Will there be a Ludwig season 2?

Ludwig might have been one of the BBC's more low-key series launches this year, but the David Mitchell crime puzzler has grown a dedicated following with many keen to see it make a return for season two.

The full series has been available on BBC iPlayer since its launch, but with the cliffhanger finale airing on BBC One last night, viewers are left wondering whether the comedy-drama murder mystery will make a comeback with further headscratchers to solve.

Mitchell has a double starring role in the show as John, a reclusive but genius puzzle setter who works under the name Ludwig, as well as his missing twin brother, police detective James who sister-in-law Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin) has asked him to pose as while they try to find him.

Read more: 'David Mitchell's Ludwig is one of the best TV shows of 2024'

He has been clear that he envisaged more than a one-season run for Ludwig, but what do we know about whether it will be back on our screens any time soon?

***WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD***

Has Ludwig season 2 been confirmed?

Yes. The BBC has confirmed it has renewed Ludwig for a second season, with David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin reprising their roles, and creator Mark Brotherhood writing the new episodes.

About series 2, Mitchell said: "I’m delighted that John 'Ludwig' Taylor has failed to escape the clutches of the Cambridge police and will have to continue to face up to the city’s alarming conundrum-based crime wave."

Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy Commissioning said: "The blend of top-tier British comic talent, a gripping mystery, and brilliantly crafted crime storylines had viewers hooked from day one. We had high hopes for Ludwig, and it’s safe to say this comedy-detective series with a twist has become a true standout.

"We can’t thank Mark Brotherhood, David Mitchell, Anna Maxwell Martin, and the entire cast and crew enough for creating something so special. We’re eagerly awaiting series two, though it’s a bit of a shame we’ll have to spoil the surprises for ourselves by actually reading the scripts first!"

What happened at the end of Ludwig season 1?

Ludwig's season one finale has been available for a while on iPlayer, but finally aired on BBC One on 30 October leaving viewers hungry for more of the mystery.

Each episode saw puzzle setter John Taylor, posing as missing twin James in the police force where he worked as a detective, distracted from finding his brother while being set a murder mystery to try to solve along with his police colleagues.

In episode six, the victim was much closer to home as John and co tried to solve the murder of their colleague Holly (Sophie Willan), a cyber forensics expert who John had believed had worked out he was actually James and who had asked his sister-in-law Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin) to come and see her in the middle of the night at the end of episode five.

The series finale opened with Lucy being picked up by police outside of Holly's flat while clutching a blood-soaked knife, and it looked like the game might be up for her and John as his real identity was discovered by the police while Lucy was being questioned for murder.

Luckily, John managed to solve the conundrum by working out that Holly's "boyfriend", who turned out to be her accomplice in tracking police corruption, had actually killed her, leading to Lucy's release from the cells.

Despite having posed as a police officer, John struck a deal to be let off the hook and was even offered a role continuing as an advisor to the detectives on solving murder cases, something he had proven himself to be just as skilled as his twin at.

It all looked like a cosy lead in to a second season but of course John and Lucy were still trying to work out what had become of James - who had left a clever puzzle relating to a bird book to throw pursuers off the scent into believing that he had simply decided to leave his family. Meanwhile, Lucy had tracked down James' old work partner Matt Neville, who was very reluctant to talk about his own sudden exit from the force.

John, Lucy and her son Henry tracked down a secret storage unit filled with incriminating missing police files that James' puzzle had pointed them towards, giving them a meaty mystery to get stuck into in a possible season two, while viewers were left with a cliffhanger as James was spotted alive and well in the shadows, watching on as his family took the files out of the unit.

Who stars in Ludwig?

Mitchell works double time in the series as twins John and James Taylor, starring alongside Anna Maxwell Martin as James' wife Lucy. Both would be expected to return for another series.

Other cast members we could potentially see again include Dipo Ola as John's crime-solving partner DI Russell Carter, and Izuka Hoyle and Gerran Howell as the other members of their team, DC Alice Finch and DC Simon Evans.

Dorothy Atkinson plays their boss DCS Carol Shaw, while Ralph Ineson is the sinister Chief Constable Ziegler and Dylan Hughes plays Lucy and James' son Henry. Karl Pilkington is James' old partner Matt Neville, while Sophie Willan will unfortunately not be returning as her cyber forensics character Holly Pinder was killed off.

The series one guest cast also included Felicity Kendal, Rose Ayling-Ellis and Derek Jacobi for one-off storylines.

Ludwig is available to stream now on BBC iPlayer.