Home TV News BBC Renews ‘Ludwig’ For Season 2 And Reveals It’s Their Biggest Scripted Show Of The Year

BBC Renews ‘Ludwig’ For Season 2 And Reveals It’s Their Biggest Scripted Show Of The Year

by Dave Elliott

The BBC has announced a Season 2 renewal for dramedy Ludwig starring David Mitchell & Anna Maxwell Martin, along with revealing it is their biggest scripted show of the year to date.

Created and written by Mark Brotherhood and produced by Big Talk Studios, the series follows John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor (Mitchell), whose identical twin brother James mysteriously vanishes. John takes on his brother’s identity to uncover the truth behind his disappearance. But there’s a twist: John has lived a quiet, uneventful life, designing puzzles and avoiding the outside world, while his brother is a high-flying DCI leading a major crimes team in Cambridge. Filling in for James leads to hilariously high stakes and serious crime-solving.

The second season sees David Mitchell returning as “Ludwig”, alongside Anna Maxwell Martin as Lucy Betts-Taylor, the wife of John’s missing brother James.

“I’m delighted that John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor has failed to escape the clutches of the Cambridge police and will have to continue to face up to the city’s alarming conundrum-based crime wave,” said Mitchell.

The renewal shouldn’t really come as a surprise given the numbers it has been getting. The series captivated audiences, attracting over 9.5 million viewers (28-day figure), making it the BBC’s biggest scripted show of the year to date, the largest since 2022. It’s the biggest launch for a comedy since at least 2018.

“The success of Ludwig is a testament to the power of Mark Brotherhood’s sharp and intelligent storytelling combined with the phenomenal talents of David, Anna and the brilliant supporting cast,” commented Kenton Allen, Executive Producer and CEO Big Talk Studios. “It’s no surprise to me that the show has been such a resounding hit in these uncertain times. I think audiences crave solutions to life’s problems and Ludwig’s detective skills give us all comfort in this often puzzling world”.

Season one of the series also starred Dipo Ola (Landscapers, We Hunt Together) as DI Russell Carter, Gerran Howell (Catch-22, Suspicion) as DC Simon Evans, Izuka Hoyle (Boiling Point, Big Boys) as DS Alice Finch, Dylan Hughes (Malory Towers, Maternal) as Henry Betts-Taylor, Dorothy Atkinson (Mum, The Gold) as DCS Carol Shaw, Sophie Willan (Alma’s Not Normal, Time) as Holly Pinder, and Ralph Ineson (The Witch, Chernobyl) as Chief Constable Ziegler.

“The blend of top-tier British comic talent, a gripping mystery, and brilliantly crafted crime storylines had viewers hooked from day one,” adds Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy Commissioning. “We had high hopes for Ludwig, and it’s safe to say this comedy-detective series with a twist has become a true standout. We can’t thank Mark Brotherhood, David Mitchell, Anna Maxwell Martin, and the entire cast and crew enough for creating something so special. We’re eagerly awaiting series two, though it’s a bit of a shame we’ll have to spoil the surprises for ourselves by actually reading the scripts first!”

‘Ludwig’ is a Big Talk Studios production in association with That Mitchell And Webb Company. Season two will again be written by Mark Brotherhood. The executive producers are Kenton Allen, Mark Brotherhood, David Mitchell, Kathryn O’Connor and Chris Sussman. The new series was commissioned by Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy Commissioning. The BBC Commissioning Editor is Tanya Qureshi. Ludwig is produced in association with ITV Studios, which also handles international distribution. The series is a BritBox co-production for the United States and Canada.

Ludwig‘ Season 1 is available on BBC iPlayer in the UK right now. Season 2 does not have a premiere date yet but if you want to keep track of this or any other show, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date.

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