How to watch Des online: stream ITV's new David Tennant true crime drama anywhere

Telling the story of the arrest and trial of one of the UK's most notorious serial killers, Des looks set to be one of the most talked about and controversial shows in some time. Taking the lead role is Doctor Who and Broadchurch star David Tennant, who plays Dennis Nilsen, who murdered at least 12 men and boys in London prior to his arrest in 1983. Here's how to watch Des and stream every episode of this true crime drama online for free no matter where you in the world today.

Based on Brian Masters’ biography of Nilsen, Killing for Company, the miniseries focuses on the events which occurred after the killer was caught by detectives. 

Nilsen's victims infamously went undetected until police were alerted to reports of human fragments of flesh and bone clogging drains nearby the killer's home in Muswell Hill, north London. Alongside Tennant, Line of Duty star Daniel Mays play Detective Chief Inspector Peter Jay while The Crown's Jason Watkins plays Masters. 

Set to highlight the police investigation along with how media coverage of the crime effected public perceptions of the victims, the show's makers say the murders themselves will not be shown, out of respect for the dead.  Read on to find out how to watch Des on ITV and stream the series online for free.

• It's back: how to watch a Premier League live stream

How to watch Des free online with ITV in the UK

Des is an ITV production and will be therefore be shown exclusively on the free-to-air network,

The series began on Monday September 14 match, with the final two episodes set to be shown on ITV1 at 9pm on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.  

As well as being streamed on ITV Hub at the same time - episodes will also be available to watch on catch-up thereafter. 

ITV Hub is free to watch provided you've got a valid UK TV license.

Anyone from the UK who finds themselves abroad during ITV's broadcast of this much talked about drama can use a VPN to tune into to watch as they normally would at home.

Here's how to do exactly that.

How to watch Des online from outside your country

While anyone in the UK will find it easy to watch Des, drama fans elsewhere in the world may struggle to tune in because of geo-blocking.

If this is the case, anyone from the UK who's currently abroad and holds a valid TV license in Blighty could consider using a VPN. This nifty bit of software changes your IP address so that you can access all the content and services you already pay for back home - but from anywhere in the world.

Try ExpressVPN 100% risk-free for 30 days
We've tested over 100 VPNs and found that ExpressVPN always comes out on top. Fast, secure, and easy to use, you'll be up and running with Express in no time.

Plus, you can try it out for free with a 30 day money-back guarantee, so if you're not sold on being able to watch sports from around the world you can always claim your cash back. 

There's a massive range of supported devices on offer, from Smart TVs, Fire TV Stick, PC, Mac, iPhone, Android phone, iPads, tablets etc. And if you subscribe to ExpressVPN now, you'll also get 49% off the usual price as well as 3-months extra FREE if you take out an annual plan (the best value option).

VPNs are good for more than watching Des abroad, however. You're securing your online activity with a range of safety net features that keep your data private while also getting you into geo-blocked websites or Netflix regions. 

View Deal

• Don't miss: how to watch Mulan online