Ludwig cast: Who stars in the new Cambridge comedy drama with Peep Show icon?

Cambridge is the setting of new BBC comedy drama Ludwig, which sees David Mitchell come out of his shell and solve crimes. Reclusive puzzle-setter, John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor sees his peaceful life turned upside down when his identical twin brother, James, disappears without a trace.

In order to find James, he takes on his brother's identity and every aspect of James’s life, Ludwig is forced to confront his own problems. Unlike Ludwig, James is no hermit; he's a family man and a highly respected DCI within Cambridge's busy Major Investigations Team.

Ludwig naturally struggles with family life being as difficult as gruesome crime scenes, but he sees the world in puzzle form which helps him solve crimes. Ludwig is set to premiere on BBC One and iPlayer at 9pm on Wednesday, September 25.

Filming with David Mitchell took place in Cambridge earlier this year, with the bridge over the River Cam being the main setting. Crew members could also be seen wrapped up in blankets whilst on punts.

Ludwig follows the case-of-the-week format, meaning there will be a recurring main cast with some guest stars throughout the series. Comedian David Mitchell is joined by Line of Duty and Motherland star Anna Maxwell Martin, but who else is in the new BBC series?

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David Mitchell plays John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor

Puzzle setter John Ludwig Taylor enjoys a quiet life at home but is forced to come out of his shell when his identical twin James disappears and assumes his identity. His twin brother is a DCI in the local police force and his job undoubtedly holds the key to his disappearance.

The comedian and actor is widely known for his role as Mark Corrigan in the Channel 4 series Peep Show where he starred alongside his comedy partner Robert Webb. The pair also wrote many sketch shows together including Bruiser, The Mitchell and Webb Situation, That Mitchell and Webb Sound and That Mitchell and Webb Look.

In recent years, he has served as a team captain on Would I Like To You? and made guest appearances on QI, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Have I Got News for You, The Big Fat Quiz of the Year and Mock the Week.

Anna Maxwell Martin plays Lucy Betts-Taylor

Lucy Betts-Taylor is John’s sister-in-law and wife of his missing brother James. She lures Ludwig into assuming John's identity to help find where he is.

Anna Maxwell Martin is known for her roles in Line of Duty and comedy series Motherland, as well as appearances in The Bletchley Circle, Code 404, Good Omens and A Good Girl's Guide To Murder.

Rose Ayling-Ellis plays Freya Chordwell

The actress from Kent joins the cast of Ludwig as Freya Chordwell. She is best known for her role as Mick Carter's daughter Frankie Lewis in EastEnders for two years and she won the nineteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing with Giovanni Pernice in 2021.

She also was a presenter for Channel 4's coverage for the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris and became the first deaf person to host live sports coverage on television.

Gerran Howell portrays DC Simon Evans

DC Simon Evans is played by the Welsh actor and comes off the back of a long acting career. Some viewers may recognise him as Vladimir Dracula in CBBC television series Young Dracula, but he has branched out to TV and film work in recent years.

He played Ernesto in The Sparticle Mystery, Emerald City and also starred as Kid Sampson in the George Clooney-led Catch 22.

Dipo Ola plays DI Russell Carter

Dipo Ola plays DI Russell Carter and will be a recurring character in the BBC series. Ola made his first TV appearance in Inside No.9 entitled The Referee's A W***er and in Baghdad Central.

The actor is perhaps best known for playing killer Baba Lenga in the crime drama We Hunt Together.

He has also appeared as Mark Everly in COBRA, Douglas Hylton in Landscapers, and Cal Baker in McDonald & Dodds.

Ralph Ineson plays Chief Constable Ziegler

The Leeds-born actor first rose to fame playing the “bloody good” sales representative Chris Finch in the UK sitcom The Office and made appearances on Coronation Street, Waterloo Road, Waking The Dead, Peaky Blinders and Sherlock.

He also featured in the Harry Potter films, Kingsman: The Secret Service, The Last Jedi, The Witch and will appear as Galactus in the new Fantastic Four film.

Who else appears in Ludwig?

The full cast list of Ludwig is as follows:

• Tom Bell as Peter Williams

• Alice Feetham as Hannah Waldron

• Felicity Kendal as Lady Camilla Bryce

• Naveed Khan as Noel
  

• Ethan Moorhouse as Elliot Collins

• Alison Pargeter as Debbie Williams

• Adam Ali as Tour Guide

• Heidi Berger as Katia

• Ella Bruccoleri as Megan Rowlands

• Paul Chahidi as Adrian Tate

• Julie Dray as Tanya

• Amanda Lawrence as Julie Tate

• Julie Legrand as Manon

• Ivan Oyik as Myles North

• Karen Xiang as Yuna Tanaka

• Mark Slaughter as Jordan Halshaw

• Anton Cross as Ojay Turner

• Natali McCleary as Zara Bassett

• Allan Mustafa as Gary Jennings

• Alex Romashov as Stefan Kaminski

• Gavin Spokes as Connor Merton

• Robert Jarman as Martin Symes

• Yasmin Dacre as Sasha Sparks

• Suzanne Ahmet as Gillian Botley

• Frankie Minchella as Isaac Upton
  

• Karl Pilkington as DI Matt Neville

• Pablo Raybould ( Me Before You ) as Barry

• Harry Spalding as School Boy

• Sam Swainsbury as Mr Bishop

• Christopher Parramore as Mr Durose

• Derek Jacobi as Mr Todd

• Raychel Addo as Police Officer

• Josh Bolt as Adam