The David Mitchell-led detective series Ludwig was hugely popular 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.
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, we can estimate when it will air.
Production kicked off in September 2025, as confirmed by the BBC.
Filming for the first season began in January 2023, with the show first hitting screens at the end September. So, that’s around eight months from shooting commencing to Ludwig airing.
If we follow a similar pattern, we could see Ludwig season 2 release in Spring 2026.
Ludwig season 2 cast: Who will return?
The BBC has confirmed that the following actors will be back:
- David Mitchell as John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor/James Taylor
- Anna Maxwell Martin as Lucy Betts-Taylor
- Dipo Ola as DI Russell Carter
- Dorothy Atkinson as DCS Carol Shaw
- Ralph Ineson as Chief Constable Ziegler
- Karl Pilkington as DI Matt Neville.
The following two names were absent from the announcement:
- Izuka Hoyle as DS Alice Finch
- Gerran Howell as DC Simon Evans
One person we probably won’t see back is Sophie Willan as Holly Pinder – more on that in our spoiler-filled plot speculation below.
Four new additions to the cast include:
- Mark Bonnar (Dept. Q, Guilt) as Gareth Fisher, a newspaper editor
- Sian Clifford (Fleabag, The Ballad of Wallis Island) as Joanne Kemper, a local MP
- Ben Ashenden (Deep Cover, Black Mirror) as DC Ethan Cole
- Rumi Sutton (After the Flood, Mutiny) as DC Caitlin Sullivan
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.