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Ludwig star Dipo Ola on how Russell's past tragedy drives him throughout season 2
Ola's character Russell revealed in season 1 that his fiancée – the daughter of Constable Ziegler – had died.
BBC/Big Talk Studios /Amanda Searle
- James Hibbs
Published: Friday, 21 August 2026 at 10:00 am
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*Warning – contains minor spoilers for the first three episodes of Ludwig season 2.*
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In the third episode of Ludwig season 1, it was revealed that Dipo Ola's character Russell had a tragic past – his fiancée, Mandy, had died.
Mandy was also revealed to be the daughter of Constable Ziegler (Ralph Ineson), with Ziegler having arranged Russell's transfer to the precinct in Cambridge.
Now, speaking with Radio Times as season 2 debuts, Ola explained that the series delves "a bit deeper" into Russell's past and his trauma, to "understand why he maybe is a bit shielded".
The second episode's murder case takes place at a wedding, and Ola said that this adds "a bit of a different motor in just being around a place where maybe he would have seen himself living out the rest of his life, in that key moment, which he doesn't get".
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Speaking about Russell's journey throughout season 2 as a whole, Ola said: "And then, as it progresses, you understand that Russell isn't necessarily letting up as much as everybody believes he is, in the same way that John believes that they're one step ahead.
"It's kind of an unspoken competition, I guess, between the two, where one always has more information than they have let on, or they think the other one thinks they do."
He continued: "And even now, thinking about episode 4, 5, and 6, and where he gets to, and I guess what he's capable of as a detective… There's a thing he does in one of the episodes, which obviously I'm going to be very vague about, where it shows you the scope of what he's willing to do, at a personal cost, which I think sets up season 3 in a really, really interesting way.
Dipo Ola as DI Russell Carter and David Mitchell as John "Ludwig" Taylor in Ludwig. BBC/Big Talk Studios/Colin Hutton
"There’s a level of trust everybody has, but also there's a level of distrust that is undercutting it all, where nobody really, actually, genuinely trusts each other, because they can't.
"But then I think also for Russell, he's in a more palpably desperate situation, because while Lucy and John have lost, in a sense, their brother and partner, he's not dead. He's still alive. He's just missing. In the same way that you can have a separation of partners, and you can be out of touch with your brother.
"But for Russell, his fiancé is dead. She's not coming back. So I think there's a different motor that he has when he's trying to search for answers."
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Season 2 sees David Mitchell's John and his sister-in-law Lucy continuing to search for answers in the mystery of his brother James's disappearance.
Meanwhile, John is of course continuing to take on cases of the week, including a murder taking place in a theatre and another in the heart of Cambridge.
Ludwig season 2 episodes 1-3 are available to watch now on BBC iPlayer. Episodes 4-6 will release on Thursday 10 September.
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Authors
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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