Des - David Tennant playing the infamous Scottish serial killer, Dennis Nilsen

[smpar]

Personally I think it's a lot more complex than just that though. I'm guessing there was more trauma in his childhood, possibly abuse, that he didn't want anyone to know about. 

I agree. He wasn’t portrayed as someone who indulged in self-pity and that he couldn’t be blamed for his behaviour. I think abuse is a likely reason for his actions, but not one that he was going to talk about.

I think the thought of notoriety consumed him as well. It may well have been that the first murder was the most ‘accidental’ out of all of them, and realising that he’ll get a serious sentence as well as public attention, why not carry on for as long as you can? More murders = more interest might have been his thinking. Life probably isn’t worth living as a murderer, so why not get a bit of fame out of it?

[scottmcleanscontacts]

I think seeing a dead body at a young age is a far more reasonable explanation for an obsession with death than experiencing homophobia in later life. I don't even see the link there at all tbh. I'm guessing the vast majority of openly gay men back then experienced homophobia but didn't go on to become serial killers. 

I can't see there being one key factor in why Nilsen decided to kill more than a dozen men.

There's a fairly decent chance that his experience of seeing a dead body was a factor and there's a very real chance that homophobia he may have experienced changed his mindset.

Maybe he had an inability to make friends - though having 15 or so willing people to go back to a strangers house on a whim might suggest that he was personable enough and only in his head did he think that he couldn't keep friends/company.

I don't profess to know it all when getting in to the mind of a killer, never mind one who is apparently so methodical and clinical but the little bit of Psychology I've learned would suggest there's certainly likely to be a few contributing factors and dare I say, the importance of each might depend what school of thought any Psychological professional favours.

I personally believe that Psychology, by it's very nature, is mostly, if not wholly, subjective. The idea of another individual being oh so sure of a person's state of mind is really impossible in actuality. There's no real objectivity.

[ICTChris]

There's something unknowable about these things.  There will be children who see far more traumatising things than their grandfathers body in a coffin and also people who experience far more visceral homophobia than Nilson who never hurt anyone.

[Sergeant Wilson]

He wouldn't even be in the top 10 weird civil servants I've met. The most dangerous probably, but not the weirdest.

[scottmcleanscontacts]

He wouldn't even be in the top 10 weird civil servants I've met. The most dangerous probably, but not the weirdest.

That may well be a very pertinent point.

[Flybhoy]

I still say Craig Levein is far more creepy. 

[Boghead ranter]

14 hours ago, Sergeant Wilson said:

He wouldn't even be in the top 10 weird civil servants I've met. The most dangerous probably, but not the weirdest.

The most dangerous that we know of.

[throbber]

On 15/09/2020 at 00:25, Ludo*1 said:

Getting forced out for masturbating in the morgue isn't homophobia tbqhwy.

It may not be homophobia but is very harsh grounds for dismissal IMO.

[Arch Stanton]

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/itv-hit-ofcom-complaints-over-22708598

7 people have complained to OfCom.

"Des viewers were left utterly terrified over grisly scenes involving rotten torsos hidden in cupboards and under floorboards."

Yeah except there were no grisly scenes in the entire three episodes.

[coprolite]

22 hours ago, scottmcleanscontacts said:

I personally believe that Psychology, by it's very nature, is mostly, if not wholly, subjective. The idea of another individual being oh so sure of a person's state of mind is really impossible in actuality. There's no real objectivity.

Psychology as a discipline makes no pretence to be able to be sure of another person's state of mind. There is plenty of objecive quantifiable data in psychology. 

There is however a lot of shit spouted by charlatans in the name of psychology, where they attribute particular behaviours to childhood factors in a highly simplistic way. 

Criticising psychology because of these quacks is like criticising literature because you read a jeffrey archer book. 

[scottmcleanscontacts]

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/itv-hit-ofcom-complaints-over-22708598
7 people have complained to OfCom.
"Des viewers were left utterly terrified over grisly scenes involving rotten torsos hidden in cupboards and under floorboards."
Yeah except there were no grisly scenes in the entire three episodes.

With respect to these complaining b*****ds, why the f**k watch something you know will be a bit edgy? - Which graphically it wasn't, by the way.

These people should be banned from owning a TV.

[scottmcleanscontacts]

Psychology as a discipline makes no pretence to be able to be sure of another person's state of mind. There is plenty of objecive quantifiable data in psychology. 
There is however a lot of shit spouted by charlatans in the name of psychology, where they attribute particular behaviours to childhood factors in a highly simplistic way. 
Criticising psychology because of these quacks is like criticising literature because you read a jeffrey archer book. 

There's probably something in that in a sense. Perhaps in terms of the use of medicine - it might be easy to quantify something and be a bit more objective but even then it relies, to an extent, on any participants being honest to a degree as well.

The 'mind' is not a thing, in the same way a table is or a heart or a liver is. That's why the validity of Psychology will always be questioned rather more than the validity of other Social Sciences.

I'm sure there's people that fudge things in every discipline to suit their hypothesis but it's true to say it is much more prevalent in Psychology.

[Mark Connolly]

5 minutes ago, scottmcleanscontacts said:

With respect to these complaining b*****ds, why the f**k watch something you know will be a bit edgy? - Which graphically it wasn't, by the way.

These people should be banned from owning a TV.

They won't have. They'll have seen that there was a programme about Nilsen, and moaned based on the real story rather than what was in the show.

[Ralstonite]

On 19/09/2020 at 10:13, Boghead ranter said:

The most dangerous that we know of.

Thousands of people go 'missing' every year. How many of them end up dismembered and fed to pigs, or buried in the Highlands, or another similar way, and the perpetrator never caught? There will be some murderers out there whose crimes evade detection, and who go about their everyday business as usual.

[scottmcleanscontacts]

Thousands of people go 'missing' every year. How many of them end up dismembered and fed to pigs, or buried in the Highlands, or another similar way, and the perpetrator never caught? There will be some murderers out there whose crimes evade detection, and who go about their everyday business as usual.

There is very likely some truth in that. The amount of folk that end up missing, and subsequently still are years later, is too high for there not be cases of the style you go on about.

There's also plenty of folk kicking about that I'm sure folk wouldn't be surprised if they were a bit murdery. As has been pointed out they are quite often working in the civil service........

[peasy23]

I was 12 or so when it was in the news, with the most memorable part of the reports being the human flesh clogging up the drains.

Thought it was very well done and Tennant was excellent. Re: the smoking, I started work in 1987 and there were guys who would have a cigarette in their hand just about all day. Definitely don't make chain smokers like they used to.

Do we have any idea what make the headphones were? It's just that my daughter keeps fucking up the cables on hers and something stronger might be the answer.....

[peasy23]

There is very likely some truth in that. The amount of folk that end up missing, and subsequently still are years later, is too high for there not be cases of the style you go on about.

There's also plenty of folk kicking about that I'm sure folk wouldn't be surprised if they were a bit murdery. As has been pointed out they are quite often working in the civil service........

You've obviously met my sister in law..

[WilliamBragg]

Enjoyed the series and thought David Tennant was excellent but have to say found the documentary more interesting.

Mrs WilliamBragg didn't really know the story so was probably more gripped as the series unfolded.

Definitely going to have a read of Killing For Company now

[Melanius Mullarkey]

Quite enjoyed it.

Psychotic broch c**t.

[101]

I thought it was excellent. Des clearly was an amusing and personable man, unlike any of the drones currently working in the job centre, however they are now less likely to take you back to your flat kill you and then throw your head in a pot.

One thing I wasn't too sure of was. Would the teeth and thicker bits of the skulls not survive boiling and thus make it fairly simple to count the victims.