Ludwig director departs BBC before season 2 release

BBC Director of Comedy Jon Petrie has announced that he is leaving the corporation to take up a new post as Creative Director at Hat Trick Productions.

Mr Petrie, who took on the BBC comedy brief in 2021, has overseen a slate ranging from Alma’s Not Normal, Amandaland, Black Ops, Death Valley, Dreaming Whilst Black and Juice.

These also included Small Prophets, Smoggie Queens, Such Brave Girls, Things You Should Have Done and We Might Regret This, Ghosts, Here We Go and the record‑breaking Gavin and Stacey: The Finale.

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Ludwig is another of the shows overseen by Mr Petrie as director, and has been a huge hit for the BBC.

The channel has announced that season two of the show, set in Cambridge starring Peep Show actor David Mitchell, is due to be screened later this year, but has not yet provided any dates.

David Mitchell will return as John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor, while Anna Maxwell Martin will also be back as his sister-in-law, Lucy Betts-Taylor.

Best known for his role in the comedy Peep Show, David Mitchell grew up in Headington and was a pupil at Abingdon School.

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He also worked for Oxford University Press as a general dogsbody and proofreader, but was rejected from Merton College, instead studying at Cambridge.

Series one of the detective drama was a hit in 2024, becoming the channel’s biggest new scripted show since 2022. It attracted more than 9.5 million viewers across 28 days.

During his time in post, Mr Petrie also launched the BBC Comedy Festival, which has just celebrated its fifth edition in Liverpool.

Reflecting on his decision, he said: “Leaving the BBC after five brilliant years is a huge wrench.

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“It is an extraordinary place, full of wildly talented, decent and funny people, and I feel incredibly lucky to have worked under Kate Phillips’ leadership.

“Hat Trick is the OG of the independent production community, and taking on the role of Creative Director feels like a rare and properly exciting opportunity.

“I grew up seeing that logo at the end of shows I loved, which is both exciting and a fairly brutal reminder of my age.

“Jimmy and the team have a genuinely forward-looking vision across scripted, short form and AI, and while I know it is a tricky time to turn from gamekeeper to poacher, I’ve missed production, and I firmly believe British comedy still has huge opportunities ahead of it. I’m excited to help build what comes next.”