ANY writer who can make you want to be friends with a serial killer has got to be pretty good at their job.

And strange as it sounds, new series Dexter, which opened last night on ITV1 (first shown in the UK on FX) left me thinking 'what a great guy' about its blood-thirsty hero.

In his own words, Dexter Morgan is a "very neat monster".

He is always sure to cover all surfaces in cling film and put on a pair of surgical gloves before he starts butchering his victims.

And he's rigorous in collecting the blood of his victims to catalogue in a neat little storage box hidden behind his air conditioning vent.

The cult US drama follows Dexter, a blood-spatter expert for the Miami police department, in his quest for justice.

Born a sociopath, he has learned to channel his urge to kill into targeting despicable criminals who have escaped the justice system.

And as he cold-heartedly chops up his victims with awe-inspiring precision, you find yourself rooting for him.

The show is a bit dark and grisly in some places, but also has an excellent thread of black humour running through it.

Michael C Hall (you might have seen him in Six Feet Under) is quite brilliant as Dexter. The subtlety of his performance means even the slightest eyebrow raise leaves you in no doubt what he's thinking.

And the opening credits to this show have to be the best I've ever seen.

If you missed last night's episode it's not too late to catch up next week.