David Mitchell Stars In New Detective Series Ludwig
Everyone loves a good detective series- but David Mitchell is mixing sleuthing with comedy in his upcoming BBC series Ludwig, in which he plays a man searching for his missing brother after he disappears.
The drama-comedy takes on the light-hearted blend of laughs and intrigue in shows like Only Murders in the Building and Based on a True Story, with the Peep Show and Upstart Crow star leaning into his dramatic side to bring to life the reclusive John “Ludwig” Taylor.
Here’s all we know:
What is Ludwig about?
Quiet and reclusive John Taylor, nicknamed Ludwig, doesn’t like going out and prefers to stay at home and live a solitary life designing puzzles under his nickname. He’s never been married and has never settled down, but remains in contact with his brother and identical twin, James, a skilled DCI in Cambridge. However, when his brother suddenly disappears, apparently without a trace, John has to drop his puzzle devising and taking up his brother’s mantle and pretending to be him in order to investigate the disappearance himself.
It might be handy to look identical to your DCI brother in order to impersonate him and have access to investigate resources, but with this comes a new responsibility: John will have to take over the Cambridge major crimes unit team and work on different cases.
The six-part series will take on a case-of-the-week style format (similar to last year’s Poker Face), with John continuing to find more answers in his search for James. Of course, filling his shoes won’t be easy, and John will need more than just puzzling skills if he’s to find his brother and prevail.
Who else stars?
Also in the cast alongside Mitchell is Anna Maxwell Martin of Line of Duty and Motherland fame, playing John’s sister-in-law Lucy, keen to find her missing husband. Others appearing include Izuka Hoyle (The Outpost), Gerran Howell (Catch-22), Dipo Ola (Landscapers) and Dorothy Atkinson (All Creatures Great and Small). Production on the series is currently filming, but we’ve got a first look at Mitchell in character in Cambridge as “Ludwig”, and the series should launch sometime later this year. We’ll keep you updated with more details and a trailer when they’re released.
