Before series two even airs

The BBC has ordered a third series of David Mitchell’s detective comedy Ludwig before the second series has even reached screens.

Mitchell said: ‘I am delighted that Ludwig will be returning to solve more of [creator] Mark Brotherhood’s brilliant mysteries. I can’t wait to get started and have renewed the subscription on my denouement-learning app.’

Ludwig first aired on BBC One in September  2024, and became the biggest launch for a comedy on the BBC since at least 2018, with the opening episode was watched by 9.5 million people within its first 28 days.

In the series Mitchell plays John Taylor, a reclusive puzzle-setter who takes on the identity of his twin brother, James, a police detective who has gone missing. Anna Maxwell Martin will return to play Lucy Betts-Taylor, James’s wife.

The series is produced by Big Talk Studios, whose chief executive Kenton Allen thanked the BBC ‘for the confidence they’ve shown in greenlighting a third season ahead of the launch of series two’.

He added: ‘Ludwig has become one of those rare shows that genuinely cuts through – critically, commercially and internationally.  

‘What Mark Brotherhood has created is brilliantly original, hugely entertaining and deceptively distinctive in the way it blends smart comedy with a richly satisfying detective engine. At the heart of that success is the remarkable partnership between David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin, brought to life by an exceptional creative team.

'In a crowded global market, for audiences to have embraced Ludwig on this scale feels incredibly special. There’s clearly nothing puzzling about that.’ 

Series three, comprising six episodes, will again be written by Brotherhood, with Chris Foggin directing.

Published: 8 Jul 2026