Idris Elba scoops Golden Globe nomination for playing Neil Cross's 'Luther'

Idris Elba, the star of BBC AMERICA’s critically acclaimed crime drama, Luther, has been nominated for a Golden Globe® Award, it was announced this week. He was nominated in the category Best Performance By An Actor in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television.

Perry Simon, BBC Worldwide America’s GM, Channels says: “Idris’ portrayal of John Luther breaks the mould of TV detectives. He is a central character that is quite possibly just as dangerous as the criminals he’s chasing. Idris’ stellar performance truly deserves this nomination and has set a bench-mark for quality drama on BBC AMERICA.”

Elba plays the title role in the BBC AMERICA co-production about a brilliant and emotionally impulsive detective. The mini-series was lauded by fans and critics alike when it was first broadcast on BBC AMERICA in October. TV Guide said it was, “Criminally good... Luther is Prime Suspect on crack,” USA Today called it a “...terrific six part thriller... you have to watch,” and Variety declared “Luther is well worth the investment… there haven't been many recent offerings in this genre on either side of the pond superior to Luther.”

Luther was created and written by Neil Cross, the acclaimed suspense novelist and one of the lead writers on MI-5. You can watch a trailer for Luther below:

Neil Cross talks about second season of Luther

While I was away overseas in Turkey and Greece, Wellington-based novelist and screenwriter Neil Cross won the prestigious Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America - the Oscar of the crime fiction world - for his teleplay for episode 1 of Luther, the acclaimed BBC TV series he created and wrote, starring Idris Elba of The Wire fame. Unfortunately it seems the New Zealand media haven't really picked up on or celebrated what is a fantastic accolade for Cross.

A second series of Luther will soon be shown in the Northern Hemisphere, and hopefully we will get it down here in New Zealand sooner rather than later. The first series screened earlier this year. I've embedded above a recent short interview with Cross about the Luther series, courtesy of the BBC and YouTube.

Luther seems to be one of those series that divides viewers - it has some ardent fans, and has got some fantastic reviews and accolades, but some viewers and reviewers just don't like it. Sometimes that is a sign of a really good series (ie not too mainstream), but I can't provide a personal comment as unfortunately I still haven't watched it - an oversight I hope to rectify via DVD in the very near future.

90-year old Baroness James scoops journalism award

Earlier this year I had the honour and privilege of interviewing, by phone, crime writing living legend Phyllis Dorothy "PD" James, Baroness James of Holland Park, OBE, FRSA, FRSL, in the lead-up to her 90th birthday on 3 August.

I must confess to a few nerves prior to picking up the phone (which is very unlike me - and I've interviewed a range of people, from All Blacks and former Prime Ministers, to Super Bowl winning former NFL stars, to the Attorney-General, to authors who've sold tens of millions of novels), but Baroness James was an absolute delight to interview - polite yet opinionated, open and honest, incredibly intelligent, not afraid to talk about all sorts of issues, and absolutely 'as sharp as a tack'.

During our interview we briefly discussed her somewhat famous interview, as guest editor of the Today programme on Radio 4, with with BBC director general Mark Thompson in December last year. Where this 'old granny' completely skewered the head of British public television.

Now news has come through that Baroness James has in fact won the BBC’s Nick Clarke Award for journalism for her interview with Thompson. Reportedly, the Judges praised her for her "polite tone, sharpness and competence". The award is given in memory of Nick Clarke, former presenter of The World at One, who died in 2006.

Baroness James was reported as saying, "The broadcast interview is one of the most effective ways in which the major issues of today’s world can be discussed, and I am greatly honoured to be the recipient of this important prize established in memory of a distinguished broadcaster".

You can access the broadcasts from the day Baroness James was guest editor here.

You can read the 9mm part of my interview with PD James here.