Shetland star revealed in first look at return of ‘excellent’ BBC drama Ludwig

The BBC has unveiled a first look at season two of its hit detective drama, Ludwig, starring David Mitchell as master puzzle setter John Taylor. 

The series, created and written by Mark Brotherhood (Death in Paradise, Mount Pleasant), is the BBC’s biggest scripted series since 2024, drawing over 9.5 million viewers in its first 28 days. It also won the award for Best Comedy Series at the International Emmys last year. 

The comedy-drama, hailed by viewers as “excellent,” follows puzzle setter John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor, whose life of solitude is upended when his identical twin brother, DCI James Taylor, disappears. 

After being called upon for help 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 disappearance. 

Ludwig season 2 first look

A number of new faces have joined the cast of season two, including Shetland‘s Mark Bonnar and Fleabag star Sian Clifford.

A first look at the new six-part series shows Mark’s character newspaper editor Gareth Fisher, sitting behind a cluttered office desk, while Sian’s character, local MP Joanne Kemper, descends a spiral staircase wearing a glamorous, all-purple ensemble.

Keep reading to find out more about season two, which will air later this year on BBC iPlayer and BBC One.

What happens in season 2? 

The series picks up from the end of season one, which saw John offered a job as a Crime Scene Consultant for the Cambridge Police Authority.

The new episodes find John working alongside DCI Russell Carter (Dipo Ola), 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.

The synopsis continues: “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.”

Meet the new characters

Joining the cast as series regulars alongside Mark Bonnar and Sian Clifford are Ben Ashenden (Deep Cover, Black Mirror) as DC Ethan Cole and Rumi Sutton (After the Flood, Mutiny) as DC Caitlin Sullivan.

Returning characters

David Mitchell (Peep Show) will, of course, reprise his role as John.

It’s a particularly enjoyable project for David, who has long been a fan of murder mysteries. 

“I’ve always loved murder mysteries,” the actor told HELLO! and other press at the launch of season one.

“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,” added David, who is also an executive producer on the series, which comes from Big Talk Studios in association with That Mitchell And Webb Company.

Anna Maxwell Martin will also return as Lucy, alongside 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.

More detective dramas to watch while you wait

• His & Hers – Netflix:  This binge-worthy series follows married couple, Anna Andrews (Tessa Thompson) and Jack Harper (Jon Bernthal), who are both connected to a shocking murder. One is a detective and the other a journalist – and both parties think their spouse is the prime suspect.
• Patience – Channel 4: Patience (Ella Maisy Purvis) is an autistic, self-taught criminologist who catalogues evidence in the Yorkshire Police records department. When her talent is discovered by Detective Inspector Bea Metcalf (Laura Fraser), Patience soon helps to crack complex cases.
•  Dept. Q – This gritty detective series stars Downton Abbey‘s Matthew Goode as the talented but tortured detective DCI Carl Morck, as he heads up a new cold case unit for the Edinburgh police.