David Mitchell’s Ludwig has returned for a second season at BBC One, seeing nearly 3 million viewers tuning in for the first episode. Created by Mark Brotherhood, the series stars Mitchell in the dual role of reclusive puzzle maker John Taylor aka Ludwig and his twin, DCI James Taylor, who disappears without a trace in the first episode.
Contacted by James’s wife Lucy Betts-Taylor, played by Anna Maxwell Martin, John agrees to pose as Jack, ending up solving murder cases thanks to his deductive skills.
Season 2 kicks off following a big twist, with John’s ruse being exposed and the police forcing a resignation from ‘James’ so his cases wouldn’t be reopened. In the final scenes, John receives a phone call from his brother, who’s still alive and probably well, and is ultimately hired as a police consultant.
BBC
Related: Best streaming services UK 2026 – including Disney Plus, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV
The new season debuted with a first episode on 20 August. The season premiere was watched by 2.8 million viewers, making 28.5% of the TV-watching audience at that time (via Broadcast).
Not only did Ludwig season 2 best its closest rival, ITV1’s The Chase Around the World, which racked up 1.2 million viewers across the hour, it also surpassed BBC One’s slot average of 2.6 million.
The Cambridge-set cosy crime series also saw its viewership increase compared to the first episode of the first season, which had 2.7 million viewers on TV back in 2024.
Season 1 enjoyed an impressive 7.7 million viewers after 28 days of its premiere, so it remains to be seen whether the new season could do better than that.
BBC
So far, Ludwig season 2 has nailed a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes from six reviews, though the 100% rating could go down as more reviews come in. Meanwhile, season 1 is Certified Fresh on the aggregator with a score of 97% from 33 reviews.
At Digital Spy, we argued that the stakes of Ludwig season 2 are “even higher” as the central mystery of James’s disappearance “feels much closer to home”.
Ludwig season 2 airs on BBC One on Thursdays until 24 September.
The first three episodes of season 2 are currently available on iPlayer, with the remaining three dropping on 10 September.
Season 1 is streaming on the same platform now.
Visit our Streaming Guide now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.
The new edition of Legends, a 100-page all-colour celebration of Ariana Grande, is here! Buy Ariana Grande in newsagents or online.
Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).