The much-missed Luther returned to our screens last night and was back to its grisly best as the gruff detective (played by Idris Elba) was now on the hunt for a serial killer in a clown mask.

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In one particularly harrowing scene, viewers watched (from behind the sofa) as a young woman got on the number 15 night bus – but with something far scarier on board than your usual host of drunk revellers.

Luther, night bus (BBC)

The clown-masked killer was secretly hiding at the back, sliding over on the floor towards her and killing the young woman in cold blood by repeatedly stabbing her – and seeing the millions of viewers watching at home to resolve to only get cabs home from now on.

Taking to Twitter, one particularly creeped out viewer explained, “Well that’s made me never want to use the night bus again.”

Another said, “Oh good God, the night bus scene in Luther is giving me a phobia for life.”

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A third explained, “1st January 2019, 9:39pm - the time the nation collectively decided never to get the night bus again.”

Other viewers claimed that this brutal murder was somehow even worse than that serial killer hiding under the bed in the third series – a scene which can still prompt nightmares several years on.

With Luther back to its terrifying best, fans were left even more upset when the devious Alice (Ruth Jones) appeared at Luther’s door – despite supposedly being dead.

Explaining her return to the programme, the 36-year-old actor explained, “I’ve missed Alice as everyone else has. She’s a really fun character to play and I get to do some action in this season.

“Alice is back with a vengeance. She’s funnier than ever; she’s more lethal than ever and she and Luther get up to some dastardly things.”

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This article was originally published on 2 January 2019


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