BBC AMERICA'S DRAMAVILLE EARNS FIVE EMMY NOMINATIONS

Luther - Outstanding Miniseries or Movie

Luther's Idris Elba - Outstanding Lead Actor Miniseries or Movie

The Hour's Abi Morgan - Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special

Luther's Neil Cross - Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special

Luther's Sam Miller - Outstanding Directing For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Dramatic Special

New York - Thursday, July 19 - Announced this morning, BBC AMERICA's Dramaville has earned five Emmy nominations, the most in one year in the channel's history, for the miniseries Luther and The Hour. BBC AMERICA's crime miniseries Luther, starring Idris Elba, Ruth Wilson, Dermot Crowley, Warren Brown and Paul McGann, is nominated for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie. Idris Elba (Pacific Rim, Prometheus) is honored with a second nomination for his portrayal of the title character. Luther creator and writer Neil Cross and director Sam Miller both earned nominations for the miniseries. Abi Morgan, creator and writer of BBC AMERICA's acclaimed espionage miniseries The Hour, is nominated for Outstanding Writing.

Perry Simon, General Manager, BBC AMERICA, said: "It's been an extraordinary year for Dramaville, our weekly home for great British drama. We're thrilled for Idris, Neil, Sam and the Luther team and Abi on her recognition for The Hour. It's a great time for British talent!"

Dramaville features the best in groundbreaking British drama every Wednesday at 10:00pm ET on BBC AMERICA. The acclaimed slate of programming includes Luther, The Hour, Inside Men, Whitechapel, Mistresses, White Heat, and the upcoming miniseries Spies of Warsaw and drama Ripper Street.

About Luther:

Following the brutal murder of his wife, John Luther (Idris Elba) is devastated, but still standing. With his old unit gone, he returns to policing at the newly created Serious and Serial Unit, headed by former police complaints officer Martin Schenk (Dermot Crowley). He quickly gathers together his team, rescuing his old partner Detective Justin Ripley (Warren Brown) from uniform. It's not long before they're dealing with their first case. A masked man wanders the streets of London, carrying out ritualistic murders in historic locations, working his way up to one final masterpiece. At the same time Luther's trying to rescue Jenny, an old acquaintance's daughter from the seedy world of prostitution. But his mission to give Jenny a new start in life comes with a high price and he's caught between breaking the rules and the mobsters that rule the world of prostitution in London. Elba has won a Golden Globe and NAACP Image Award for his starring role as near genius detective John Luther.

About The Hour:

The Hour stars Dominic West (The Wire), Romola Garai (One Day, Emma) and Ben Whishaw (Skyfall, Bright Star) locked in a highly competitive, sharp-witted and passionate love triangle. The series, set behind the scenes of the BBC's newsroom in London in the mid '50s, is an edge-of-your-seat spy thriller. It follows the lives of three characters as they set up a new weekly investigative news program, The Hour. The drama plots the personal lives, professional interplay and jealous ambition between aspiring but renegade journalist Freddie Lyon (Whishaw), the beautiful ambitious young producer Bel Rowley (Garai) with whom he is in love, and his handsome rival Hector Madden (West), the face and lead anchorman of this rising television news team. The Hour plays out as a riveting thriller set against the backdrop of the Cold War and Ian Fleming's world of espionage. The miniseries, West and Garai have has earned Golden Globe nominations.

Note to editors Twitter: @BBCAMERICA Hashtags: #Luther #TheHour #Dramaville Dramaville site: http://www.bbcamerica.com

BBC AMERICA delivers US audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including an Emmy(R), five Golden Globes(R) and ten Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable's most affluent and educated audiences and is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 79 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.bbcamerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist.