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David Mitchell and Line of Duty's Anna Maxwell Martin in first look at Ludwig

Mitchell plays the lead in the new case-of-the-week comedy-drama series.

Izuka Hoyle as DS Alice Finch, Dipo Ola as DI Russell Carter, David Mitchell as John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor / James Taylor, Dorothy Atkinson as DCS Carol Shaw and Gerran Howell as DC Simon Evans in Ludwig standing together in an office looking into camera

BBC/Big Talk/Colin Hutton

Published: Tuesday, 13 August 2024 at 12:11 pm

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A new set of images have been released in anticipation of Ludwig, the upcoming BBC case-of-the-week comedy-drama starring David Mitchell.

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The images introduce us to Mitchell's John 'Ludwig' Taylor, a reclusive puzzle-setter who assumes his twin brother James's identity after he goes missing, in order to track him down.

This means he has to adapt to James's life as a highly respected DCI within Cambridge's busy Major Investigations Team and a family man.

Mitchell is joined the series by Anna Maxwell Martin as James's wife Lucy Betts-Taylor, while other series regulars include Dipo Ola (We Hunt Together), Gerran Howell (Suspicion), Izuka Hoyle (Big Boys), Dylan Hughes (Malory Towers), Dorothy Atkinson (The Gold), Sophie Willan (Time) and Ralph Ineson (The Fantastic Four: First Steps).

David Mitchell in Ludwig reading a leaflet in a brown coat

David Mitchell in Ludwig. BBC/Big Talk/Colin Hutton

Meanwhile, guest stars set to feature across the episodes include Derek Jacobi (The Following Events are Based on a Pack of Lies), Felicity Kendal (Inside No. 9), Rose Ayling-Ellis (EastEnders), Karl Pilkington (An Idiot Abroad), Allan Mustafa (Peacock), Paul Chahidi (This Country) and Hammed Animashaun (Black Ops).

Anna Maxwell Martin in Ludwig, sat at a table and typing on a laptop

Anna Maxwell Martin in Ludwig. BBC/Big Talk/Colin Hutton

Ludwig will be Mitchell's first starring role in a comedy since Back, the Channel 4 sitcom in which he starred alongside comedy partner Robert Webb. That show ran for two seasons between 2017 and 2021.

Martin, meanwhile, has recently appeared in series such as A Spy Among Friends, Mandy and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.

Derek Jacobi in Ludwig in a cardigan and light blue shirt

Derek Jacobi in Ludwig. BBC/Big Talk/Colin Hutton

When Ludwig was first announced, Mitchell said: "I'm delighted to be working in a genre of television that I have loved ever since, at the age of 10, I started watching the Miss Marple adaptations, starring Joan Hickson, with my parents.

"Sometimes the only thing that can bring the whole family together is murder."

Felicity Kendal in Ludwig sat at a table with hands clasped with two people standing in the background

Felicity Kendal in Ludwig. BBC/Big Talk/Colin Hutton

Ludwig will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of James Hibbs, smiling against a lime green background.

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

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