Idris Elba

Idris Elba plays Stringer Bell in The Wire. Stringer's controlled manner distinguishes him from people who rely on an immediate show of force. Elba makes the character's interest in organisation and business feel like an ambition, not a convenient label.

His television career also includes DCI John Luther in Luther, Sam Nelson in Hijack, and Charles Miner in the US version of The Office. The parts use his authority in very different ways: troubled investigator, pressured passenger and an unwelcome change in workplace management.

Elba's films include Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Pacific Rim and the Thor series. In The Wire, the attraction is more restrained. A considered reply or a look across a room can establish Stringer's position without a speech explaining it.