Luther BBC1 ****

Doctor Who BBC1 ***

A SUSPECT sprints into a dockyard, pursued by a Volvo driven by a demon lawman. He catches the culprit and slams him against the wall. “Can you breathe?” snarls the urban sheriff. “Shame that.” Job done, he heads home, only to be abducted on his doorstep by a gang of thugs. Welcome to just another day in the life of Luther.

With an opening scene calling to mind Line of Duty in its blistering pace, Idris Elba, playing DCI John Luther, and show creator, Neil Cross, signalled they were in no mood to mess around in this, the fifth series about the London detective who adds an extra helping of mayhem to the maverick cop mix.

Gang boss George Cornelius (Patrick Malahide in one of his juiciest roles since Minder) had ordered the snatching of Luther. Cornelius’s son was being held captive, and dad wanted to know if Luther was involved because he and the DCI had “history” together. Previously, it was Cornelius who had been chained to a radiator by Luther, because Luther is that kind of cop.

Besides Cornelius’s missing son, London crime figures were being boosted by a serial killer who liked to torture and mutilate his victims. Luther had seen worse, unlike ambitious new start DS Catherine Halliday (Wunmi Mosaku, excellent in Kiri and same here).

Cross introduced regular characters at a steady pace and soon it was like the old team had never been away. But where was the lady of the hour, the one we were all waiting for? Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson), the killer who struck up such a close relationship with Luther the pair were going to run off together, was officially dead, off the case. But in the worst kept secret since the colour of the sky, we knew she was coming back, but when and why? By the end of the first instalment, this four parter, continuing tonight, looked set to be the Luther that really lets rip. Bring it on.

This time last year, Doctor Who fans had been given a sneak peek at the first woman Time Lord, played by Jodie Whittaker. Having made her debut proper in October, Whittaker spearheaded another move, replacing the traditional Christmas Day special with a Ne’er Day one. This, too, promised the return of a familiar character, this one “the most dangerous creature in the universe” according to The Doctor. And it wasn’t even Donald Trump. Clue: this one did not do stairs.

After a complicated preamble about some warmongering creature cut into three and buried in different parts of the world, the action switched to the present day where an ancient burial site was being excavated. Before you could say, “This is slightly more exciting than Time Team”, a squid-like creature, later identified as a Dalek without its casing, had escaped and was declaring its intention to destroy humanity. They never change, do they?

Fans had been promised an all-action Doctor Who. More money had been spent, but there was still a lot of time spent talking in the TARDIS, and the Dalek advance party looked as naff and tin-can like as ever, especially when flying. The most impressive thing on screen was Whittaker, throwing herself into the epic daftness with the energy of several doctors.

Love won the day, with Ryan’s estranged father turning up and making peace with his son, and The Doctor gathering her little family around her for new adventures. Asked where they were going next, she replied, “Everywhere!” It is going to take more than a Dalek to dislodge Whittaker from this gig.