TV

Why you should be watching BBC One’s Luther now

If you’ve never seen Luther or even worse not heard of it then you ought to be kicking yourself for the terrible crime that is m

If you’ve never seen Luther or even worse not heard of it then you ought to be kicking yourself for the terrible crime that is missing out on the BBC’s hottest detective drama.

As a student the constant repeats of A Touch of Frost or the rather unappealing offerings of Lewis are not exactly inviting to put off that essay for an hour longer but Luther certainly is. 

Big bad Idris Elba is set to return for series three as the no nonsense and slightly disturbed Detective Chief Inspector John Luther and the expectations are high. On the back of winning a Golden Globe for best actor in a mini-series and with the rumours of a big screen finale, series three has a lot of work to do but Hollywood star Elba hasn’t failed expectations before and presumably isn’t about to start.

He’s graced our screen as Russell ‘Stringer’ Bell in The Wire (another show you must catch if you already haven’t!) and has featured in Hollywood blockbusters such as American Gangster, Thor and Prometheus. Yet for many the shadow he casts, his work as John Luther is the best.

There is something different about John Luther, the story lines are darker than most police dramas that have gone before and Luther is more clumsy, disorganised, emotionally messed up and generally more brutal than Jack Frost, Gene Hunt or any other predecessors.

He’s married to the job. It’s so far cost him his marriage and on many occasions nearly his life and his commitment to help or rather his belief that he has nothing to live for often sees him breaking the rules.

However Luther is anything but a one-man show and the supporting cast help add the ingredients that make this the success it is.

The Supporting Cast

Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson) – Alice is a sexy, sadistic and very clever character and is the one that got away from Luther, who fails to prove that she murdered her parents in series one.  As he realises he can’t beat her, she become his bad habit and seemingly can’t drop her. The cop in Luther tells him it’s wrong but the man in him wants her. He helped Alice escape from prison in series two but rejected the chance to leave with her. She will return in series three and the big question will be whether Luther can beat temptation and fight off the obvious attraction between the two.

D.I. Rippley (Warren Brown) –  Rippley is a Luther’s partner and perhaps the only person that he truly cares for and there is clear friendship between the two. Rippley is a good copper but shows overwhelming loyalty to Luther and his heavy handed tactics and this sometimes pushes a wedge between the two. He was kidnapped in series two and this brought out Luther’s vulnerable side as he searched for his friend, they’ll be back together in series 3.

Mark North – Paul McGann – This relationship is weird one. Mark is Luther’s wife’s new partner but due to certain circumstances the two become good friends and in series two. Mark becomes a very important source of help for Luther. It’s uncertain whether he’ll return in series 3 but don’t count against it after the relationship they’ve struck up.

Other characters include Detective Superintendent Martin Schenk (Dermot Crowley) who originally set out to destroy Luther in series one but took over as his superior in series two. He tries to keep Luther in line but often fails.  Benny Silver (Michael Smiley) is Luther I.T. wizz and often breaks the rules to help the big detective in investigations. He’ll probably return and his allegiance to the Luther makes him a favourite. Jenny Jones (Aimmee-Ffion Edwards) really brought out Luther’s vulnerable side in series two as he set out to rescue her from the clutches of prostitution. The relationship established showed Luther’s inability to say no to helping others and got him mixed up with some very bad people. She’s another one likely to return and it might create sparks of jealous between Alice as the two fight for John’s affection.

We don’t know much about series 3 as the BBC are keeping details close to their chest, but filming is nearing completion and there have been a few very short clips of what’s to come but as of yet details are very sketchy.

The word is however of a spring time release of series 3, so that gives you plenty of time to put off that essay and catch up with the first two series!

Are you looking forward to Luther’s return? What are you most looking forward to? Have your say in the comments section below, on Facebook or on Twitter.