Luther (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Luther is a British psychological crime drama television series starring Idris Elba
as the title character Detective Chief Inspector John Luther. A first series of six episodes was broadcast on BBC One
from 4 May to 8 June 2010. The second series of four episodes was shown on BBC One in summer 2011. During the Edinburgh TV Festival, BBC One controller Danny Cohen
announced there will be a third series as well.
. He is obsessive, possessed, and sometimes dangerous in the violence of his fixations. But Luther has paid a heavy price for his dedication; he has never been able to prevent himself from being consumed by the darkness of the crimes with which he deals. For Luther, the job always comes first. His dedication is a curse and a blessing, both for him and those close to him.
has said that Luther is influenced by both Sherlock Holmes
and Columbo: the nature of Luther's intellect and its application to solving crimes is comparable to Holmes', whereas the show's use of the inverted detective
format (wherein the audience is aware of the identity of the criminals 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.
, Sam Miller
and Stefan Schwartz
each directed two episodes. Series creator Neil Cross
wrote all six of the episodes. Leila Kirkpatrick was the line producer for the entire series and Katie Swinden was the producer for a number of episodes. Tim Fleming provided series cinematography for two episodes. Katie Weiland and Victoria Boydell were involved in the series' film editing, with Weiland editing two episodes. Andy Morgan was responsible for the entire series' casting, Paul Cross provided production design and Adam A. Makin was behind the series' art direction.
, when asked about whether a third series is likely, had said, "We’ll have to see what the appetite is like for it at the end of this series. If it’s a good, healthy appetite then we’ll figure out how we’re going to do some more."
BBC One controller announced in August 2011 that a third series had been commissioned.
' s Stuart Heritage was initially critical of the show, comparing it to the American series FlashForward
in that both series arrived with a large amount of hype but delivered an anticlimactic end product. However, by the fifth episode Heritage updated his views, calling it a "slightly sillier Silence of the Lambs" and calling it Idris Elba's best work since The Wire
.
Serena Davies in The Daily Telegraph
called it "formulaic" and Tom Sutcliffe
in The Independent
thought "Luther is more a loose constellation of cop-show clichés than a fully formed character, but Elba brings the clichés to life..."
Ratings steadily decreased over the course of the series. The fifth episode drew the lowest of the series thus far. However, fellow BBC programmes Holby City
and EastEnders
also suffered on the night as they were up against ITV's Britain's Got Talent
and Coronation Street
.
Critical praise greeted Luther's second series broadcast in the United States. Reviews in Variety
, The Hollywood Reporter and on National Public Radio
, for example, highlighted the brooding tone and Mr. Elba's performance, "Strong writing and a fine cast, especially "The Wire's" Idris Elba as the title character, make this grim export from Britain a compelling, intelligent cop show." In the 3rd quarter of 2011, the top rated shows on BBC America
were Doctor Who
, Top Gear, and Luther which together gained the network its highest quarterly ratings ever.
on ABC1
on 15 October 2010 and in the United States
on BBC America
two days later. It is also broadcast in Germany where it is dubbed and cut. The second series debuted in the United States on BBC America on 29 September 2011.
Idris Elba
Idrissa Akuna "Idris" Elba is a British television, theatre, and film actor. He has starred in both British and American productions. Elba grew up in Canning Town, East London. One of his first acting roles was in the soap opera Family Affairs. He has worked in a variety of TV roles including ...
as the title character Detective Chief Inspector John Luther. A first series of six episodes was broadcast on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
from 4 May to 8 June 2010. The second series of four episodes was shown on BBC One in summer 2011. During the Edinburgh TV Festival, BBC One controller Danny Cohen
Danny Cohen
Danny Cohen is the current Controller of BBC One, the BBC's flagship television channel in the United Kingdom. He is the youngest person to be appointed as Controller of the channel.- Education :...
announced there will be a third series as well.
Plot
John Luther is a Detective Chief Inspector working for the Serious Crime Unit in season one, and the new Serious and Serial Crime Unit in season two. A dedicated police officer, Luther is also a geniusGenius
Genius is something or someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight....
. He is obsessive, possessed, and sometimes dangerous in the violence of his fixations. But Luther has paid a heavy price for his dedication; he has never been able to prevent himself from being consumed by the darkness of the crimes with which he deals. For Luther, the job always comes first. His dedication is a curse and a blessing, both for him and those close to him.
Cast and characters
- Idris ElbaIdris ElbaIdrissa Akuna "Idris" Elba is a British television, theatre, and film actor. He has starred in both British and American productions. Elba grew up in Canning Town, East London. One of his first acting roles was in the soap opera Family Affairs. He has worked in a variety of TV roles including ...
as Detective Chief Inspector John Luther - Ruth WilsonRuth Wilson (actress)Ruth Wilson is an English actress, perhaps best known for her performance in the title role of Jane Eyre.-Early life and education:...
as Alice Morgan - Indira VarmaIndira VarmaIndira Varma is an English actress. Her first major role was in Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love. She has gone on to appear in the television series Rome and Human Target.-Early life and background:...
as Zoe Luther - Warren BrownWarren Brown (actor)Warren Brown is an English actor and former professional Thaiboxer, well known for his roles as Andy Holt in teen soap opera Hollyoaks and Lee Hibbs in the three-part BBC drama series Occupation written by Peter Bowker...
as Detective Sergeant Justin Ripley - Steven MackintoshSteven Mackintosh-Personal life:Mackintosh was born in Cambridge, the son of Dorothy and Malcolm Mackintosh. He has a sister, Lynda Ellingham .He is married to the actress Lisa Jacobs and the couple have two children, Martha and Blythe.-Film:...
as Detective Chief Inspector Ian Reed - Saskia ReevesSaskia ReevesSaskia Reeves is a British actress perhaps best known for her roles in the films Close My Eyes and ID , and the 2000 miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune....
as Detective Superintendent Rose Teller - Paul McGannPaul McGannPaul McGann is an English actor who made his name on the BBC serial The Monocled Mutineer, in which he played the lead role...
as Mark North - Dermot CrowleyDermot CrowleyDermot Crowley is a Irish stage, film and television actor.-Career:Crowley's stage work has included a leading role in an Olivier Award winning production of Conor McPherson's The Weir, which played in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States in the late 1990s...
as Detective Chief Inspector/Detective Superintendent Martin Schenk - Nikki Amuka-BirdNikki Amuka-BirdNikki Amuka-Bird is a Nigerian born British actress of the stage and screen. Her theatrical credits include Welcome to Thebes ; Twelfth Night ; World Music ; Top Girls ; A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest and The Servant of Two Masters Nikki Amuka-Bird is a Nigerian born British actress of the...
as Detective Sergeant Erin Gray - Kierston WareingKierston WareingKierston Wareing is an English actress. She starred in Ken Loach's film It's a Free World... as Angie. She has also played in Andrea Arnold's Fish Tank and Martina Cole's The Take. She has been nominated for one BAFTA award and two British Independent Film Awards...
as Caroline Jones - Aimee-Ffion EdwardsAimee-Ffion EdwardsAimee-Ffion Edwards born 1987, is a Welsh actress from Newport, South Wales. She is best known for appearing in the television series Skins as a character called "Sketch", who is introduced at the beginning of series 2 as the stalker of Maxxie Oliver....
as Jenny Jones - Pam FerrisPam FerrisPamela Ann "Pam" Ferris is a German-born Welsh actress. She is best known for her starring roles on television as Ma Larkin in The Darling Buds of May, as Laura Thyme in Rosemary & Thyme, and for playing Miss Trunchbull in the movie Matilda...
as Baba - Alan Williams as Frank Hodge
- David DawsonDavid Dawson (actor)David Dawson is a British actor. He has appeared on television in The Road to Coronation Street and Luther and on stage in Comedians, Posh and Luise Miller.-Early life:...
as Toby Kent - Michael SmileyMichael SmileyMichael Smiley is a British comic and actor currently living in England.-Biography:Smiley was born in 1963 in Belfast, and moved to London in his 20s with his wife...
as Benny 'Deadhead' Silver
Inspiration
Creator Neil CrossNeil Cross
Neil Cross is a Booker Prize nominated novelist, crime writer and television scriptwriter born and raised in the United Kingdom, and now living in Wellington, New Zealand.-Life:...
has said that Luther is influenced by both Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
and Columbo: the nature of Luther's intellect and its application to solving crimes is comparable to Holmes', whereas the show's use of the inverted detective
Inverted detective story
An inverted detective story, also known as a "howdhecatchem", is a murder mystery fiction structure in which the commission of the crime is shown or described at the beginning, usually including the identity of the perpetrator. The story then describes the detective's attempt to solve the mystery...
format (wherein the audience is aware of the identity of the criminals 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.
Filming
The first series was filmed in and around London, England and produced by BBC Drama Productions. Brian KirkBrian Kirk
Brian Kirk is an Irish television director who has most recently directed episodes of Game of Thrones, FX's The Riches and Showtime's Brotherhood and The Tudors...
, Sam Miller
Sam Miller
Sam Miller is an English television director. He is best known for his work on the BBC television dramas Cardiac Arrest and This Life. -Filmography:-Actor - Filmography:...
and Stefan Schwartz
Stefan Schwartz
Stefan Schwartz is an English/Canadian film and television director/writer plus a former actor , most known for the feature film Shooting Fish and his work for the BBC on Spooks and Luther.-Biography:...
each directed two episodes. Series creator Neil Cross
Neil Cross
Neil Cross is a Booker Prize nominated novelist, crime writer and television scriptwriter born and raised in the United Kingdom, and now living in Wellington, New Zealand.-Life:...
wrote all six of the episodes. Leila Kirkpatrick was the line producer for the entire series and Katie Swinden was the producer for a number of episodes. Tim Fleming provided series cinematography for two episodes. Katie Weiland and Victoria Boydell were involved in the series' film editing, with Weiland editing two episodes. Andy Morgan was responsible for the entire series' casting, Paul Cross provided production design and Adam A. Makin was behind the series' art direction.
Second series
The BBC announced on 28 August 2010 it had recommissioned Luther for a second series for 2011 and filming started in late September/early October 2010. Originally planned to be broadcast as two two-hour long episodes, it is shown as four episodes. The first episode of series two was shown on BBC One on Tuesday 14 June.Third series
Idris ElbaIdris Elba
Idrissa Akuna "Idris" Elba is a British television, theatre, and film actor. He has starred in both British and American productions. Elba grew up in Canning Town, East London. One of his first acting roles was in the soap opera Family Affairs. He has worked in a variety of TV roles including ...
, when asked about whether a third series is likely, had said, "We’ll have to see what the appetite is like for it at the end of this series. If it’s a good, healthy appetite then we’ll figure out how we’re going to do some more."
BBC One controller announced in August 2011 that a third series had been commissioned.
Reception
The GuardianFlashforward
A flashforward is an interjected scene that takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards are often used to represent events expected, projected, or imagined to occur in the future...
in that both series arrived with a large amount of hype but delivered an anticlimactic end product. However, by the fifth episode Heritage updated his views, calling it a "slightly sillier Silence of the Lambs" and calling it Idris Elba's best work since The Wire
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
.
Serena Davies in The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
called it "formulaic" and Tom Sutcliffe
Tom Sutcliffe (broadcaster)
Thomas Sutcliffe is a British journalist and arts broadcaster.Sutcliffe studied English at Emmanuel College, Cambridge...
in The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
thought "Luther is more a loose constellation of cop-show clichés than a fully formed character, but Elba brings the clichés to life..."
Ratings steadily decreased over the course of the series. The fifth episode drew the lowest of the series thus far. However, fellow BBC programmes Holby City
Holby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
and EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
also suffered on the night as they were up against ITV's Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland...
and Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
.
Critical praise greeted Luther's second series broadcast in the United States. Reviews in Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, The Hollywood Reporter and on National Public Radio
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, for example, highlighted the brooding tone and Mr. Elba's performance, "Strong writing and a fine cast, especially "The Wire's" Idris Elba as the title character, make this grim export from Britain a compelling, intelligent cop show." In the 3rd quarter of 2011, the top rated shows on BBC America
BBC America
BBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, and available on both cable and satellite.-History:The channel launched on March 29, 1998, broadcasting comedy, drama and lifestyle programs from BBC Television and other British television broadcasters like ITV and...
were Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, Top Gear, and Luther which together gained the network its highest quarterly ratings ever.
International broadcast
The first series of the show premiered in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on ABC1
ABC1
ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 27 September 2004. On 10 December 2004 it was launched on...
on 15 October 2010 and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on BBC America
BBC America
BBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, and available on both cable and satellite.-History:The channel launched on March 29, 1998, broadcasting comedy, drama and lifestyle programs from BBC Television and other British television broadcasters like ITV and...
two days later. It is also broadcast in Germany where it is dubbed and cut. The second series debuted in the United States on BBC America on 29 September 2011.
Accolades
- Nominated: Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film: Idris ElbaIdris ElbaIdrissa Akuna "Idris" Elba is a British television, theatre, and film actor. He has starred in both British and American productions. Elba grew up in Canning Town, East London. One of his first acting roles was in the soap opera Family Affairs. He has worked in a variety of TV roles including ...
- Nominated: NAACP Image AwardNAACP Image AwardAn NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature....
Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special - Won: NAACP Image AwardNAACP Image AwardAn NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature....
Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special: Idris ElbaIdris ElbaIdrissa Akuna "Idris" Elba is a British television, theatre, and film actor. He has starred in both British and American productions. Elba grew up in Canning Town, East London. One of his first acting roles was in the soap opera Family Affairs. He has worked in a variety of TV roles including ... - Nominated: Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie: Idris ElbaIdris ElbaIdrissa Akuna "Idris" Elba is a British television, theatre, and film actor. He has starred in both British and American productions. Elba grew up in Canning Town, East London. One of his first acting roles was in the soap opera Family Affairs. He has worked in a variety of TV roles including ...
External links
- Luther Wiki