The brilliant detective drama, Ludwig, was the BBC’s biggest scripted show of 2024, and fans are undoubtedly counting down the days until the premiere of season two, which will see David Mitchell reprise his role as reclusive puzzle setter John Taylor.
In a new interview, David opened up about some of the new additions to the show, including Shetland star Mark Bonnar, who plays a newspaper editor, Gareth Fisher.
“Mark Bonnar’s sort of hilarious, hapless newspaper editor, which is a terrific role,” David told RadioTimes.com.
The comedy-drama series follows John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor, a reclusive puzzle setter whose life is upended when his identical twin brother, DCI James Taylor, disappears. Drafted in by his sister-in-law Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin), John agrees to impersonate his brother as a detective in the Cambridge Police Authority in order to uncover the truth about James’s whereabouts.
Infiltrating the major investigations team, John uses his unique puzzle-solving skills to crack cases whilst also gathering information about his brother’s disappearance.
© Anne Binckebanck, BBCWhat happens in season 2?
At the end of season one, John was offered a role as a Crime Scene Consultant for the Cambridge Police Authority.
The synopsis for season two reads: “No longer having to masquerade as his brother, he’s openly more ‘Ludwig’ than ever – brilliant at solving puzzles but hopeless at everything else.
© BBC“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.”
Who are the new cast members?
Joining the cast as series regulars alongside Mark Bonnar are Sian Clifford (Fleabag, The Ballad of Wallis Island) as local MP Joanne Kemper, Ben Ashenden (Deep Cover, Black Mirror) as DC Ethan Cole and Rumi Sutton (After the Flood, Mutiny) as DC Caitlin Sullivan.
© Big Talk Studios / BBCSpeaking of the new additions, David told RadioTimes.com: “They were brilliant, very funny. They’re new characters, they’re very funny characters. They’ve got a great dynamic with each other, but overall the situation remains the same.”
Reprising their roles in season two alongside David and Anna are Dipo Ola as DCI Russell Carter, Dylan Hughes as Henry Betts-Taylor, Dorothy Atkinson as DCS Carol Shaw, Ralph Ineson as Chief Constable Ziegler and Karl Pilkington as DI Matt Neville.
David’s love of murder mysteries
Ludwig is a particularly exciting project for David, who has a long-standing love of murder mysteries.
“I’ve always loved murder mysteries,” the actor told HELLO! and other press at the launch of season one.
© Big Talk Studios/David Emery/BBC“Some of my happiest viewing memories are as a child watching Miss Marple with Joan Hickson, and Inspector Morse. I think when it can have that comic spin as well, that’s even better.”
When will Ludwig be released?
The BBC has yet to reveal a release date for season two. However, with filming having commenced in September last year, we can speculate that the new episodes will arrive sometime this year.
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