Luther - the BBC's hugely popular crime drama series starring Idris Elba - will return to screens for its third outing in 2013. The news was revealed in a special YouTube video that spoke of the BBC's intention to begin filming "four perfectly dark, chillingly-formed episodes" this month.

The award-winning psychological crime drama, starring Elba and Ruth Wilson, follows maverick detective John Luther, whose obsessive dedication to his job leaves him in various precarious situations. The first season saw Luther investigating a couple's double murder, with the second focusing on his relationship with Alice Morgan, the daughter of the deceased, who he realises is actually the murderer. In answer to the question "Is Alice coming back?", the new clip cryptically states "Only Alice knows." The video also contains an appreciative message to the show's cultish fan-base, saying, "Thank you for being such incredible fans. You mean the world to us." Luther was also a hit stateside, where Elba has previously established himself as Stringer Bell in HBO's The Wire, often considered to be the finest crime-drama series of all time. He won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Miniseries at the 2012 ceremony.

Though Elba has signed on for season three of Luther, bigger things may be on the horizon for the Hackney born star. It recently emerged that he had already met with producer Barbara Broccoli to discuss becoming the next James Bond once Daniel Craig leaves the franchise in two movies time.

Watch the Luther season three announcement below: