First-look Luther series 5 clip sees Idris Elba in hot water

• Idris Elba promises “classic Luther” as he drops cryptic clues about series 5
• First look at the return of Luther in eerie new trailer

Before that, though, this new clip shows that Luther will have to deal with some more modest foes, including an organised crime figure who has the troubled ‘tec kidnapped, tied to a chair and interrogated about the disappearance of his son.

Despite being restrained, electrocuted and having a gun to his head, however, Luther soon manages to turn the tables on his attackers and start asking a few questions of his own – and from the sounds of it, there may be some strange goings-on that need his imminent attention.

Who kidnapped this man’s son? Why is he so reluctant to talk about it? And what made him think that Luther would be involved with it in the first place?

For now, we’ll have to wait before we can find out – but from the sounds of things, the new episodes will be worth it.

“It’s classic Luther,” Elba told RadioTimes.com as he prepared to film series five. “We’re not reinventing the wheel.”

Announcing the four-episode series, screenwriter Neil Cross also gave us some clues about what’s to come.

“Now what? It’s a question Idris and I get asked a lot,” he said. “What happened to John Luther after we last saw him striding unbowed through the streets of his city, his blood red London? It can’t be over, can it? There’s so much we don’t know. So much unfinished business.

“The thing is, we’ve been asking ourselves the same question. Because we love John and wonder what he’s up to. And as for me, I’m scared of the monsters. The face at the window. The hand under the bed. The shadow at the end of the street. Who’s going to stop them, if not John Luther.

“In the end, we picked up the phone to some old friends and asked if they’d like to find out what happens next. It turns out, they would. So that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to find out what happens next.

“Now what? Luther’s coming back. That’s what.”

And frankly, we can’t wait.

Luther returns to BBC1 this winter

This article was originally published on 10 November 2018