David Mitchell Talks Bringing BBC Hit ‘Ludwig’ to America: “My Hunch Is… They’ll Just Get It”

David Mitchell is a little coy while discussing how he onboarded Ludwig. “As far as I know,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter, “it was thought up with me in mind!”

The actor and comedian is beloved in the U.K. for his starring roles in Peep Show, Blackadder and on the British panel show Would I Lie to You?, so it was a no-brainer for creator Mark Brotherhood when he got wind that Mitchell was inspired by his own love of crime and mystery shows, was looking for a detective role.

“I grew up with Inspector Morse and Miss Marple and Poirot and all that,” Mitchell says. “It’s a kind of television I love watching so I’ve long wanted to be in one.” Fast forward a few years and his latest dry-humored, endearingly grumpy success has come in the form of John “Ludwig” Taylor, the titular character of the BBC‘s biggest scripted show of 2024.

Produced by Big Talk Studios (part of ITV Studios), in collaboration with That Mitchell & Webb Company, Ludwig premiered to widespread acclaim in September of last year in Britain. Racking up over 9.5 million viewers in its first month and already confirmed to return for a season two, the show follows Mitchell as professional puzzler Taylor, whose identical twin brother James mysteriously vanishes.

John is coaxed into taking on his brother’s identity to uncover the truth behind his disappearance. But there’s a twist: John’s uneventful life designing puzzles and avoiding the outside world is forced to take a backseat while he imitates James, who happens to be a high-flying detective leading a major crimes team. The premise tees Mitchell up for a brilliant display of sharp wit against the backdrop of the picturesque Cambridge (where the actor lived as a student of the University in the early ’90s.) Anna Maxwell Martin (Motherland, Line of Duty) stars alongside him as Lucy, the wife of John’s missing brother.

Now, Mitchell prepares to charm the rest of the world with Ludwig: the first two episodes drop on BritBox on March 20, followed by one new episode weekly until April 17. “The fact that it’s so overtly British might help it,” he tells THR about bringing Ludwig to North America. “Hopefully people coming to it will be coming to it for that British sensibility.”

Below, Mitchell unpacks how he finally got that detective role he was yearning for, some (spoiler-free) season two plans and his controversial puzzle opinions that might be a dagger to the heart for some fanatic fans of Ludwig: “I don’t think I’m particularly good at them… They take me longer than I feel they should and I have no interest in Sudoku at all.”

David, how did you get involved with this program?

Well, as far as I know, [Ludwig] was thought up with me in mind! Basically, for years, I’ve loved detective shows. I grew up with Inspector Morse and Miss Marple and Poirot and all that. It’s a kind of television I love watching so I’ve long wanted to be in one. And I put that to Kenton Allen, who runs Big Talk [Studios], who I’ve worked with loads and he just kept his ears on the ground and mentioned it to people. Then, this idea was presented to me in about 2019 from Mark Brotherhood, who I didn’t previously know, but he had a good track record writing on other shows. But he hadn’t originated a show. I read the initial couple of pages, which was basically the idea that became Ludwig. I thought, ‘That sounds great.’ Intriguing and engrossing but not too shocking or gritty — the kind of show I’d like to watch.

This was before COVID, years ago, and it went through a long development process of Mark writing synopses, scripts, the idea being put around various broadcasters — inevitably, most of them saying no, possibly more than once in some cases — but then eventually it all came up trumps [British for: it all worked out well]. And I was thrilled and amazed that it was actually going to be on BBC One. It couldn’t have been better, as far as I was concerned. So that’s how it happened, really. And I certainly find in my career, definitely the best way of getting a part is for someone to write it for you, because my only accolade in acting is that no one else is quite as much like me as I am.

So true — you have no competition! No one is vying for that spot. Seeing as the role of John was written for you, what was Mark’s writing and how much of John is you? What have you found relatable about him? Are you a puzzler?

I’m a bit of a puzzler, but I’m certainly not a fanatical puzzler. I like to do a crypto crossword now and again, but I don’t think I’m particularly good at them. They take me longer than I feel they should and I have no interest in Sudoku at all. I’m only a moderate puzzler. But I certainly identify with the character — his enjoyment of his own company, being cozy at home, thinking things through. I definitely have a side of me like that, but equally, I’m also a professional performer. So I very much sought out a life that’s quite extroverted, really. I actually think you hear so many actors and comedians interviewed, and they talk about their shyness and all that and I feel like I know what they’re saying but equally, by any objective measure, they’re not shy, are they? They deliberately stand in front of people and show off. But I think almost all performers are slightly paradoxical in that they are both people who most want to be looked at and also people who most want to hide. And the two things aren’t, in fact, at all mutually exclusive. So I suppose half of me is John, and perhaps half of all of us is John, but I can’t pretend that all I want to do is stay at home and write puzzles because that’s not the path in life I’ve taken.

John would not be starring in a hit BBC/BritBox show.

Yes. I remember as a child, I was very much encouraged to say I wanted to be a barrister because they say being a barrister is quite like acting, but it isn’t really. I mean, it’s a bit of standing up and talking and a lot of reading documents and research and knowing things, and I realized, no, I don’t want to be a barrister, but what I wouldn’t mind doing is being a barrister in a TV show. So I’m very happy being a puzzler in a TV show.

It’s quite refreshing to hear. A lot of actors do talk about their shyness. Perhaps it’s a funny little white lie they tell themselves.

I think most people believe it of themselves. But we all have shyness in us. And even the most extroverted person sometimes feels embarrassed, so I’m sure it’s sincerely meant. But equally, take one step back and you go, no, well, if your job that you have chosen — it hasn’t been foisted on you — is to stand in front of people and them to watch you, then ultimately, you have to be put in among the extroverts, not the introverts. It may be more complicated than that, but if we’re just going to divide people into extroverts and introverts, actors are extroverts.

Have you worked with Anna before this? Your chemistry is fantastic. I wonder how much you’ve run into each other over the years.

We didn’t know each other at all well. She had been on an episode of Would I Lie to You?, which she was great on and really funny. But that’s the only time I’d met her. And obviously, I’d seen her in loads of things and was thrilled when she said she’d do the part because that immediately gave the project a dramatic credibility that I certainly felt I lacked. She was really lovely to work with, fun and funny. Chatting on set was just always very, very enjoyable. And yeah, I think we did work well together on screen. I think we’re slightly different, but it felt complementary.

It really did. How do you think Ludwig will translate in the U.S.? It’s very British, set in Cambridge, and we love that. But what will Americans think?

I hope they’ll like it. Obviously, I think, in a way, the fact that it’s so overtly British might help it. Being a detective in Cambridge is not a side of Britishness that America is unaware of. So, hopefully, people coming to it will be coming to it for that British sensibility. If it was a sitcom set in a nightclub, they might find a British spin on that a bit harder to relate to.

My hunch with audiences is always: they just get stuff. Even if you don’t get the specifics of every reference, you basically get where things are going and if they’re engaged, they work stuff out. Obviously, in Britain, we watched a lot of American TV a lot earlier than Americans watched British TV. So I think we got their references earlier than they got ours. But there’s just been so much British stuff out there on the internet that a wide audience is aware. I remember it being said about Peppa Pig — American children started saying “pavement” instead of “sidewalk” and “tap” instead of “faucet” or something.

I think you’re right. I know the rest of the world hasn’t seen the first yet, but what can you tease about season two of Ludwig?

I can’t tease anything. [Laughs.] The scripts are being written now, and it wouldn’t help any viewers to know any more about it than that. We will be shooting this year. Our hope and aim is to give more of the same: the ongoing, intriguing narrative and the same weekly, resolved mystery. Other than that, I don’t really know much more, but I’m also under instructions not to say any more! I’m big on going into a program knowing only the bare minimum because surprise is a huge part of entertainment.

Has it been nice returning to Cambridge?

Yes, it was! I have very fond memories of being there as a student and I always enjoy going back there, although it’s slightly laced with nostalgia, obviously — the passing of the years and all that. So it was a nice way to be back there [and think], ‘Well, this is alright. My former self would approve of this.’ As you know, I put on sketch shows and plays back then. So I think the idea of one day coming back here and filming a comedy-drama that I’d have been pleased with…

It must feel like a big full-circle moment for you.

Exactly. The world is changing in frightening ways, and therefore, places like Cambridge are reassuring because, overwhelmingly, the place looks identical.