Luther
Episode 1
TV Flash files “Episode 1” as the first listed hour of season 4 — Luther (2010–2019) on BBC, season 4, episode 1, aired 2015-12-15, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S04E01: listed hour 15 of 20 in the Luther guide, first listed hour of season 4. It aired 2015-12-15 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “Episode 4” (S03E04). Next is “Episode 2” (S04E02).
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
On a leave of absence from the police force, Luther is laying low in a rundown cottage on the edge of England. But a visit from his old colleagues at the Met brings a shocking piece of news that draws him back to London in search of the truth. Meanwhile, a gruesome serial killer has struck the city, eating body parts as he goes. With a trail of clues leading from one crime scene to the next, Schenk and his team must work out the twisted logic that connects each victim. But this murdering mastermind is more than a match for the police, outsmarting them at every step. It's not long before Luther is back in the bullpen, determined to steal a march on the killer before another mutilated body joins the mounting pile.
Viewer FAQ
Where does Episode 1 sit in the Luther guide?
S04E01 is listed hour 15 of 20 — first listed hour of season 4, season 4 episode 1.
When did Luther S04E01 air?
Episode 1 aired 2015-12-15 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Do I need every series before the film?
The 2010–2019 BBC run mints Elba and Alice; the feature is afterlife. Start with the series if you want the coat-and-scowl origin rather than a movie-first shortcut.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Idris Elba's coat-and-scowl detective hunts London monsters while dancing too close to Ruth Wilson's Alice. Rain-slicked gothic, crime as passion play, British export swagger. Antihero badge work that minted Elba as a global television icon — and a criminal muse who still owns every scene she smiles through.
The BBC put Idris Elba's coat on the **2010** calendar and exported the scowl until it became shorthand. Neil Cross's crime series (2010–2019): a brilliant, broken detective hunts London monsters while dancing too close to Ruth Wilson's Alice Morgan. Rain-slicked gothic, crime as passion play, British export swagger. Dermot Crowley, Warren Brown, Nikki Amuka-Bird in the blast radius. Five series, twenty hours, then a feature-film afterlife. Rex can keep the old badge procedural; this was antihero inventory that…
Filed against
- Idris Elba as John Luther
Idris Elba’s Stringer Bell is The Wire’s MBA language trying to colonize a street that will not be colonized — civic instrument, not brand extension. David Simon’s Baltimore treats institutions as leads; Stringer is the corner with a…
- Ruth Wilson as Alice Morgan
Ruth Wilson's Alice Morgan owned Luther as a criminal muse in a rain-slicked gothic — Idris Elba's coat-and-scowl detective hunting London monsters, crime as passion play, British export swagger. Antihero badge work that minted a global…
- Dermot Crowley as Martin Schenk
Dermot Crowley’s Martin Schenk gave Luther a bureaucratic ceiling — Idris Elba’s coat-and-scowl detective, rain-slicked gothic, Ruth Wilson’s Alice as criminal muse, British export swagger. Antihero badge work with a boss who has to live…
- Warren Brown as Justin Ripley
Warren Brown’s Justin Ripley rode Luther’s rain-slicked London as the DS beside Idris Elba’s coat-and-scowl detective — gothic crime as passion play, a muse who still owns every scene, British export swagger. Antihero badge work with a…
- Nikki Amuka-Bird as Erin Gray
Nikki Amuka-Bird’s Erin Gray walked Luther’s rain-slicked London like gothic crime still needed a civilian pulse — Idris Elba’s coat-and-scowl detective, Ruth Wilson’s Alice, British export swagger, antihero badge work. TV Flash files her…