Comedian David Mitchell stars as John “Ludwig” Taylor, a reclusive puzzle designer who assumes the identity of his twin brother – a detective chief inspector – after he goes missing.

The hit series also features Motherland’s Anna Maxwell Martin, with Fleabag star Sian Clifford and Scottish actor Mark Bonnar joining the cast as regulars in the second series which is due to be broadcast in August, with a third series already commissioned.

READ MORE: Ludwig creator reveals secret of series success

The detective drama set in Cambridge is one of the BBC’s most successful in terms of viewing figures for many years.

Mr Mitchell has strong Oxfordshire connections – he grew up in Oxford where he enjoyed watching Inspector Morse on ITV, and was a pupil at Abingdon School.

David Mitchell in Ludwig (Image: BBC/Big Talk Studios/Olly Courtney)

The BBC has confirmed that Ludwig will return for its second series later this month, with all six episodes to be released as a box set on iPlayer from the same date.

The newly confirmed release date is Thursday, August 20 at 9pm on BBC One, confirming what the BBC had previously teased only as an August 2026 return.

Perhaps an added bonus for fans is that, rather than waiting week by week, they will be able to binge the entire box set on iPlayer as soon as the opening episode airs.

David Mitchell returns in his role as John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor, now working officially as a Crime Scene Consultant for the Cambridge Police Authority, teaming up with DCI Russell Carter on seemingly “impossible” crimes.

No longer masquerading as James, he is “more Ludwig than ever”, brilliant at puzzles but hopeless at almost everything else – the fate of his brother, though, still eludes him.

Returning alongside Mitchell are Anna Maxwell Martin as Lucy Betts-Taylor, Dipo Ola as DI Russell Carter, Dorothy Atkinson as DCS Carol Shaw, Ralph Ineson as Chief Constable Ziegler, Karl Pilkington as DI Matt Neville and Dylan Hughes as Henry Betts-Taylor.

The new series also introduces new faces, including Mark Bonnar (Guilt, Line of Duty) as newspaper editor Gareth Fisher and Sian Clifford (Fleabag) as local MP Joanne Kemper.

Ben Ashenden and Rumi Sutton co-star as DC Ethan Cole and DC Caitlin Sullivan respectively.

The BBC will be hoping to repeat the runaway success of the first series.

Ludwig launched in 2024 to strong reviews and sizeable audiences, drawing more than 9.5 million viewers and ranking among the BBC’s biggest scripted hits of the year, according to the Radio Times.

It also earned a 97 per cent score on reviews site Rotten Tomatoes, cementing its reputation as a quirky detective drama with puzzles at the heart of the plot.

Mark Brotherhood is the series creator.

The UK charity, which has more than 500 stores nationwide, launched the pilot in early August, making it the first time a national UK charity had offered clothing rental alongside its retail shops.

Customers can hire selected donated garments for 14 days, with prices starting at £22.

The launch collection features vintage items, including a Balenciaga dress, a Stella McCartney jacket, and a Dolce & Gabbana dress.

Oxfam launches new rental service for clothes in first for sector

Julie Tyrell, head of ecommerce and retail sustainability at Oxfam, said: “We see pieces come through our shops that you simply won’t find anywhere else, and until now the only way to own one was to buy it outright.

“Rental means people can access that wardrobe for the moment they need it and then not let it sit in a cupboard afterwards.”

The clothing is cleaned and prepared before being sent to customers, who return it at the end of the rental period for reuse.

Oxfam developed the service with fashion rental and fulfilment company ACS, which is providing its operational infrastructure.

Anthony Burns, chief operating officer at ACS, said the partnership showed how circular retail models could deliver environmental and social benefits.

Income generated by the service will support Oxfam’s charitable work.

The pilot launched ahead of Oxfam’s annual Second-Hand September campaign, which encourages people to buy pre-owned clothing instead of new items.

UK charities closing stores

In other news for the charity sector, others are closing sites across the country.

Cancer Research UK is in the process of shutting stores as it works to reduce the size its our core high street chain to around 320 high-performing shops.

It revealed previously that it would be closing around 90 shops by May this year, with up to 100 more by April 2027.  

Its online marketplace shut down earlier this year, and the charity is now shifting focus toward 12 new out-of-town superstores.

Meanwhile, the British Heart Foundation announced plans to close 150 of its charity shops across the UK, representing nearly a quarter of its 640 total locations.

Recommended reading:

The closures will happen over a two-year period due to rising operating costs and a drop in net profits.

Around 90 shops are scheduled to shut down by the end of March 2027, with the first 87 specific branch locations already publicly identified.

The remaining targeted stores will close by March 2028.

Do you shop at local charity shops? If so, what is your favourite? Let us know in the comments.

Preparation works for the new Oxpens River Bridge are set to begin imminently in Grandpont Nature Park, and a key footpath connecting North Hinksey to the city centre could close for more than a year to enable them to happen.

Originally scheduled to shut on Monday, August 3, the closure of the well-used path through Grandpont Nature Park has now been pushed back to Monday, August 17, according to signage displayed on the route.

The footpath through Grandpont will close for up to 56 weeks (Image: Newsquest)

On the other side of the river, the footpath through Oxpens Meadow was due to shut from Wednesday, July 29.

READ MORE: Oxford neighbourhood ‘cut off’ by 56-week footpath closure

Though an approved temporary traffic regulation order allows for a closure of up to 56 weeks, Oxford City Council said the paths are expected to reopen in Spring 2027.

A map of the path closures through Granpont Nature Park and Oxpens Meadow (Image: Oxford City Council)

The city council earlier said that while it recognises the paths are used as a diversion during the long-running Botley Road closure, waiting until it reopened would delay the delivery of the bridge project.

The Oxpens River Bridge is a controversial scheme to redevelop the Oxford West End, providing a new crossing for walkers and cyclists between Oxpens Road and Grandpont, which received significant opposition from locals.

The bridge’s construction is expected to be completed at the same time as the footpaths reopen in spring next year.