Idris Elba appears to have spoken out amid debate about the TV show Luther
(Picture: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)Idris Elba appears to have spoken out amid the controversy surrounding his character in the award-winning Luther.
The BBC’s creative diversity chief, Miranda Wayland, sparked a debate after saying that Mr Elba’s character in the hit show, DCI John Luther, lacked “authenticity”.
Speaking on a panel at this year’s MIPTV conference, she said: “When it first came out everybody loved the fact that Idris Elba was in there – a really strong, black character lead.
“But after you got into the second series you got kind of like, OK, he doesn’t have any black friends, he doesn’t eat any Caribbean food, this doesn’t feel authentic.”
On social media, some fans were quick to criticise Ms Wayland.
One user said: “Just because Luther likes pie ‘n’ mash instead of jerk chicken doesn’t make him any less black.”
Mr Elba also appeared to weigh in on the debate, posting a quote in his Instagram story.
“We must not pull ourselves backwards, only push ourselves forwards,” he wrote.
In response to Ms Wayland’s comments, the BBC told the Independent: “Luther is a multi-award winning crime drama series and the iconic role of DCI John Luther has become one of TV’s most powerful detective characters of which we are tremendously proud.
“The BBC is committed to its continued investment in diversity and recent BBC One dramasI May Destroy You and Small Axe are testament to that.
“Of course people can have open discussions about our shows but that doesn’t mean it’s a statement of policy.”
