David Mitchell in his 'Ludwig' costume, holding a clapperboard to mark the start of shooting — **David Mitchell as John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor / James Taylor**

Joining David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin are Mark Bonnar and Sian Clifford as series regulars.

Filming is now underway on the much-anticipated second series of the BBC’s acclaimed detective series Ludwig, starring David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin.

Ludwig is created and written by Mark Brotherhood and produced by Big Talk Studios (part of ITV Studios), in collaboration with That Mitchell and Webb Company. Series one of the bingeworthy comedy-drama was the BBC’s biggest scripted show of 2024, and the biggest launch for a comedy since at least 2018, attracting over 9.5 million viewers (28-day figure). Ludwig is the number one season premiere in total viewership and unique viewers across BritBox North America in 2025. Global sales to date for Ludwig will see it airing in 85 international markets with more under discussion.

Picking up from where things were left at the end of series one, master puzzle-setter John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor (David Mitchell) is now a Crime Scene Consultant working 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.

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.

Also returning for series two 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.

Joining the cast as series regulars are Mark Bonnar (Dept. Q, Guilt) as newspaper editor, Gareth Fisher, 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.

Ludwig (6x60’) is a Big Talk Studios production in association with That Mitchell And Webb Company, in co-production with BritBox and ZDF, for the BBC. It is produced in association with ITV Studios, which also handles international distribution. The series was commissioned for BBC One and BBC iPlayer by Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy Commissioning. Series two is again written by Mark Brotherhood, and the directors are George Kane (episodes 1, 2 & 3) and Stella Corradi (episodes 4, 5 & 6). The executive producers are Kenton Allen and Toby Welch for Big Talk Studios, Mark Brotherhood, David Mitchell, Kathryn O’Connor, Chris Sussman; Robert Schildhouse and Stephen Nye for BritBox; and Claus Wunn and Frank Seyberth for ZDF. The producer is Georgie Fallon, with Anya Wilson serving as co-producer. The Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Tanya Qureshi.

Guest stars and further details will be announced in due course.

The first series of Ludwig is available to watch in full on BBC iPlayer.

Critical acclaim for Ludwig:

“David Mitchell saves comedy. In Britain we've been lost for laughs for too long. Enter the corduroy lifer from Peep Show – Ludwig is a delight.” The Sunday Times

★★★★★ “The BBC has made a show that I think you’ll love. I know it’s a big claim to make. But Ludwig is really very good.” The Telegraph

★★★★★ “Mitchell and Maxwell Martin have fantastic chemistry and the scenes between them are glorious.” Mail on Sunday

“…has made me laugh more than anything else on TV all year. All year!” The Guardian

★★★★ “Mitchell's performance makes Ludwig a real treat.” Radio Times

For more information, please visit the BBC Media Centre.