The David Mitchell-led detective series Ludwig has skyrocketed in popularity across its six-episode run, drawing in 9.5 million viewers in 28 days. Its weekly viewership even challenged heavyweight TV hits like The Great British Bake Off.
If you’ve been hooked by the adventures of John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor, and the mysterious disappearance of his identical twin James, then you may wonder if there’s more of the show to come. Never fear, we’ve got you covered.
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Is Ludwig coming back for a second season?
Isn’t it obvious? After a stellar reception from audiences and critics alike, Ludwig will return for a second season – this is confirmed directly by the BBC.
Star of the show David Mitchell gave the following statement: “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.”
When could Ludwig season 2 be released?
Although the BBC hasn’t officially confirmed when Ludwig season 2 will hit screens, the fact that it was greenlit so quickly could mean that production will kick off soon.
Filming for the first season began in January 2023, with the show first hitting screens at the end September. If scripts are already written (or being worked on), then season 2 could follow a similar pattern.
That would indicate that we could see Ludwig season 2 release in Autumn 2025.
Ludwig season 2 cast: Who will return?
Based on the six episodes of the drama, we’d expect to see the following actors back:
- David Mitchell as John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor/James Taylor
- Anna Maxwell Martin as Lucy Betts-Taylor
- Dipo Ola as DI Russell Carter
- Gerran Howell as DC Simon Evans
- Izuka Hoyle as DS Alice Finch
- Dylan Hughes as Henry Betts-Taylor
- Dorothy Atkinson as DCS Carol Shaw
- Ralph Ineson as Chief Constable Ziegler
One person we probably won’t see back is Sophie Willan as Holly Pinder – more on that in our spoiler-filled plot speculation below.
What happened at the end of Ludwig season 1?
In the final episode of season 1, John managed to get the police to drop wrongful murder charges against Lucy in his typical orthodox fashion after cyber expert Holly Pinder was found dead in her apartment, and Lucy was caught holding the murder weapon.
Lucy was over there as John believed Holly had worked out who he was and happened to go over just after she’d been killed – allowing the real murderer to plant the knife on Lucy – something John recreated spectacularly, forcing the killer to confess. The killer turned out to be an accomplice to Holly, who was helping her sell confidential police files and evidence.
However, in the process, he also had to reveal his true identity and admit that he’d been masquerading as his twin to find out what had happened to him.
Despite his lies, the team were extremely impressed with how many cases he’d solved and offered him the role of a police consultant. Though he initially turned it down, he eventually accepted – so we expect to see more complex mysteries thrown his way in season 2.
Then, of course, there’s still the mystery of James. To the rest of the world, he’d left a voice message that made it seem like he’d just left his family. However, John managed to suss out his code, and together with Lucy and his nephew Henry, found a storage unit with missing files belonging to the now-dead journalist (and conspiracy theorist) Roger Sinclair, which Holly had sold to him.
Unbeknownst to them, the twin was watching from the shadows. These files may lead to something incriminating for other officers, especially Chief Constable Ziegler, who has seemed like he’s been hiding something throughout the show. The question is, how far does this corruption spread? Can John really trust anyone at all?
How to watch Ludwig season 1 in the UK and abroad
All six episodes of Ludwig have now aired in the UK on BBC One – you can catch them all on BBC iPlayer.
The show isn’t being syndicated anywhere else internationally at the time of writing, but you can use our guide for watching iPlayer abroad to catch all the detective action.
Author: Hannah Cowton-Barnes, Entertainment Editor, Tech Advisor
As Tech Advisor's Entertainment Editor, Hannah is the resident expert in all things streaming, film and TV. Before joining Tech Advisor in 2019, she studied Theatre and Performance at the University of Leeds and created a website dedicated to geek culture and lifestyle. She's also reviewed a whole range of gadgets including flagship smartphones, wearables and styling tools. Outside of Foundry, she's written freelance pieces for Polygon, Metro and Den of Geek, and is proud to be a Women Techmakers Ambassador for Google.