If you found yourself watching BBC One’s Amandaland praying for an appearance from Anna Maxwell Martin that sadly never materialised, we feel your disappointment. However, our favourite Motherland star is returning in another "flawless" series, otherwise known as Ludwig - so she'll back on our screens before we know it.
The first series of the brilliant comedy-mystery aired on BBC One last year and captivated over 9.5 million viewers. The story introduced us to John “Ludwig” Taylor, a puzzle setter who found himself impersonating his missing police detective brother James in order to track him down. It was clever, funny – and Maxwell Martin was utterly brilliant (when is she not?) as James's wife.
As we await the arrival of series 2, here’s everything you need to know about about the show and when you can expect it to return…
What is Ludwig about?
The first series of the comedy drama followed John “Ludwig” Taylor, whose identical twin brother James mysteriously disappeared. The brother in question also happened to be a high-flying DCI leading a major crimes team in Cambridge. So, how would John find him? He’d take on his identity of course.
Having lived a quiet, uneventful life, designing puzzles and avoiding the outside world (he’d never really ventured further than his front door and doesn’t have a computer, phone or TV), we joined John to see if he could crack the biggest puzzle of his life. In each episode, he also took on a new case, which rans parallel to his attempts to uncover the truth behind James' disappearance.
Is Ludwig any good?
Yes - in fact, it's better than good! The first series drew in over 9.5 million viewers, making it the BBC’s biggest scripted show of that year to date - and the largest since 2022. It was the biggest launch for a comedy since at least 2018. The series also received rave reviews from critics across the board, including, of course, us. The Guardian described it as “a comedy triumph" and viewers called it "flawless".
What will happen in Ludwig series 2?
In series 1, John discovered he had quite the talent for crime solving and ended up joining the forces as an official consultant for the Cambridgeshire Police. So we already know that in the new series, he'll no longer need to keep his identity concealed - and he's likely to have some more criminal cases to solve.
Sadly, the BBC are yet to release any of the new plot details, but we know that at the end of the first series, John’s twin was still missing – so we’re expecting the second instalment to concentrate on John’s continued efforts to find James, if nothing else.
Who will star in Ludwig series 2?
At present, the only cast members confirmed to return are David Mitchell as Ludwig and Anna Maxwell Martin as Lucy Betts-Taylor. However, we’d also expect the following cast members to return:
- 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
How can I watch Ludwig series 2?
The BBC haven't yet shared an official release date for Ludwig series 2, but we do know that's likely to air this autumn. As soon as we have a confirmed date, we'll let you know. In the meantime, the first series is available to stream now on BBC iPlayer.
