Where Elba really made a name for himself didn't wind up being the stage, though. It's his work in the likes of The Wire and Luther that has really cemented him as a household name (well, in certain households, possibly without children in them), and much of his early acting work appeared on the small screen. And it was of a similar genre to his later, career-making jobs. That Prince's Trust Grant paid for his tuition at the National Youth Music Theatre but he still had to make rent which is no meant feat when you're living in central London. Which lead to one of Idris Elba's very first screen credits, and one of the first paying acting roles he took: as part of a recreation on Crimewatch. Which doesn't sound like the most auspicious beginning but then, at the same time Elba was making money with crappy jobs like cold calling and tyre fitting. You could argue that appearing as a succession of ne'er do wells in Crimewatch reconstructions prepared him for roles like Stringer Bell or he just needed to keep the lights on.
