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.
While we await the arrival of series 2, here’s everything you need to know about about Ludwig 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".
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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.
No longer having to masquerade as his brother, according to the BBC, he’s openly more ‘Ludwig’ than ever - just as brilliant at solving puzzles, but hopeless at almost everything else. But John’s identical twin brother, James, is still missing, and now that he’s an official employee, he's forbidden from using any police resources to look for his brother or uncover exactly what he was investigating.
Who will star in Ludwig series 2?
The returning cast of Ludwig series 2 includes:
- David Mitchell as Ludwig
- Anna Maxwell Martin as Lucy Betts-Taylor
- Dipo Ola as DCI Russell Carter
- Dylan Hughes as Henry Betts-Taylor
- Dorothy Atkinson as DCS Carol Shaw
- Ralph Ineson as Chief Constable Ziegler
- Karl Pilkington as DI Matt Neville
Joining the cast as series regulars are:
- Mark Bonnar (Dept. Q) as newspaper editor Gareth Fisher
- Sian Clifford (Fleabag) as local MP Joanne Kemper
- Ben Ashenden (Black Mirror) as DC Ethan Cole
- Rumi Sutton (After the Flood) as DC Caitlin Sullivan
How can I watch Ludwig series 2?
The BBC hasn't yet shared an official release date for Ludwig series 2, but we're expecting it to air at some point in 2026. 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.
