Idris Elba returns to doing what he does best – as he embarks on the hunt for a serial killer in the fourth series of Luther.

The British star is seen reprising his role as maverick cop DCI John Luther in a new trailer for a two-part special of the BBC thriller, which airs on BBC One in December.

Idris’s alter-ego has been lying low in a rural cottage, but decides to go back to his job and return to his east London haunt when he hears of a cannibalistic murderer on the loose.

The trailer also shows castmates Rose Leslie as DS Emma Lane and Darren Boyd as DCI Theo Bloom.

Rose, who formerly starred in Game Of Thrones as Ygritte, said: “I’ve been an avid fan from the beginning so this is a sensational job to do and get.”

Darren Boyd as DCI Theo Bloom and Rose Leslie as DS Emma Lane in Luther
Darren Boyd as DCI Theo Bloom and Rose Leslie as DS Emma Lane in Luther (Steffan Hill/BBC)

The new season, once again written by the show’s New Zealand creator and author Neil Cross, comes more than two years after the third series, which aired in July 2013.

Idris said: “We’ve got a loyal and demanding audience, and the audience, Neil and I were not satisfied with the ending of the last one. It felt like there were unanswered questions and we needed to conclude some stuff, maybe close down a chapter to open a new chapter and keep the story growing.

Idris Elba in Luther
Idris Elba in Luther (Steffan Hill/PA)

“We’ve evolved, the whole show seems to have grown a bit. There’s some progression in Luther’s life. That version of Luther had to go and stop – and now this version of Luther, who is slightly older and a little bit more smarter and wiser, this begins the birth of the next chapter.”

The Thor, Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom and Beasts Of No Nation star added: “Because of the break, we wanted to heighten everything and up the ante. We wanted to increase the fear and touch the nerve with this monstrous character.”

Luther returns at 9pm on December 15 on BBC One.