall we carry on?
I was at McDonald's on the way
to Oxford Street station.
He said he hadn't eaten all day.
I mean, what was I meant to say
to that?
Erm, he had blond hair...
Well... so did some of the others.
Stephen, blond hair, Scottish...
I can't remember his second name.
Just take your time.
Take us through it again.
You went home. What happened then?
We drank, we laughed.
I poured two large glasses
of rum and coke.
He said he didn't like rum.
I said, "Well, you didn't
bloody well pay for it, did you?"
Yeah. He had a nice laugh.
I mentioned Tommy,
you know the album, Tommy?
He said he'd never heard it.
So I put it on...
..and watched as he closed his eyes
and listened to it.
I thought to myself,
you lucky bugger,
experiencing that
for the first time.
Yeah...
I entertained no thoughts of...
harming him.
You know, I had nothing but concern
and affection
for his future and the...
the pain of his life.
But you did strangle him.
Afterwards, I noticed that
his jeans were soaked with urine.
So, I wanted to wash him clean,
so I took his clothes off.
And, er...
I remember I had difficulty
with his tight, wet jeans,
but soon as he was sat there naked
in my armchair.
And he'd only urinated.
He obviously hadn't had
a square meal in a few days.
He had deep cuts on both his wrists.
They were still open.
So he must have recently
tried to commit suicide.
And I very gently carried him
through to the bathroom,
and put talc on him
to make him look cleaner.
And he did, he looked magnificent.
He was like one of those
Michelangelo sculptures.
We need names.
Mm. I know you do, and I'm trying.
But some were a long time ago.
Then, stay with the last one.
I said Stephen.
It's not enough, you know that.
I mean,
you remember so many details,
there must have been a time
in the evening
he told you his full name.
Look.
All we want to do
is corroborate your claims.
It was definitely a Scottish name,
we joked about that. It was...
..like Fraser, or...
Stephen... Sinclair, it was.
Sinclair.
You're sure?
Aye. Stephen Sinclair.
JAY: If this Stephen Sinclair
was a drug addict,
chances are he has a record.
Record will have a photo
and fingerprints -
we can match those to what we found
at the flat.
He has given us the name, not to
mention the torso in his flat.
Can't we just charge him, guv?
What if he's got it wrong?
Or he's playing with us?
Sinclair walks into our courtroom,
alive and well,
and there goes the credibility.
You know that.
No mistakes, no shortcuts.
We need to be good police.
Peter, it doesn't feel right giving
him the blue ribbon treatment here.
Whilst he's talking,
we carry on treating him well.
Understood?
ALL: Yes, guv.
DOOR SQUEAKING
DOG BARKS,
WHINES
Is it necessary
to still have Bleep here?
It's been two days.
There's nothing we can do
about that.
She's an old dog, sounds like
she's in a lot of distress.
Please, she's done nothing wrong.
She doesn't deserve this.
I'll see what I can do.
We won't be starting until
a bit later this morning, Mr Nilsen,
but Mr Jay thought
you might be hungry.
That's kind of him, thank you.
Another thing. Have there been
any newspaper reports about me?
There was one, yes.
May I have a copy?
I'll ask.
Sinclair was young.
Aye, he'd just turned 20.
Severe personality problems.
Drug abuse.
He really didn't stand a chance,
did he?
Gentlemen.
Pretty grim viewing, I'm afraid.
As you can see, the dissection has
been done to a high level of skill.
It was actually quite simple to
decipher which parts go with which.
Er, these are from the last victim.
But his head has been boiled
beyond all recognition.
Can we fingerprint him?
This last one, absolutely.
The others, probably not.
Too much decay.
Would you care to know
the cause of death?
Strangulation.
Well, he was strangled, that's true.
But in the autopsy, we discovered
his lungs were filled with water,
so death was due to drowning.
Why did he leave that out?
Er, there's something else.
Tests show he had Hepatitis B.
Quite a common disease
with needle-using heroin addicts,
but if any police officer
has been in its vicinity,
they'll have to have a vaccination,
I'm afraid.
Oh, for fuck's sake.
Thank you, David.
It's Sinclair.
Dennis Nilsen, I am charging you
with the murder of Stephen Sinclair
by drowning.
You will now be taken
to Melrose Avenue,
where you will identify
the burn site of the other victims.
Do you understand?
Yeah.
Come on.
The press are outside.
Who?
Everyone, I think.
I'll see what's happening.
I'll go and speak to them,
whilst you head out the back.
No. They're out there as well.
Geoff, get the hood.
No. I've got nothing to hide.
Nilsen!
Nilsen, over here!
Can you look at the camera, please,
Nilsen? Nilsen, look over here!
What are we looking at, Detective?
Give us a quote!
On Wednesday morning,
officers were called to an address
to investigate suspicious fragments
found in a drain.
Upon analysis,
they were proved to be human
and an investigation was opened.
We have now charged a man
by the name of Dennis Nilsen
with murder.
How many people
do you suspect him to have murdered?
We won't be revealing the number
at this time.
Can you at least say what gender
he's suspected of killing?
Men.
When did Nilsen start
this unusual habit? Five years.
But can you make sure you attribute
the term "unusual habit"
to Mr Wells and not myself, please.
Inspector, how can somebody kill
for five years
without the police knowing?
We will be investigating that
at the relevant time.
That's all, thank you.
CAMERAS CLICKING
Inspector, do you feel you let
the people of Muswell Hill down?
Ah, it's strange being back here.
Yeah.
I remember summers here.
Bleep as a little puppy,
running around.
We even had a vegetable patch...
Where did you have the bonfires?
I'd start here, if I were you.
OK, Dennis.
You're now gonna be taken
to Herne Hill,
where you'll stay
whilst you're on remand.
Not back to the station?
No, I'm afraid not.
OK, let's go.
I just spoke to some of the boys
from Willesden.
So, they say rumour has it
Nilsen left the police
because he was caught masturbating
in the morgue.
No.
Makes you uneasy, don't it?
How much we're relying on him
to tell us the truth.
REPORTER: 'It was here,
outside Hornsey Police Station,
'that police confirmed
that Dennis Andrew Nilsen
'has been charged with the first
'of what is said to be
multiple murders.'
CHAMBERS: 'On Wednesday morning,
'officers were called
to an address...'
Can you help me with this?
'..suspicious fragments
found in a drain.'
Brian?
Oh, sorry.
'On analysis,
they were proved to be human
'and an investigation was opened.
What's happened? Oh,
it's a multiple killer in London.
'..Dennis Nilsen with murder.'
'It's being reported
that he was caught
'by the discovery of blocked drains
'that were filled with the remains
of human flesh...'
I have to go to work.
'It is also being reported
that his victims were men
'that Nilsen had lured
back to his flat
'on the sense
of promised frivolity.'
RINGS DOORBELL
Mr Sinclair?
Yes.
My name is Detective Chief Inspector
Peter Jay.
Are you the parent
of Stephen Sinclair?
Before you say any more, officer,
Stephen doesn't live here any more.
He hasn't done since he started
stealing from us to fund his habit.
We don't even know
where he is at the moment.
Mr Sinclair, can we come in?
Elizabeth?!
A few days ago, a body was found.
That body, I'm sorry to say,
has now been confirmed as Stephen.
A man has been charged
in connection with his murder.
His murder?
I'm sorry to say, we can't give you
much information at present,
but we will as soon as we can.
In the meantime,
if there's anything that you need...
Can I see him?
I'm afraid that's not possible,
Mrs Sinclair.
But surely we need to identify him.
He's already been identified.
But how?
Has somebody come in to see him?
I want to see him.
Maybe somebody's made a mistake.
Mrs Sinclair, it's Stephen.
I can't tell you how sorry I am
to be sure of that.
But you don't want to see him.
Not like this.
I told him something like this
would happen.
But that drug, it changed him
and there was nothing we could do.
Was there, love?
No.
He wouldn't listen to us,
no matter how hard we tried.
He just thought of us as a hotel,
or a bank...
or a prison.
Not now, Neil.
SHE SNIFFS
SHE SOBS
I'm sorry.
FOOTSTEPS COMING DOWN STAIRS
Brian?
Yeah.
Oh, thank you.
Anything good?
Oh, no, not really.
It's just all so salacious.
He just looks so ordinary.
Like someone you'd walk past
in the street, or meet in a bank.
You see, that's what makes
the whole thing so intriguing.
This dichotomy
between this seemingly normal,
unobtrusive civil servant
and the nature of his crimes.
It just seems so hard to fathom.
What's there to fathom?
Well, what makes most of us
go one way with our lives,
and others, like Nilsen, go so far
in the opposite direction?
Probably because he's evil.
I'm going to be late.
See you tonight.
Mm-hm.
REPORTER: The man currently
being questioned by police
is a 37-year-old civil servant,
Andrew Nilsen, known to
his colleagues at work as "Des".
For the past six months,
he's been working here
at the Manpower Services Commission
in London's Kentish Town.
I understand that
he is also a former policeman,
having been in the force
for about a year in the early '70s.
INDISTINCT CHATTER
Probably robbed it.
If I find out
any of you tipped them off
about him being ex-police,
I'll personally drag you
to the fucking committee myself!
Do you hear me?
We are in blackout,
that means you don't mention
his name outside this station.
Not to your wives, your mistresses,
your friends down the pub.
You understand?
This man killed on our patch
for four years.
We find every name,
and we charge and convict him
with every single fucking one.
He gets away with nothing.
Get rid.
KNOCKING ON DOOR
Come in.
This gentleman's here about Nilsen.
He wants to talk to you, Guv.
What can I do for you?
Dennis Nilsen tried to kill me.
Where did you meet him?
A pub. The Golden Lion.
Dean Street, Soho.
But I'm... I'm not gay.
No, of course.
He was with a group of people,
who I assume were his friends.
After last orders, he said we should
go back to his for a drink.
I thought he meant all of us.
But it was only the two of us
that went.
I must have passed out,
because when I came to,
he'd tied my ankles together
with his tie
and he was strangling me with mine.
I managed to fight him off
and get him to the ground.
He then started screaming,
"Take my money! Take my money!"
Like I was the one attacking him.
Sorry, er, when was this?
Three years ago.
I'd put it to the back of my mind.
Moved on. Then when I saw his face
in the newspaper, it all came back.
Why didn't you go to the police
at the time?
I did. Straight away.
They took me back there.
They were there for five minutes.
They spoke to Nilsen
and bought his story
that it was a lovers' tiff.
It wasn't something
they wanted to be around.
They even apologised to him
for wasting his time
and sent me on my way.
OK, erm...
You're just gonna
have to go from the beginning.
Leave nothing out.
So, how many of these
has he written to you?
Well, the fourth came today.
And... and there's a poem
in the last one.
"Lives of sorrow, bones of the dead,
"given by the sea to fitful head."
It's so... sensitive.
Well, quite.
You wouldn't think by reading that,
that this man strangled young men
and disposed of them
down the lavatory, would you?
How is the prison
allowing you to meet him?
He said he'd put me
on the visitors' list.
Although they're probably not aware
that I'm a writer.
Well, aren't you frightened?
No, no. He's, erm...
he's hardly going to jump over
the desk and strangle me, is he?
No, but still...
Do you think you'll shake his hand?
No. No, I shouldn't think so.
Name?
Brian Masters to see Dennis Nilsen.
You find us OK?
Do you smoke, Brian?
Yes, I do.
Er...
You can smoke as many real fags
in this room as you like.
Out there,
you're only allowed tobacco.
Yeah.
They say capital punishment's dead,
but Her Majesty manages
to find her little ways, you know?
HE CHUCKLES
Yes.
I read your book, Brian.
The Dukes: Our Origin, Ennoblement
And The History Of 26 Families.
Are you from aristocracy?
No. No, I'm not.
You're from that kind of world,
though, eh?
I bet you're a bloody Tory.
I'm not sure
that's entirely relevant.
I'm just... I'm not entirely sure
of your intentions as of yet.
Yeah. Your letters sounded genuine,
but now we're sat
opposite each other, I worry.
I have judged myself more harshly
than any casual observer
or any court ever could.
Aren't you the one judging me,
Mr Nilsen?
How's that?
Oh, you...
you hear my accent and you assume
that you know everything about me.
I'm simply stating it's obvious
where you came from.
I'm not... It's not a bad thing.
I just like to know where I stand
with the person I'm talking to.
Well, I was... I was brought up on
the Old Kent Road.
You don't sound like you were
brought up on the Old Kent Road.
Well, I was lucky,
I got an education.
Ah. Is that where the accent
comes from, then?
It's your education, is it?
I was under the impression
that I was here to discuss
writing a book about you.
Erm...
I'm really not that interesting.
Why would you want to write
about a monster like me?
Do you consider yourself
to be a monster?
Have you read the paper?
Hmm. Of course.
It truly amazes me,
people's attraction to the macabre.
Cos all of us have skeletons
rattling around in our cupboards,
y'know?
Secrets they would never dare
to tell to anyone.
So, what comes is this flood
of self-righteous
public condemnation,
whilst simultaneously,
everybody's talking about it over,
and over and over.
They're consuming it
and indulging in it,
but at arms-length...
I'm not here to do that.
Meanwhile, I'm left here to rot,
whilst others make profits
at my expense.
Listen,
if you want some money from this,
I'm sure that we can come
to some arrangement.
I don't want... I don't want a penny
from any of this.
I just don't want those poor men
exploited.
Well, I'm not here to exploit you
or those 17 young men that you...
15! It was 15.
It wasn't 17, it was 15.
See, now,
if you're gonna get your information
from those red-top fuckers,
telling lies about me every day,
we might as well say goodbye now,
Brian.
I have a responsibility for my story
and theirs to be told correctly.
I also have that responsibility.
I... I have no want
to write some two-bit horror novel
with ghoulish adjectives.
I'm not here to elaborate,
or expose or excuse.
I'm here to comprehend,
because the law cannot comprehend
beyond the question
of guilty or innocent.
And how do you propose to do that?
By listening.
I want to know about your
upbringing, your teenage years,
your time in the army.
All of it.
Because only by doing that...
do we get the whole picture...
Mr Nilsen.
I must warn you, Brian,
you will find a full inquiry
into my life and deeds...
..distressing.
I'm aware of that.
Well, then.
I pass the burden of my past
and deeds onto your shoulders.
Make sure you bring
an extra pack of fags next time, eh?
Oh...
..please, call me Des.
for the unemployed?
I think it's going to be
very difficult
to get it down significantly
in 1983.
Drifters who've strayed to London
in the expectation
of streets paved with gold
and beacon lights
that would guide them to prosperity.
You go to the Job Centre -
"Where do you live?"
"No fixed abode." "Sorry,
we can't help you with a job."
There's a growing army
of younger people
looking for work or a new life.
What they need is a secure home
and a job,
but often, they're denied either.
The first thing that they find
is that London isn't what it
appears to be on television.
They've often deliberately
cut all links with the past,
and this makes them an easy target
for exploitation
by criminals or conmen.
It's an increasingly violent place,
particularly for young people.
DOORBELL RINGS
Oh, hi. Come in.
Thank you.
Love, Tilly's here.
Just through here.
Thanks.
Hey, Peter. Sorry to come so early.
Er, just... give me two secs.
There we go.
They said there should
be some cricket pads.
Well, it's February.
The boys won't need them
till the summer term.
I'm gonna see them before then,
surely.
Let me get them.
I'm sorry, Peter.
It's not your fault.
Thanks.
Sorry again for the intrusion.
Till, hang on a minute.
Look, I...
..I know you're trying
to be a good friend to Carol,
and I don't want you
to get in the middle.
But... it can't keep going on
like this.
It's crazy.
Whatever happened
between me and her,
the boys have got nothing
to do with it.
Please.
I miss 'em.
I'll speak to her.
Thank you.
PHONE RINGING
Morning.
Anything on the overnight?
Not much.
Another burglary in Wood Green,
but that's about it.
Any witnesses?
It was only called in
half an hour ago, guv.
Can you take a statement
on your way home?
The boss in?
Yep.
Guv? Yeah?
Steve called.
They've found suspected
human remains in Muswell Hill.
In a drain. Remains?
That's what he said.
Did he give you an address?
Yeah, said 23 Cranley Gardens.
OK. If he calls again,
tell him I'm on my way.
I thought you were giving up.
I am.
Mr Cattran called this in.
All right?
How do you do?
I was telling the officer,
I was called here last night
because of a blockage.
There was a lot more,
but when I got back this morning,
it had gone.
Could it have unblocked itself?
No way.
You'd have to get in there
and clear it by hand.
Plus,
one of the ground floor tenants
heard someone rooting around here
last night.
Do you know how far
the blockage goes up?
About halfway.
But the middle flat's unoccupied,
so it must have come from
the top floor flat.
He's the one that reckoned
it was KFC last night.
That has to be human, right?
Thank you, Mr Cattran.
That it?
Er, we'll contact you to come down
the station for a statement.
Right.
Do you think he wanted a medal?
What do you reckon?
Well,
let's get them down to pathology,
confirm they're human.
Is he home?
At work, apparently.
The Job Centre in Kentish Town.
What do you want to do?
Well, I guess we wait.
Aye.
I knew you were gonna say that.
Dennis Nilsen?
All right?
My name is Detective Chief Inspector
Peter Jay
and this is Detective Inspector
Steve McCusker.
We'd like to talk to you
about your drains.
Since when are the police
interested in drains?
DOG BARKS
Let's talk about that upstairs,
shall we?
All right.
What's this about?
Human remains have been found
in the drains outside.
Right.
DOG BARKS
Come on in.
Don't worry, she's very friendly.
DOG BARKS,
WHINES
Right, don't muck me about.
Where's the rest of the body?
In the cupboard.
BAGS RUSTLING
MCCUSKER GROANS
Dennis Nilsen, I'm arresting you
on the suspicion of murder.
You do not have to say anything,
unless you wish to do so,
but what you do say
may be given in evidence.
Don't let anyone up there
until the pathologist gets here.
So, are we talking about
one body or two?
15 or 16... I think.
So, what do we know?
At least one victim.
Partial remains found
in a bin liner in his cupboard.
Young male, judging by the torso.
Going by the smell in the flat,
I'd say there were a lot more.
There's no actual evidence
of 16 bodies, is there?
It's off limits till morning.
Too damp. We've secured the scene,
but apparently we risk contamination
if we go in too early.
What he was saying in the car
was pretty convincing, guv.
Why were you talking to him
in the car?
I was... What if he says that
confession was given under duress?
If he's telling the truth,
we're gonna have the eyes
of the world on us.
We have to do this by the book
from now on.
We need him to identify the remains
before we can charge him.
What do you reckon?
I think we're gonna get a lot more
bees with honey than with vinegar.
DOOR OPENS
Sorry for the late call, Ronnie.
That's OK.
I'd like a few minutes
with my client, if it's possible?
We're doing it in there, are we?
I thought it'd be
a bit more comfortable for everyone.
I'm Ronald Moss...
This evening, two police officers
entered your flat.
There,
they found the remains of a man.
Do you want to explain that?
In what context?
How did it get there?
Have you searched
the rest of the flat yet?
We're in the process of that
as we speak.
You'll find more in the, er,
tea chest in my bedroom,
and in the turned-up drawer
in my bathroom.
All in all,
the remains of three people.
In the car,
you said that there was more.
I must advise my client...
195 Melrose Avenue, N2.
There, you'll find the remains of 12
or 13 people dating back to 1978.
It's actually a relief
to get this off my chest.
Thank you.
Who do all these remains belong to?
I need a moment with my client...
It's OK. Er...
I'm afraid I don't remember
their names.
None of them? Well, at the time,
I'd only just met them.
Where did you meet them?
All over. Bars, on the street.
Some, I just wanted to give a meal.
London can be a lonely place
sometimes.
A friendly face goes a long way.
So, they were homeless?
Er... some.
Because of the drugs, usually.
It really is a disease,
it's very sad. And, you know,
this bloody government
does nothing for them.
Were they all male?
Aye.
How old were they?
Well, some looked younger
than others. Erm...
Sorry, I'm not being very helpful.
No, you're doing fine.
How did you kill them?
I strangled them.
Where did these murders take place?
In my house.
Mostly in my bed, to be specific.
So, they came home with you
willingly? Yeah.
Were they all homosexual?
I don't remember asking them.
Are you homosexual, Mr Nilsen?
Well, er...
for the sake of convenience,
you should probably class me
as homosexual.
If that's actually true,
I'm not so sure.
The three in Cranley Gardens,
when did these murders take place?
The most recent was three weeks ago.
Erm...
The others, last year sometime.
You kept them for a year?
Aye.
In pieces?
No, no. The dissection's
merely for disposal.
It's the dirty platter
after the feast, if you like.
In Melrose, it was simple
cos it was a ground floor flat,
so there was space
under the floor boards for storage
and sole access to a garden
when a clearance was called for.
Yeah, no, I remember it, Melrose,
when the bodies began to accumulate,
I knew there'd be a smell problem.
So, at the weekend,
I'd take up the floorboards,
I'd get blinding drunk,
so I could face it,
er, put down sort of black plastic,
like a bin liner,
for the mess,
and then I'd start dissection
on the kitchen floor.
I learnt if you make an incision
just below the navel,
you can pretty much
get to everything
without having to deal with
the rib cage and such.
But it was all trial and error.
You buried them in the garden?
No, I burnt them.
Erm, I'd wrap them
in an old piece of carpet
and throw a tyre on top,
hide the smell.
I took no pleasure
in cutting up people,
or boiling heads, or burning bodies.
I did it cos I had to,
there was no more space.
How many bodies did you have
in the house at any one time?
I never did a stock check.
Or ask their names, it seems.
No, no, that I do regret.
Yeah, I wish I could remember
their names to tell you now.
I really do.
I have to ask...
why did you do this?
I don't really know. Erm...
I was rather hoping
you could tell me that.
INDISTINCT CHATTER
DOG BARKS
Take us through them all,
one by one.
With number three,
he was a young-looking man
I picked up at Euston Station.
I was out on the piss that night,
drinking heavily.
Next morning,
he was dead on the floor.
I remember bits and pieces.
I don't remember any violence
at all.
Whilst drinking in Soho,
I got into a conversation
with this Scottish guy...
Number 11 was a skinhead type,
he had "cut here"
tattooed on his neck.
He was boasting about his toughness,
about his hardness.
After killing him,
I just went to bed.
End of day, end of drinking,
end of person.
The 12th was a...
I remember being sat on him...
"My legs, I can't move my legs."
I called him an ambulance.
Number 14, I made him an omelette,
he said he wanted something to eat.
If it was the omelette that
killed him or me, I'm not so sure,
but I don't suppose omelettes
leave red marks on a neck, do they?
What do you think, guv?
I'm thinking there's a lot of words
on those pages,
but not a lot of concrete evidence.
You think he's lying?
About the amount? Possibly.
I dunno, guv. There's something...
I believe him.
Well, let's get a victim's name
and charge him.
Right, I'd better update the yard.
CELL DOOR SLAMS SHUT
WOMAN: That's it, look surprised.
CAMERA CLICKS
That's it.
Bring that up a bit.
What's this?
Er, this is the detective.
Jay, right?
Charlotte Proctor.
You went to the press?
You seemed like
you didn't believe me,
so I had to tell someone.
Can you confirm
the remains you found were human?
Detective, have you arrested
Mr Nilsen yet?
Guv... I wouldn't, if I were you.
How didn't we know?
SIRENS BLARING
When I got there this morning,
there was a journo
a few doors down
from Cranley Gardens
with the drain guy from yesterday.
That didn't take him long, did it?
Right, media blackout from now on,
boys.
They get nothing from us.
Understood? ALL: Yes, guv.
Last thing we need is an early siege
before we charge him.
Er, where are we at
with everything else?
Chris, did you search his office?
We weren't allowed to.
What do you mean?
His colleagues said
they couldn't believe
he would do anything like this,
and if we wanted to search
the office,
we'd need to get a warrant.
You're kidding me. Take down one of
the bags we found in his flat,
maybe that would act as a warrant.
Anything else from the lab?
Bowen's confirmed strangulation
as the cause of death.
That was quick.
Well, one of the pieces we took down
had a ligature mark on it.
Has he been able to identify anyone?
No, not yet.
So all of this is irrelevant
until he gives us a name.
DOOR OPENS,
FOOTSTEPS
He used to be a policeman.
What?
Where?
With the Met.
Willesden. Left in '73.
Why did he leave?
Nothing on file.
He just left.
Shit.
Are you fucking with us?
Mr Chambers...
You're ex-police.
You left that out last night.
I didn't mention it
cos it's not relevant. Not relevant?
No, I wasn't doing this while
I was there, so it's not relevant.
Not at the present time, anyhow.
It's in nobody's interest
for me to lie.
Why did you leave?
Homophobia.
A name. Right now.
Mr Nilsen,
you don't have to say anything.
Like I said to you last night,
the last one was Scottish,
we were saying
how shite Scotland is in the winter.
A Scottish name.
Stephen. It was Stephen.
Stephen what?
Oh, I'm sorry,
I really don't remember.
I think now would be a good time
to pause the interview, anyway.
No, let's keep going.
Steve, get me a list of all Stephens
reported missing from Scotland.
That's gonna be a pretty long list,
guv. That's all we got.
Do it.
I want to help the officers
and the men caught up in my mess.
Mr Chambers, may I have a minute
with my client?
As I see it, a solicitor is here
to advise and facilitate
my legal rights. Am I correct?
Huh? Then your advice should've been
to tell the detectives everything.
There's still a process, Mr Nilsen.
Mr Moss, I won't be needing you
any longer. I don't advise this.
No, it's my final decision.
It's the only way
we're gonna get to the bottom
of this mess, once and for all.
If you could.
Please?
Mr Chambers.
Ronnie.
Shall we carry on?
I was at McDonald's on the way
to Oxford Street station.
He said he hadn't eaten all day.
I mean, what was I meant to say
to that?
Erm, he had blond hair...
Well... so did some of the others.
Stephen, blond hair, Scottish...
I can't remember his second name.
Just take your time.
Take us through it again.
You went home. What happened then?
We drank, we laughed.
I poured two large glasses
of rum and coke.
He said he didn't like rum.
I said, "Well, you didn't
bloody well pay for it, did you?"
Yeah. He had a nice laugh.
I mentioned Tommy,
you know the album, Tommy?
He said he'd never heard it.
So I put it on...
..and watched as he closed his eyes
and listened to it.
I thought to myself,
you lucky bugger,
experiencing that
for the first time.
Yeah...
I entertained no thoughts of...
harming him.
You know, I had nothing but concern
and affection
for his future and the...
the pain of his life.
But you did strangle him.
Afterwards, I noticed that
his jeans were soaked with urine.
So, I wanted to wash him clean,
so I took his clothes off.
And, er...
I remember I had difficulty
with his tight, wet jeans,
but soon as he was sat there naked
in my armchair.
And he'd only urinated.
He obviously hadn't had
a square meal in a few days.
He had deep cuts on both his wrists.
They were still open.
So he must have recently
tried to commit suicide.
And I very gently carried him
through to the bathroom,
and put talc on him
to make him look cleaner.
And he did, he looked magnificent.
He was like one of those
Michelangelo sculptures.
We need names.
Mm. I know you do, and I'm trying.
But some were a long time ago.
Then, stay with the last one.
I said Stephen.
It's not enough, you know that.
I mean,
you remember so many details,
there must have been a time
in the evening
he told you his full name.
Look.
All we want to do
is corroborate your claims.
It was definitely a Scottish name,
we joked about that. It was...
..like Fraser, or...
Stephen... Sinclair, it was.
Sinclair.
You're sure?
Aye. Stephen Sinclair.
JAY: If this Stephen Sinclair
was a drug addict,
chances are he has a record.
Record will have a photo
and fingerprints -
we can match those to what we found
at the flat.
He has given us the name, not to
mention the torso in his flat.
Can't we just charge him, guv?
What if he's got it wrong?
Or he's playing with us?
Sinclair walks into our courtroom,
alive and well,
and there goes the credibility.
You know that.
No mistakes, no shortcuts.
We need to be good police.
Peter, it doesn't feel right giving
him the blue ribbon treatment here.
Whilst he's talking,
we carry on treating him well.
Understood?
ALL: Yes, guv.
DOOR SQUEAKING
DOG BARKS,
WHINES
Is it necessary
to still have Bleep here?
It's been two days.
There's nothing we can do
about that.
She's an old dog, sounds like
she's in a lot of distress.
Please, she's done nothing wrong.
She doesn't deserve this.
I'll see what I can do.
We won't be starting until
a bit later this morning, Mr Nilsen,
but Mr Jay thought
you might be hungry.
That's kind of him, thank you.
Another thing. Have there been
any newspaper reports about me?
There was one, yes.
May I have a copy?
I'll ask.
Sinclair was young.
Aye, he'd just turned 20.
Severe personality problems.
Drug abuse.
He really didn't stand a chance,
did he?
Gentlemen.
Pretty grim viewing, I'm afraid.
As you can see, the dissection has
been done to a high level of skill.
It was actually quite simple to
decipher which parts go with which.
Er, these are from the last victim.
But his head has been boiled
beyond all recognition.
Can we fingerprint him?
This last one, absolutely.
The others, probably not.
Too much decay.
Would you care to know
the cause of death?
Strangulation.
Well, he was strangled, that's true.
But in the autopsy, we discovered
his lungs were filled with water,
so death was due to drowning.
Why did he leave that out?
Er, there's something else.
Tests show he had Hepatitis B.
Quite a common disease
with needle-using heroin addicts,
but if any police officer
has been in its vicinity,
they'll have to have a vaccination,
I'm afraid.
Oh, for fuck's sake.
Thank you, David.
It's Sinclair.
Dennis Nilsen, I am charging you
with the murder of Stephen Sinclair
by drowning.
You will now be taken
to Melrose Avenue,
where you will identify
the burn site of the other victims.
Do you understand?
Yeah.
Come on.
The press are outside.
Who?
Everyone, I think.
I'll see what's happening.
I'll go and speak to them,
whilst you head out the back.
No. They're out there as well.
Geoff, get the hood.
No. I've got nothing to hide.
Nilsen!
Nilsen, over here!
Can you look at the camera, please,
Nilsen? Nilsen, look over here!
What are we looking at, Detective?
Give us a quote!
On Wednesday morning,
officers were called to an address
to investigate suspicious fragments
found in a drain.
Upon analysis,
they were proved to be human
and an investigation was opened.
We have now charged a man
by the name of Dennis Nilsen
with murder.
How many people
do you suspect him to have murdered?
We won't be revealing the number
at this time.
Can you at least say what gender
he's suspected of killing?
Men.
When did Nilsen start
this unusual habit? Five years.
But can you make sure you attribute
the term "unusual habit"
to Mr Wells and not myself, please.
Inspector, how can somebody kill
for five years
without the police knowing?
We will be investigating that
at the relevant time.
That's all, thank you.
CAMERAS CLICKING
Inspector, do you feel you let
the people of Muswell Hill down?
Ah, it's strange being back here.
Yeah.
I remember summers here.
Bleep as a little puppy,
running around.
We even had a vegetable patch...
Where did you have the bonfires?
I'd start here, if I were you.
OK, Dennis.
You're now gonna be taken
to Herne Hill,
where you'll stay
whilst you're on remand.
Not back to the station?
No, I'm afraid not.
OK, let's go.
I just spoke to some of the boys
from Willesden.
So, they say rumour has it
Nilsen left the police
because he was caught masturbating
in the morgue.
No.
Makes you uneasy, don't it?
How much we're relying on him
to tell us the truth.
REPORTER: 'It was here,
outside Hornsey Police Station,
'that police confirmed
that Dennis Andrew Nilsen
'has been charged with the first
'of what is said to be
multiple murders.'
CHAMBERS: 'On Wednesday morning,
'officers were called
to an address...'
Can you help me with this?
'..suspicious fragments
found in a drain.'
Brian?
Oh, sorry.
'On analysis,
they were proved to be human
'and an investigation was opened.
What's happened? Oh,
it's a multiple killer in London.
'..Dennis Nilsen with murder.'
'It's being reported
that he was caught
'by the discovery of blocked drains
'that were filled with the remains
of human flesh...'
I have to go to work.
'It is also being reported
that his victims were men
'that Nilsen had lured
back to his flat
'on the sense
of promised frivolity.'
RINGS DOORBELL
Mr Sinclair?
Yes.
My name is Detective Chief Inspector
Peter Jay.
Are you the parent
of Stephen Sinclair?
Before you say any more, officer,
Stephen doesn't live here any more.
He hasn't done since he started
stealing from us to fund his habit.
We don't even know
where he is at the moment.
Mr Sinclair, can we come in?
Elizabeth?!
A few days ago, a body was found.
That body, I'm sorry to say,
has now been confirmed as Stephen.
A man has been charged
in connection with his murder.
His murder?
I'm sorry to say, we can't give you
much information at present,
but we will as soon as we can.
In the meantime,
if there's anything that you need...
Can I see him?
I'm afraid that's not possible,
Mrs Sinclair.
But surely we need to identify him.
He's already been identified.
But how?
Has somebody come in to see him?
I want to see him.
Maybe somebody's made a mistake.
Mrs Sinclair, it's Stephen.
I can't tell you how sorry I am
to be sure of that.
But you don't want to see him.
Not like this.
I told him something like this
would happen.
But that drug, it changed him
and there was nothing we could do.
Was there, love?
No.
He wouldn't listen to us,
no matter how hard we tried.
He just thought of us as a hotel,
or a bank...
or a prison.
Not now, Neil.
SHE SNIFFS
SHE SOBS
I'm sorry.
FOOTSTEPS COMING DOWN STAIRS
Brian?
Yeah.
Oh, thank you.
Anything good?
Oh, no, not really.
It's just all so salacious.
He just looks so ordinary.
Like someone you'd walk past
in the street, or meet in a bank.
You see, that's what makes
the whole thing so intriguing.
This dichotomy
between this seemingly normal,
unobtrusive civil servant
and the nature of his crimes.
It just seems so hard to fathom.
What's there to fathom?
Well, what makes most of us
go one way with our lives,
and others, like Nilsen, go so far
in the opposite direction?
Probably because he's evil.
I'm going to be late.
See you tonight.
Mm-hm.
REPORTER: The man currently
being questioned by police
is a 37-year-old civil servant,
Andrew Nilsen, known to
his colleagues at work as "Des".
For the past six months,
he's been working here
at the Manpower Services Commission
in London's Kentish Town.
I understand that
he is also a former policeman,
having been in the force
for about a year in the early '70s.
INDISTINCT CHATTER
Probably robbed it.
If I find out
any of you tipped them off
about him being ex-police,
I'll personally drag you
to the fucking committee myself!
Do you hear me?
We are in blackout,
that means you don't mention
his name outside this station.
Not to your wives, your mistresses,
your friends down the pub.
You understand?
This man killed on our patch
for four years.
We find every name,
and we charge and convict him
with every single fucking one.
He gets away with nothing.
Get rid.
KNOCKING ON DOOR
Come in.
This gentleman's here about Nilsen.
He wants to talk to you, Guv.
What can I do for you?
Dennis Nilsen tried to kill me.
Where did you meet him?
A pub. The Golden Lion.
Dean Street, Soho.
But I'm... I'm not gay.
No, of course.
He was with a group of people,
who I assume were his friends.
After last orders, he said we should
go back to his for a drink.
I thought he meant all of us.
But it was only the two of us
that went.
I must have passed out,
because when I came to,
he'd tied my ankles together
with his tie
and he was strangling me with mine.
I managed to fight him off
and get him to the ground.
He then started screaming,
"Take my money! Take my money!"
Like I was the one attacking him.
Sorry, er, when was this?
Three years ago.
I'd put it to the back of my mind.
Moved on. Then when I saw his face
in the newspaper, it all came back.
Why didn't you go to the police
at the time?
I did. Straight away.
They took me back there.
They were there for five minutes.
They spoke to Nilsen
and bought his story
that it was a lovers' tiff.
It wasn't something
they wanted to be around.
They even apologised to him
for wasting his time
and sent me on my way.
OK, erm...
You're just gonna
have to go from the beginning.
Leave nothing out.
So, how many of these
has he written to you?
Well, the fourth came today.
And... and there's a poem
in the last one.
"Lives of sorrow, bones of the dead,
"given by the sea to fitful head."
It's so... sensitive.
Well, quite.
You wouldn't think by reading that,
that this man strangled young men
and disposed of them
down the lavatory, would you?
How is the prison
allowing you to meet him?
He said he'd put me
on the visitors' list.
Although they're probably not aware
that I'm a writer.
Well, aren't you frightened?
No, no. He's, erm...
he's hardly going to jump over
the desk and strangle me, is he?
No, but still...
Do you think you'll shake his hand?
No. No, I shouldn't think so.
Name?
Brian Masters to see Dennis Nilsen.
You find us OK?
Do you smoke, Brian?
Yes, I do.
Er...
You can smoke as many real fags
in this room as you like.
Out there,
you're only allowed tobacco.
Yeah.
They say capital punishment's dead,
but Her Majesty manages
to find her little ways, you know?
HE CHUCKLES
Yes.
I read your book, Brian.
The Dukes: Our Origin, Ennoblement
And The History Of 26 Families.
Are you from aristocracy?
No. No, I'm not.
You're from that kind of world,
though, eh?
I bet you're a bloody Tory.
I'm not sure
that's entirely relevant.
I'm just... I'm not entirely sure
of your intentions as of yet.
Yeah. Your letters sounded genuine,
but now we're sat
opposite each other, I worry.
I have judged myself more harshly
than any casual observer
or any court ever could.
Aren't you the one judging me,
Mr Nilsen?
How's that?
Oh, you...
you hear my accent and you assume
that you know everything about me.
I'm simply stating it's obvious
where you came from.
I'm not... It's not a bad thing.
I just like to know where I stand
with the person I'm talking to.
Well, I was... I was brought up on
the Old Kent Road.
You don't sound like you were
brought up on the Old Kent Road.
Well, I was lucky,
I got an education.
Ah. Is that where the accent
comes from, then?
It's your education, is it?
I was under the impression
that I was here to discuss
writing a book about you.
Erm...
I'm really not that interesting.
Why would you want to write
about a monster like me?
Do you consider yourself
to be a monster?
Have you read the paper?
Hmm. Of course.
It truly amazes me,
people's attraction to the macabre.
Cos all of us have skeletons
rattling around in our cupboards,
y'know?
Secrets they would never dare
to tell to anyone.
So, what comes is this flood
of self-righteous
public condemnation,
whilst simultaneously,
everybody's talking about it over,
and over and over.
They're consuming it
and indulging in it,
but at arms-length...
I'm not here to do that.
Meanwhile, I'm left here to rot,
whilst others make profits
at my expense.
Listen,
if you want some money from this,
I'm sure that we can come
to some arrangement.
I don't want... I don't want a penny
from any of this.
I just don't want those poor men
exploited.
Well, I'm not here to exploit you
or those 17 young men that you...
15! It was 15.
It wasn't 17, it was 15.
See, now,
if you're gonna get your information
from those red-top fuckers,
telling lies about me every day,
we might as well say goodbye now,
Brian.
I have a responsibility for my story
and theirs to be told correctly.
I also have that responsibility.
I... I have no want
to write some two-bit horror novel
with ghoulish adjectives.
I'm not here to elaborate,
or expose or excuse.
I'm here to comprehend,
because the law cannot comprehend
beyond the question
of guilty or innocent.
And how do you propose to do that?
By listening.
I want to know about your
upbringing, your teenage years,
your time in the army.
All of it.
Because only by doing that...
do we get the whole picture...
Mr Nilsen.
I must warn you, Brian,
you will find a full inquiry
into my life and deeds...
..distressing.
I'm aware of that.
Well, then.
I pass the burden of my past
and deeds onto your shoulders.
Make sure you bring
an extra pack of fags next time, eh?
Oh...
..please, call me Des.