Ludwig review: The BBC hit that gets away with murder
Ludwig, BBC One, Thursday
Why is it that the BBC can find money for some programmes but not others? The day before Ludwig’s return for a second series, Only Child, the genial Scottish sitcom about a father and son played by Gregor Fisher and Greg McHugh, was given its jotters. Brutal.
Only Child had plenty going for it. Written by Glasgow screenwriter Bryce Hart, set largely in Forres and made with a predominantly Scottish cast, it ticked many of the boxes that are supposed to matter to a BBC serving all the nations and regions. The story of an adult son coming home from London to live with his elderly father chimed with a lot of us. And it was genuinely funny – quite important in a sitcom. Ratings-wise, it averaged a decent 2.1 million viewers.
Compare that, however, with Ludwig, whose opening episode two years ago reached more than 9.5 million viewers over 28 days. For a BBC required to find £500m in savings, those are the numbers that matter most.
A format built for success
Watching Ludwig’s return, you had to admire how it has been almost precision-engineered for success. Besides chiming with the fashion for cosy crime, it has two hugely popular leads in David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin, puzzles as a central theme (never underestimate their allure), and an easy-on-the-eye Cambridge setting.
That the premise is weapons-grade bonkers, with puzzle setter John “Ludwig” Taylor (Mitchell) trying to find his missing detective twin by posing as him, is neither here nor there.
The first series ended, spoiler alert, with John being rumbled. It is a heck of a twist to come back from, but the makers of Ludwig know no shame. The two young detectives from the first series, we are told, have transferred to another station. Their replacements know nothing of what went on before. To them, John is just John, a crime scene consultant. But hang on, wouldn’t the whole office need to have its memory wiped?
Murder, farce and a local paper editor
While all this is going on, there has been a murder at the local theatre. Two sisters (Doon Mackichan, Rebecca Front) are accused of murdering their tyrannical mother, but who dealt the fatal blow? Mark Bonnar adds further star power as a local paper editor persuaded to take Lucy on as a cub reporter.
All concerned play the farce just right and with supreme confidence. If a development is obviously ridiculous, the characters laugh along with the viewer. As if this is not enough to be going on with, writer and creator Mark Brotherhood adds to the mix the will-they-won’t-they relationship between John and Lucy. I have no idea what the pair of them would do if they ever acknowledged their feelings for each other: start a stamp collection, probably.
Mitchell and Maxwell Martin carry it
Mitchell and Maxwell Martin are perfect as a pair of amateur detectives, each smart in their own way. The show takes its quietly knowing tone from her; he handles the physical stuff. Whatever he is in, Mitchell is Mitchell – grand if you like that sort of bumbling persona; too bad if not. Remember, upwards of nine million viewers do.