Luther

Luther is a deeply thrilling crime series. Starring Idris Elba as the titular character Detective Chief Inspector John Luther the plot follows his work as a highly talented murder detective. Creator Neil Cross has said that Luther is influenced by both Sherlock Holmes and Columbo.

Part Cracker, part Sweeney, part Waking the Dead the casting of Luther and his female lead, make a fascinating combination. Both actors Idris Alba and Ruth Wilson (Alice Morgan) are superb and have that skill to enthral you. Ruth Wilson is excellent as the pouty blue eyed scientist with the killer instinct and Luther obsession.

John Luther is a deeply troubled man, a philosophical cop possessed by the insoluble problem of evil and justice in a Godless world. Confronting depravity in its many terrible forms, over a succession of psychological duels between hunter and hunted, perpetrator and prey, Luther reveals his capacity for violence as well as kindness; his sudden vulnerability and dizzying, visionary mind; why his wife left him for another man, and why his colleagues are frequently left open-mouthed in awe.

The show's use of the "inverted detective format" (wherein the audience is aware of the identity of the criminal but not of how they will be caught, as opposed to the conventional format of the audience discovering the criminal as the characters do) was inspired by Columbo.

First airing on UK TV 2010

Certificate 12

Available on DVD