Neil Cross on Luther, Doctor Who and The Iris Affair – The Radio Times Writers’ Room

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Welcome back to The TopMob Writers’ Room!

We’re excited to introduce Neil Cross, the talented writer behind the hit BBC crime series Luther, which stars Idris Elba.

Cross began his career writing novels before transitioning to television with the show Spooks. He credits Spooks with teaching him “everything” about the industry, especially how to manage a budget. He shared that an early draft of an episode once called for a staggering £100,000 to be spent on just 12 seconds of footage.

Idris Elba became widely known for his role in the crime drama Luther, which first aired in 2010. The show was immediately popular with both audiences and critics, and has since had five seasons, along with a 2023 film called The Fallen Sun. There are strong indications that more Luther content is planned.

As a huge fan of both Doctor Who and Russell T Davies’ work, I was thrilled to learn that Chris Chibnall wrote ‘The Rings of Akhaten’ and ‘Hide’. ‘Akhaten’ especially has this incredible speech that’s become legendary within the show’s history. But apparently, the first reactions to it really got to him – he’s confessed it sent him into a really dark place for a while, which is honestly heartbreaking to hear.

I’ve been following Neil Morrissey’s work for a while now, and he’s consistently delivered some really gripping TV. Besides his well-known roles, he’s the creative force behind shows like Hard Sun and The Sister. Just recently, I finished watching The Iris Affair – a new thriller on Sky with Niamh Algar and Tom Hollander – and it was fantastic! Definitely worth checking out if you enjoy a good mystery.

The show centers around Iris, a brilliant mind played by Algar, who is recruited by businessman Cameron (Hollander) to activate a highly advanced machine.

Once she understands the device’s potential, she steals the codes to activate it and flees across Italy, with Cameron pursuing her to retrieve them.

During our conversation, Cross explained that he based the structure of Luther on the Columbo detective series. He also shared his earliest memory of watching Doctor Who and expressed his continued disappointment over the premature end of Hard Sun.

He shared his all-time favorite scene and the scenes he believes will define his work, and also discussed how long he’d been developing the story for The Iris Affair.

He paused, searching for the right words. “It feels like forever,” he finally said, “but I think Iris has been on my mind for about six or seven years now, one way or another.”

You know, developing this character reminded me a lot of how I approached ‘Luther.’ The initial spark wasn’t a plot, but the character herself – a female anti-hero. It struck me as a surprisingly fresh concept, something I hadn’t really seen explored before. I didn’t start by thinking about what she’d be doing, but who she was as a person. That’s where the whole thing began – figuring out her personality, her core traits, before anything else.

I was really fascinated by the combination of strength and playfulness, and the idea that you could influence people just by sharing powerful ideas. It made me wonder if something like math could even help someone struggling with suicidal thoughts, and apparently, it can – at least, that’s what they showed on TV.

Iris was a fascinating and compelling character, and the show really developed around her. She was the central figure, the star of the story.

Watch the complete video at the beginning of this article, and stay tuned for future visits to The TopMob Writers’ Room.

You can also revisit our earlier conversations with Mark Gatiss, where he discussed his work on Doctor Who, Sherlock, and Bookish. We also spoke with Harry and Jack Williams about their shows The Missing, The Tourist, and their new Prime Video thriller, The Assassin, and with Noah Hawley about creating Fargo, Legion, and Alien: Earth.

I’m so excited – you can now watch ‘The Iris Affair’ on Sky and NOW! If you’re not already a subscriber, it’s a great time to check out how to sign up for Sky TV so you don’t miss it.

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2025-11-13 09:35