She’s Finally Back! BBC Unveils First Teaser for the Return of Its Near-Perfect Detective Drama Starring Anna Maxwell Martin After Fans Waited for the Hit Series’ Next Chapter!One of BBC’s most acclaimed detective dramas is officially returning, with a brand-new teaser offering fans their first glimpse at the highly anticipated new season starring Anna Maxwell Martin.

First look pictures have been released for the much-anticipated second series of the BBC’s acclaimed detective series Ludwig, starring David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin, which will air later this year on BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Joining the cast as series regulars are Mark Bonnar and Sian Clifford.

Ludwig is created and written by Mark Brotherhood and produced by Big Talk Studios (part of ITV Studios), in collaboration with That Mitchell and Webb Company. Series one of the binge-worthy comedy-drama is the BBC’s biggest scripted series since 2024, and the biggest comedy launch episode since at least 2018, attracting over 9.5 million viewers in 28 days.

Picking up from the end of series one, master puzzle-setter John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor (David Mitchell) is now a Crime Scene Consultant, working alongside DCI Russell Carter (Dipo Ola), on ‘impossible’ crimes for the Cambridge Police Authority. No longer having to masquerade as his brother, he’s openly more ‘Ludwig’ than ever – brilliant at solving puzzles but hopeless at everything else.

John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor (David Mitchell) (Image: BBC/Big Talk Studios /Olly Courtney)
Photo of Dipo Ola in character as DI Russell Carter. He stands in an office beside a board with details of a police investigation.
DI Russell Carter (Dipo Ola) (Image: BBC/Big Talk Studios /Amanda Searle)
Photo of David Mitchell, Anna Maxwell Martin and Dylan Hughes in character as Ludwig, Lucy and Henry respectively. They stand outdoors. Lucy holds a camera.
John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor (David Mitchell), Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin) and Henry Betts-Taylor (Dylan Hughes) (Image: BBC/Big Talk Studios /Olly Courtney)

But John’s identical twin brother, James, is still missing, and now that he’s an official employee of the station, John is forbidden from using any police resources to look for his brother or uncover exactly what he was investigating.

Of course, John won’t stop and neither will Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin), John’s sister-in-law and wife of his missing brother James – a puzzle needs solving and a husband and father needs bringing home. One masquerade may have ended, but a new one has just begun.

Also returning for series two are Dylan Hughes as Henry Betts-Taylor, Dorothy Atkinson as DCS Carol Shaw, Ralph Ineson as Chief Constable Ziegler, and Karl Pilkington as DI Matt Neville.

Dorothy Atkinson and Rumi Sutton in character as DCS Carol Shaw and DC Caitlin Sullivan respectively. The pair stand in an office.
DCS Carol Shaw (Dorothy Atkinson) and Rumi Sutton (DC Caitlin Sullivan) (Image: BBC/Big Talk Studios /Amanda Searle)
Photo of Ralph Ineson in character as Chief Constable Ziegler. He wears the formal police uniform of a Chief Constable.
Chief Constable Ziegler (Ralph Ineson) (Image: BBC/Big Talk Studios /Olly Courtney)
Mark Bonnar in character as Gareth Fisher. He sits behind a messy office desk, cluttered with stacks of papers, snacks, picture frames and stationary.
Gareth Fisher (Mark Bonnar) (Image: BBC/Big Talk Studios /Olly Courtney)
Sian Clifford in character as Joanne Kemper MP. Wearing a purple blouse and matching purple trousers, she walks down a white staircase in a modern home.
Joanne Kemper MP (Sian Clifford) (Image: BBC/Big Talk Studios /Olly Courtney)
Ben Ashenden in character as DC Ethan Cole folds his arms and looks at David Mitchell in character as John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor.