Luther series 5: Is Luther coming back? When does it start? Who is in the cast? Will Alice return? E

Every Idris Elba fan (Culturedemandsgeeks included) is asking the same question – when will Luther be back on TV?

There are few things that terrify us as much as an episode of Luther, so the hit BBC drama has left a big hole since it last aired in December 2015.

When will Luther return?

The good news is that BBC One has confirmed that Luther is definitely returning for a fifth season and has committed to four new episodes.

Idris and co have begun filming again in London, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that it shouldn’t be too many months before we get to catch up with Luther once more.

Who stars in the cast?

Of course, there’d be no show without Idris Elba in the lead role of troubled police chief DCI John Luther.

The Golden Globe-winning actor is every bit as excited as his fans to be back on set, and said: “It’s good to be back in London, back in the coat”.

Viewers will be pleased to hear that Dermot Crowley will also return as DSU Martin Schenk, Michael Smiley will be back as Benny Silver, and Patrick Malahide will reprise his role as George Cornelius.

Get ready to welcome a new cast member in Wunmi Mosaku, who will join the series to play the force’s new recruit DS Catherine Halliday.

Sadly, we bid farewell to Warren Brown as Luther’s previous sidekick DS Justin Ripley last series after his character was shockingly killed off.

What everyone really wants to know, though, is whether their favourite villain will be back to continue her complex friendship with Luther…

Will Alice be back for series 5?

There’s only one character who can even come close to commanding a similar fan base to Luther himself, and that’s super-smart killer Alice Morgan.

Played by Ruth Wilson, she’s incredibly skilled at covering over the tracks of her crimes and pulling the wool over people’s eyes about her true nature.

She found an unlikely kindred spirit in Luther and the pair’s connection was a large part of what made the series so compelling – so it came as a blow to fans when Alice appeared to have been killed off-screen and was absent from series four.

However, we already know that Alice is a master of disguise and an expert at evading capture, so if we didn’t actually see her death, there’s a good chance it didn’t really happen.

Idris has been evasive on the subject of whether or not Alice may be back one day soon.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he said: “I’m not being deceptive or anything, but the truth is, John Luther isn’t quite sure that she’s dead.”

However, he also added: “But the truth is, the show is called Luther. It’s not called Alice, or The Bad Guys. It’s about Luther and the people he comes across and the people he tries to bring down.”

What can we expect to happen to Luther?

One thing’s for sure, you can always expect a sleepless night after watching Luther, and show creator Neil Cross says that isn’t about to change in series five.

He said: “We missed John Luther. We missed some old friends. And we wanted to make the biggest, scariest, darkest, most thrilling series of Luther there’s ever been. So that’s what we’ve come back to do.”

The series synopsis that the BBC has released sounds suitable creepy and offers up some tantalising clues.

It reads: “When the moonless shadows of London give birth to a new nightmare, DCI John Luther must once again confront the depths of human depravity.

“As a series of monstrous killings becomes ever more audacious, Luther and new recruit DS Catherine Halliday are confounded by a tangle of leads and misdirection that seems designed to protect an unspeakable horror.

“But even as the case brings him closer than ever to the nature of true evil, a reluctant Luther must also face the ghosts of his own past. Striding back into the line of fire, he must choose who to protect… and who to sacrifice.

“Whatever his next move, it will have devastating consequences for those around him – and will change John Luther forever.”

Perhaps we’re reading into that what we want to happen, but it sounds very promising that Alice could finally be making a return to Luther’s London.

Luther is expected to return to BBC One later in 2018. With the rest of the world to follow.