BBC, Elba bring back Luther

Hollywood actor Idris Elba will return to his role as the troubled DCI John Luther for a two-part special for the BBC.

Idris Elba in Luther

A fourth instalment of Luther will air on the UK pubcaster after a two-year hiatus, with Elba tweeting earlier this week that he was filming in East London.

Creator Neil Cross is once again writing the specials, having said in 2013 that he didn’t see a future for the series after its third run, with Elba’s movie career taking off.

The third season of the BBC1/BBC America coproduction, which ended in 2013, proved a success on both sides of the Atlantic. Elba was known in the US for his role in crime drama The Wire prior to starring in Luther.

BBC Worldwide handles international distribution of the series, which has sold to TV4 in Sweden and VRT in Belgium, along with other broadcasters worldwide.