In the opening episode of the new series, the maverick detective and his sidekick Ripley are assigned simultaneous homicide cases to solve: the killing of a woman in her own home and an internet troll tortured to death in an act of gruesome vengeance. With two murderers to catch, the last thing Luther needs is interference from inside the force – but his former protégé Erin Gray is now a DCI in the anti-corruption unit, and her new boss DSU Stark is desperate to bring Luther down.

Series 3 Episode 1 airs at 9pm on Tuesday 2 July on BBC One. To whet your appetite, here are ten teasing lines of dialogue from the ep…

» ‘There’s a bit of a Siouxsie and the Banshees thing going on here.’

» ‘Your romantic yearnings are clouding your judgement as a police officer.’

» ‘Luther – it’s a good name.’

» ‘Your career ends here.’

» ‘When it comes to seasoning, I’m like Jamie Oliver: I just rummage around in the cupboards to see what I can find.’

» ‘They unretired me … for a special project.’

» ‘You’re either a donkey or you’re an accomplice – and I don’t think you’re a donkey.’

» ‘It’s all mixed up: past, present … I can’t get my head around it.’

» ‘It’s too cold for any of that malarkey.’

» ‘You’re right. Somebody needs to stop him.’

> Order Series 3 on DVD on Amazon.

> Buy the Series 1-2 boxset on Amazon.

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Watch the Series 3 trailer…