However, Ludwig is not, in fact, a straight comedy. Instead, it is a comedy-drama and a detective series, with more of a leaning towards comedic drama than dramatic comedy.
If you’re a fan of Peep Show, That Mitchell and Webb Look, Back or any of Mitchell’s other comedy shows, this may not be quite what you’re looking for.
But how does the actor fare in this new genre? In truth, very well indeed. It may not be the type of series fans know him for, but Ludwig was quite evidently built precisely for him.
Mitchell plays an anxious, sardonic and perceptive character called John Taylor, a reclusive puzzle setter who goes by the name of ‘Ludwig’ professionally, and who has shut himself away from the world and has lived, seemingly, a fairly contented existence.
Then, one day, out of the blue, he gets a call from his sister-in-law Lucy, who has ordered him a taxi, and insists he travel to her house in Cambridge.
Once there, he learns that his identical twin brother James, Lucy’s husband, has gone AWOL, and has left Lucy a cryptic note telling her he won’t be returning.
James is a police detective, and Lucy believes his disappearance has to do with a case he was working on. Trusting no one other than John, she chooses not to report James’s disappearance, and instead asks John to pose as his brother to get into Cambridge police HQ, to uncover more within James’s notes.
Of course, it doesn’t go quite to plan, and an out-of-his-depth John finds himself wrapped up in solving murder cases with James’s team, finding that he is, in fact, quite good at it.
It’s an absolutely bonkers set-up, and one which could only be carried off by a comedic actor of Mitchell’s talents. Play this too straight and the whole show would come crumbling down under the weight of its ludicrous concept.
Instead, with Mitchell at the helm, what happens is quite the opposite – it’s when the series leans into its absurd premise that it truly shines.
The first episode in particular is a joy, as we witness John trying to blend in terribly, but getting away with it purely because no one would ever suspect he wasn’t James. It makes for some silly, but still sharp, comedy, while the central mystery is engaging enough to keep things propulsive.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The weekly cases give the show a coherent structure, like a sitcom, and are mostly used as an excuse to throw John and his police colleagues into different situations.
It’s been tried and tested so many times before, which gives the whole thing a cosy, comforting atmosphere, one which is not unwelcome and which makes the show very watchable. The crimes are notably lightweight, with little emphasis on the victims, the murderer’s psychology or the impact of the event. If you’ve seen Death in Paradise or Father Brown, you know the ropes.
However, as John becomes more adept at impersonating James, and more settled into his role and environment, the show does lose some of its particular charm and strays from its USP.
John in many ways becomes another socially awkward maverick detective, who also happens to be a genius that his team never quite understand, but come to begrudgingly respect. We’ve seen it time and again.
Early on, there is a real emphasis put on John as a puzzle solver, who has little interest in uncovering motives or engaging with the realities of the job. As he settles into playing James, this slightly fades.
It makes sense, of course, works for narrative cohesion and helps to aid the character’s development. It just also makes proceedings that little bit more generic.
However, these narrative quibbles are easy to overlook when the comedy works this well, the set-up is this fun, the characters are this engaging and the cast this winning.
Mitchell in particular is perfect for this role. Bringing a combination of Mark Corrigan’s awkwardness and frantic energy, alongside his own dry quippiness as seen on Would I Lie to You?, then fusing them with a more dramatic bent, John feels like the role of a lifetime for Mitchell, and he’s clearly having a ridiculous amount of fun here.
Meanwhile, the rest of the characters are, in many ways, the usual ragtag team of investigators you’d expect in a murder-mystery show, but infused with life and personality by an impressive cast.
Izuka Hoyle, Gerran Howell, Dorothy Atkinson and Ralph Ineson make for a strong central team, while Dipo Ola is a real standout as Russell, James (and John’s) partner who has an air of mystery surrounding him, but who is in many ways the perfect combination of friend and foil to Mitchell’s protagonist.
Maxwell Martin’s Lucy is also central to proceedings, and she is unsurprisingly effective in the role. It’s a trickier balance between comedy and drama to get right for her character, who spends a lot of her scenes alone, but crucially her dynamic with John works, and forms the beating heart of the narrative.
The series also features a stellar guest cast, including the likes of iconic character actors such as Derek Jacobi and Felicity Kendal, as well as more recent stars of the comedy world such as Allan ‘Seapa’ Mustafa and Karl Pilkington.
The chances are you’ll know by episode 2, or maybe even the first instalment, whether Ludwig is for you. It’s a blend of new and old, ridiculous and well-trodden, and for some it will lean too far one way or the other for their sensibilities.
However, if you’re willing to go with it, Mitchell and co have created a distinct – and distinctly fun – series which also sits alongside those murder mystery shows it’s paying homage to, keeps you hooked and is endlessly watchable.
Here’s hoping writer Mark Brotherhood manages to keep injecting the show with new twists and new outlandish elements to keep it fresh and stop it getting entirely bogged down by the case-of-the-week format.
If so, then fans of Mitchell’s comedy and detective drama fans alike may have a brand new treat to look forward to year after year.
Ludwig is coming to BBC One and iPlayer on BBC One and iPlayer at 9pm on Wednesday 25th September.
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