BBC diversity chief: Idris Elba s Luther doesn t have any black friends

The creative diversity chief of the BBC has suggested the TV series Luther “doesn’t feel authentic” because the lead character has few black friends and does not eat Caribbean food. Idris Elba, 48, stars as haunted rogue detective DCI John Luther in the critically acclaimed police drama, which has run for five series since 2010 on BBC One. Speaking during the MIPTV conference, Miranda Wayland praised the east London-born actor for playing a “really strong, black character lead”. However, she said that by the second series she had begun to question the character’s authenticity. Speaking to talkRADIO s Julia Hartley-Brewer, commentator Calvin Robinon said society was "backwards" if people were being judged by the colour of the company they keep. "Luther was a great character. His race has nothing to do with any of it," he said.