Scripted

The BBC has commissioned a third season of comedy-drama Ludwig ahead of the premiere of its second installment later this year. Produced by Big Talk Studios, part of ITV Studios, in association with That Mitchell And Webb Company, the series is also a co-production with ZDF for Germany.
The renewal follows the breakout success of the first season, which became the BBC’s biggest scripted launch since 2024 and its most-watched comedy debut since at least 2018. The six-part series attracted 9.5 million viewers over 28 days, with the premiere episode continuing to grow to 11.8 million viewers.

Created and written by Mark Brotherhood, Ludwig stars David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin. Mitchell will reprise his role as Ludwig, alongside Maxwell Martin as Lucy Betts-Taylor. David Mitchell says: “I am delighted that Ludwig will be returning to solve more of Mark Brotherhood’s brilliant mysteries. I can’t wait to get started and have renewed the subscription on my denouement-learning app.”
Kenton Allen, Executive Producer and CEO Big Talk Studios, says: “Ludwig has become one of those rare shows that genuinely cuts through — critically, commercially and internationally. We’re hugely grateful to the BBC, ZDF and ITV Studios for the confidence they’ve shown in greenlighting a third season ahead of the launch of series two. 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.”
Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy Commissioning, says: “Ludwig is exactly the kind of smart, distinctive, audience-pleasing show we love at BBC Comedy. Sharp writing, a compelling story, big laughs and, naturally, a generous helping of puzzles. The team at Big Talk have crafted something truly distinctive and much-loved, and we’re excited to see what mysteries Ludwig tackles next.”

The six-part third season will again be written by Mark Brotherhood, with Chris Foggin returning as lead director. Anthony Wilcox serves as series producer, while Anya Wilson is producer. Executive producers include Kenton Allen and Toby Welch for Big Talk Studios, Mark Brotherhood, David Mitchell, Kathryn O’Connor and Chris Sussman, with Claus Wunn and Frank Seyberth executive producing for ZDF. The new season was commissioned by Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy Commissioning, with Seb Barwell serving as commissioning editor. ITV Studios will continue to handle international distribution.

The first season of Ludwig is available on BBC iPlayer, while season two is scheduled to premiere later this year.