Scripted series · BBC One
Ludwig
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
David Mitchell
John 'Ludwig' Taylor / James Taylor
12 eps
Anna Maxwell Martin
Lucy Betts-Taylor
12 eps
Dipo Ola
DI Russell Carter
12 eps
Gerran Howell
DC Simon Evans
12 eps
Izuka Hoyle
DS Alice Finch
12 eps
Dorothy Atkinson
DCS Carol Shaw
12 eps
Sophie Willan
Holly Pinder
12 eps
Dylan Hughes
Henry Betts-Taylor
12 eps
Ralph Ineson
Chief Constable Ziegler
12 eps
Mia Austen
Jane
1 eps
Jakub Bednarczyk
Young John
2 eps
Stevie Binns
Carla
1 eps
Scarlett Brookes
Sarah Gilmarsh
1 eps
Annabelle Dowler
Esther Taylor
1 eps
Ikky Kabir
Brian
1 eps
Christos Lawton
Jamie
1 eps
Tom McCall
Chris the Taxi Driver
1 eps
Bridgitta Roy
Becka
1 eps
Catherine Skinner
Claire
1 eps
Ruth Clarson
Detective
1 eps
Kewell Ganas
Alan Howells
1 eps
Hammed Animashaun
Ross Barclay
1 eps
Jamie Beamish
Ben Naylor
1 eps
Tom Bell
Peter Williams
1 eps
Alice May Feetham
Hannah Waldron
1 eps
Felicity Kendal
Lady Camilla Bryce
1 eps
Naveed Khan
Noel
1 eps
Ethan Moorhouse
Elliot Collins
1 eps
Alison Pargeter
Debbie Williams
1 eps
Adam Ali
Tour Guide
1 eps
Ella Bruccoleri
Megan Rowlands
1 eps
Paul Chahidi
Adrian Tate
1 eps
Julie Dray
Tanya
1 eps
Amanda Lawrence
Julie Tate
1 eps
Julie Legrand
Manon
1 eps
Ivan Oyik
Myles North
1 eps
Flip Webster
Mrs. Bowen
1 eps
Heidi Berger
Katia
1 eps
Karen Xiang
Yuna Tanaka
1 eps
Mark Slaughter
Jordan Halshaw
1 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How Ludwig actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
Ludwig reads strongest on Tension, Character Depth and Bingeability.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
The story
What it's about
John Taylor lives in quiet solitude, designing puzzles for a living, under the nom-de-plume of 'Ludwig'. When his identical twin, James, disappears off the face of the earth, John takes over his brother's identity in a quest to discover his whereabouts.
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E06 · Signature episode
Episode 6
A cryptic late night call from Holly sees Lucy lured into danger. Back at the station, all eyes are on John as the pressure ramps up. Will his cover finally be blown?
- Directed by Jill Robertson
- Written by Mark Brotherhood
S01E05 · Signature episode
Episode 5
John and the gang go back to school to investigate the suspicious death of a headmaster. Lucy sneaks off on a covert mission, and a shocking revelation leaves John reeling.
- Directed by Jill Robertson
- Written by Mark Brotherhood
S01E03 · Signature episode
Episode 3
A new case takes Ludwig on a walking tour of Cambridge, where he’s faced with an impossible question. Meanwhile, Lucy goes undercover and makes a grim discovery of her own.
- Directed by Robert McKillop
- Written by Mark Brotherhood
S01E02 · Signature episode
Episode 2
On a mission to crack the code in his twin’s notebook, John returns to the police station. A frustrated Lucy takes matters into her own hands and plays detective herself.
- Directed by Robert McKillop
- Written by Mark Brotherhood
S01E04 · Signature episode
Episode 4
A body falls from the fourth storey of a construction site. Was it just a terrible accident, or a perfectly executed murder? When things don’t add up, John questions his abilities.
- Directed by Jill Robertson
- Written by Mark Brotherhood
S01E01
Episode 1
Puzzle setter John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor’s life is upended when his identical twin, DCI James Taylor, disappears. John reluctantly assumes his identity in order to track him down.
- Directed by Robert McKillop
- Written by Mark Brotherhood
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
S01E06 · Signature episode
Episode 6
- Directed by Jill Robertson
- Written by Mark Brotherhood
S01E05 · Signature episode
Episode 5
- Directed by Jill Robertson
- Written by Mark Brotherhood
S01E04 · Signature episode
Episode 4
- Directed by Jill Robertson
- Written by Mark Brotherhood
S01E03 · Signature episode
Episode 3
- Directed by Robert McKillop
- Written by Mark Brotherhood
S01E02 · Signature episode
Episode 2
- Directed by Robert McKillop
- Written by Mark Brotherhood
S01E01
Episode 1
- Directed by Robert McKillop
- Written by Mark Brotherhood
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Georgie FallonProducer
- Mark BrotherhoodExecutive Producer
- Benjamin RosenbergExecutive Producer
- Saurabh KakkarExecutive Producer
- Chris SussmanExecutive Producer
- David MitchellExecutive Producer
Writing
- Mark BrotherhoodWriter
Direction
- Robert McKillopDirector
- Jill RobertsonDirector
Cinematography
- Nick MartinDirector of Photography
- Nick MartinDirector of Photography
- Annika SummersonDirector of Photography
Music
- Nathan KleinOriginal Music Composer
- Finn KeaneOriginal Music Composer
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Britbox Apple TV Channel Streaming
- BritBoxStreaming
- BritBox Amazon ChannelStreaming
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Where to go from here
Watch Next
Our editors' suggestion for the show you should start tonight — and why.
Midsomer Murders
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Another morally complex epic for anyone who wanted more grey.
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Watch this next if you like protagonists you can't quite defend.
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A puzzle-box series to pick up while the last one is still turning over.
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Never stop watching
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