Second series of David Mitchell drama Ludwig expected soon

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

Now a second series is expected to be shown soon, although a transmission date has yet to be revealed.

READ MORE: TV presenter Desmond Morris remembered

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 was born in Headington and was a pupil at Abingdon School, before going to university at Oxford University’s New College.

David Mitchell with Anna Maxwell Martin and Dylan Hughes (Image: BBC/Big Talk Studios/Olly Courtney)

Ludwig is set in Cambridge, with Mitchell playing a reclusive puzzle-setter who assumes the identity of his missing twin brother, DCI James Taylor, to investigate his disappearance.

During the first series John Taylor became surprisingly adept at solving murders, despite his lack of experience.

The synopsis for season two, which has once again been written by show creator Mark Brotherhood, says: “Picking up from the end of series one, master puzzle-setter John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor (Mitchell) is now a crime scene consultant, working alongside DCI Russell Carter on ‘impossible’ crimes for the Cambridge Police Authority.

“No longer having to masquerade as his brother, he’s openly more ‘Ludwig’ than ever – brilliant at solving puzzles but hopeless at everything else.

“But John’s identical twin brother, James, is still missing, and now that he’s an official employee of the station, John is forbidden from using any police resources to look for his brother or uncover exactly what he was investigating.

“Of course, John won’t stop and neither will Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin), John’s sister-in-law and wife of his missing brother James – a puzzle needs solving and a husband and father needs bringing home.

“One masquerade may have ended, but a new one has just begun.”

Mark Bonnar in Ludwig (Image: BBC/Big Talk Studios/Olly Courtney)

Dipo Ola is expected to return as DCI Russell Carter, Dylan Hughes as Henry Betts-Taylor, Dorothy Atkinson as DCS Carol Shaw, Ralph Ineson as Chief Constable Ziegler.

New additions to the cast will include Line of Duty’s Mark Bonnar as newspaper editor Gareth Fisher, Fleabag’s Sian Clifford as local MP Joanne Kemper, Black Mirror’s Ben Ashenden as DC Ethan Cole and After the Flood’s Rumi Sutton as DC Caitlin Sullivan.

Speaking about series two, Mr Mitchell said earlier this year: “When you watch the second series, you realise there’s still quite a lot of obfuscation involved in his role, because not everyone in the police force is entirely on side with his appointment.

“And of course, he’s still got to cover up the fact that for a long time he was solving cases while impersonating a police officer.

“And if that ever gets out, well, five murderers will walk free, and he won’t walk free himself.”