EMMY NOMINEE IDRIS ELBA STARS IN THRILLING SEQUEL TO BBC AMERICA'S ACCLAIMED DRAMA LUTHER

Elba returns as homicide detective John Luther this September on weekly slot Dramaville

This September, Emmy nominee Idris Elba makes a welcome return to BBC AMERICA to reprise his role in the critically acclaimed crime drama Luther. Elba stars as Detective Chief Inspector John Luther, the super-intuitive detective struggling to cope with his own demons. The sequel features two new distinctive thrilling crime stories, from creator and acclaimed suspense novelist Neil Cross, which premiere in four parts, across four weeks. Luther follows the critically acclaimed espionage series, The Hour, continuing BBC AMERICA's weekly British drama slot Dramaville, hosted by Elba. Luther premieres Wednesday, September 28, 10:00pm ET on Dramaville.

Following the brutal murder of his wife, John Luther is devastated, but still standing. With his old unit gone, he returns to policing at the newly created Serious and Serial Unit, headed by former police complaints officer Martin Schenk (Dermot Crowley, Babel, Bleak House). He quickly gathers together his team, rescuing his old partner Detective Justin Ripley (Warren Brown, Occupation, Shameless) from uniform. It's not long before they're dealing with their first case. A masked man wanders the streets of London, carrying out ritualistic murders in historic locations, working his way up to one final masterpiece. At the same time Luther's trying to rescue Jenny, an old acquaintance's daughter from the seedy world of prostitution. But his mission to give Jenny a new start in life comes with a high price and he's caught between breaking the rules and the mobsters that rule the world of prostitution in London.

Creator Neil Cross says: "In the Luther sequel, [we've got] bigger stories on a wider canvas. We've got some familiar faces and some new faces. We've got twists and turns. We've got bloodcurdling events on the streets of London. We've got fear and mayhem on a city-wide scale. We've got killers who'll make you want to check the doors and windows are locked before you go to bed at night. And at the heart of it all, we've got DCI John Luther - a man in ruins, but with a heart the size of the moon. Bloodied and battered, but somehow still standing. And still doing what he can."

Idris Elba has garnered both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his role as John Luther and was also honored at the 42nd NAACP Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special. The sequel sees the return of Ruth Wilson (Small Island, The Prisoner) as Alice Morgan and Paul McGann (Withnail and I, True Dare Kiss) as Mark North. They are joined by Kierston Wareing (The Shadow Line, Fish Tank) as new character Caroline Jones.

BBC AMERICA's new weekly British drama slot, Dramaville hosted by Idris Elba airs Wednesdays at 10:00pm ET. Following Luther, Dramaville premieres the new crime thriller, Whitechapel, on October 26 and presents an encore broadcast of the award-winning conspiracy drama, State of Play, on December 7.

BBC AMERICA delivers U.S. audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including an Emmy, four Golden Globes and ten Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable's most affluent and educated audiences and is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 68 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.bbcamerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist.

CAST AND PRODUCTION CREDITS

John Luther Idris Elba (Thor, The Wire, Takers)

Alice Morgan Ruth Wilson (Small Island, The Prisoner)

Martin Schenk Dermot Crowley (Babel, Bleak House)

Justin Ripley Warren Brown (Occupation, Shameless)

Erin Gray Nikki Amuka-Bird (Survivors, Small Island)

Mark North Paul McGann (Withnail and I, True Dare Kiss)

Baba Pam Ferris (Harry Potter, Matilda)

Caroline Jones Kierston Wareing (The Shadow Line, Fish Tank)

Creator and Writer Neil Cross (MI-5, The Fixer)

Associate Producer Idris Elba

Executive Producer Phillippa Giles (Emma, Jane Eyre)

Luther is a BBC and BBC AMERICA co-production distributed by BBC Worldwide.