The time abroad is tense, but it feels so relatably British. Unfortunately for Douglas, Saskia wants a divorce. It stars Tom Hollander and Saskia Reeves as Douglas and Connie Petersen who take their son Albie, played by Tom Taylor, on a trip around Europe before he leaves for university. It’s an infectiously heartwarming love letter about family, love and loss. His Dark Material’s Ruth Wilson makes a particularly memorable turn as psychopathic nemesis and companion Alice Morgan, with The Death of Stalin’s Dermot Crawley as the razor-sharp DCI Martin Schenk and comedian Michael Smiley as “Deadhead” Benny Silver. Critical praise has been unanimous – indeed the biggest criticism has been the length of the show, with only twenty-one episodes produced over five seasons.Įlba is the powerhouse of this series, but he’s joined by some fine company.

Luther has been a smash hit for the BBC over the last decade, with Elba repeatedly garnering rave reviews every time a new season premiered, and the dark tone credited with giving the show more weight and gravitas than most police procedurals. The series starts with him unable to imprison psychopath and murderer Alice Morgan, leading the two to solve crimes together while he fights his own terrible demons. Luther sees Elba as the dedicated, obsessive and occasionally violent DCI John Luther, a genius murder detective whose brilliant mind is not immune to the darkness of his job. Idris Elba may be a global movie star these days, but he still found time to film five series of this smash-hit BBC One show.

Mysteries by colin wilson