Newest BBC Hit 'Ludwig' Lands on BritBox

David Mitchell's newest series, the “case-of-the-week mystery-crime-comedy-drama” Ludwig was first announced at the top of 2024, with the arrival of the first image from the series. One half of the legendary comedy team with Robert Webb, Mitchell stars as the titular character John "Ludwig" Taylor, a Professor T/Monk-like character whose mental health issues have taken him on a path to a quiet life as a puzzle maker. Mitchell also plays Ludwig's twin brother, DCI James Taylor, who disappears when the story starts. Determined to find James, Ludwig uses the fact that no one knows he exists to assume his brother's identity, which is (obviously!) the most logical way to investigate where James has gone.

The six-episode adventure was a massive ratings hit for the BBC when it arrived in September 2024, with 9.5 million viewers, pushing the BBC to hastily renew the show for another season. It also caught the attention of BritBox, as both versions of Professor T (English and Flemish) and Monk are significant hits with U.S. audiences. Only a day or so after the Ludwig renewal, BritBox confirmed it had picked up the rights to stream it and committed to co-producing beginning with Season 2, guaranteeing it will have first rights to future seasons.

While BritBox does not yet have a release date set for Season 1, the BBC has a trailer for viewers to check out from the September premiere.