The second series of BBC detective drama Ludwig, starring David Mitchell, has once again captivated audiences, attracting 9.1 million viewers for episode one.
The 9.1 million total over 28 days makes it the biggest scripted launch of the year across broadcasters and streamers to date.
Comedian David Mitchell stars as John 'Ludwig' Taylor, a reclusive puzzle designer who assumes the identity of his twin brother – a detective chief inspector – after he goes missing.
The hit series also features Motherland’s Anna Maxwell Martin, with Fleabag star Sian Clifford and Scottish actor Mark Bonnar joining the cast as regulars in the second series, with a third series already commissioned.
The hit series, created and written by Mark Brotherhood, ended its second series six-part run on BBC One on October 24.
The series continues to perform strongly on BBC iPlayer, where episode one has attracted 5.5 million making it the second biggest BBC iPlayer audience for the opening episode of a BBC comedy this year.
Starring alongside Mitchell are Anna Maxwell Martin, Dipo Ola, Dylan Hughes, Dorothy Atkinson, Ralph Ineson, Karl Pilkington, Mark Bonnar, Sian Clifford, Ben Ashenden, and Rumi Sutton.
The cast of Ludwig for series 2 (Image: BBC/Big Talk Studios)
Kenton Allen, CEO of Big Talk Studios, said: “Ludwig is a gloriously eccentric detective at the heart of a show that has never played by the usual rules, so to see more than nine million people embrace him is genuinely thrilling.
"Mark Brotherhood has created that rare thing: a clever, funny, warm-hearted show that audiences seem to have made part of their lives. David Mitchell is simply extraordinary in the role, and this result belongs to him, Mark Brotherhood, our wonderful cast and the brilliant team behind the camera.
"We’re hugely grateful to the BBC for backing Ludwig with such conviction - and, with a Christmas special on the way and series three already filming, we’re delighted that John’s particular brand of crime-solving is going to be confusing criminals, colleagues and himself for a while yet."
David Mitchell in Ludwig (Image: BBC/Big Talk Studios/Colin Hutton)
Gregor Sharp, BBC commissioning editor, said: "We always felt there was something special about Ludwig, but the scale of the audience response has been extraordinary.
"Mark Brotherhood's brilliant scripts, David Mitchell's unforgettable performance and the fantastic work of the teams at Big Talk and That Mitchell and Webb Company have created a show that viewers have truly embraced. To see series two become the biggest scripted launch of the year is a remarkable achievement, and one we're hugely proud of."
Ludwig is a Big Talk Studios production in association with That Mitchell And Webb Company, in co-production with BritBox and ZDF, for the BBC.
It is produced in association with ITV Studios, which also handles international distribution. The commissioning editor for the BBC is Gregor Sharp.
The BBC has confirmed that a Christmas special of Ludwig is in the works for this year.
David and Anna will be joined by a stellar ensemble cast for the festive special, which includes Sir David Suchet, Jason Flemyng, Joe Wilkinson, Cathy Tyson, Alexandra Roach, and Kiell Smith-Bynoe.
The 60-minute special will be set in Yorkshire rather than Cambridge, following John, Lucy, and Henry as they check into a secluded Christmas-themed hotel for what was intended to be a well-deserved break — until a sudden power cut transforms the festive retreat into a chilling locked-room murder mystery.
Stranded by a raging blizzard and completely cut off from the outside world, the guests find themselves forced to spend the night with a killer amongst them. With John reluctantly drawn into one of the most baffling cases of his career, the Taylor family must race against time to crack the crime before Christmas.