Meet the full cast of Luther series five

Discover who else will be joining Idris Elba as the hit BBC1 crime drama returns in 2019

DCI John Luther is back for a fifth series of maverick crime fighting on BBC1 – but he’s got a brand new sidekick and a whole fresh set of villains to take down.

Table of Contents

The four-part series – possibly the last ever run of the hit crime drama – will kick off on New Year’s Day and is set to be as chilling and gruesome as ever.

Meet the new faces joining Idris Elba’s detective, as well as the original cast members who are back for series five.

Idris Elba as DCI John Luther

Who is DCI John Luther? A maverick murder detective with a messy personal life, Luther’s passion for his work and ignorance of the rules is always getting him into dangerous situations.

What else has Idris Elba starred in? Elba is a prolific TV actor: he is critically acclaimed for his portrayal of gangster Stringer in The Wire, and has appeared in the US version of The Office, The Big C, Guerrilla and In the Long Run, which he also created.

He has also had big parts in numerous blockbuster movies including Avengers: Infinity War and Thor: Ragnarok – having played Heimdall in both films – as well as Molly’s Game and The Mountain Between Us.

His forthcoming projects include the films Hobbs and Shaw, Cats and Three Thousand Years of Longing and the Netflix series Turn Up Charlie.

Ruth Wilson as Alice Morgan

Who is Alice Morgan? Alice is the enigmatic, psychopathic killer whose guilt Luther was unable to prove after she killed her own parents in series one. The pair have a strange, mutual fascination and a complicated romantic history with each other. The trailer for the upcoming series five confirmed that the character will feature in the new episodes.

What else has Ruth Wilson starred in? The actress was most recently seen in the TV drama Mrs Wilson, in which she played her own grandmother. She is well-known for her starring roles in the series The Affair, The Prisoner and Jane Eyre and the movies Dark River and The Little Stranger. Wilson is also set to appear in His Dark Materials.

Wunmi Mosaku as DS Catherine Halliday

Who is DS Catherine Halliday? Luther’s new sidekick Halliday is young, bright and intuitive – and doesn’t know what she’s in for with her erratic boss.

What else has Wunmi Mosaku starred in? Mosaku won a Bafta for her role as mother Gloria Taylor in the BBC drama Damilola, Our Loved Boy. She is also known for her performances in Fearless, The End of the F***ing World and Kiri. Her forthcoming projects include the HBO series Lovecraft Country and the movies Sweetness in the Belly and His House.

Dermot Crowley as DSU Martin Schenk

Who is DSU Martin Schenk? The Detective Superintendent is Luther’s steely, deceptively observant boss.

What else has Dermot Crowley starred in? You might have seen Irish actor Crowley in Hard Sun, Father Figure, Raw and Bleak House. He has also appeared in the films The Death of Stalin and The Foreigner.

Patrick Malahide as George Cornelius

Who is George Cornelius? Notorious London gangster Cornelius is an old-school geezer and an enemy of Luther’s – and he won’t let him forget it.

What else has Patrick Malahide starred in? Malahide is best known for playing Balon Grejoy in Game of Thrones, and he has also had TV roles in Indian Summers, Hunted and The Paradise.

Hermione Norris as Dr Vivien Lake

Who is Dr Vivien Lake? A psychiatrist who Luther encounters when he is investigating a swathe of brutal murders.

What else has Hermione Norris starred in? The actress stars as Karen Marsden in Cold Feet, and has also been seen in Innocent, In the Club, The Crimson Field and Spooks.