Stephen Fry, renowned for his versatile career in film, television, literature, and philosophical debates, epitomises a unique facet of British entertainment—a public figure with intellectual and artistic abilities. David Mitchell, another prominent figure in this unique sphere, often graces television screens with jest from Jesse Armstrong’s pre-Succession comedy Peep Show, serves as a regular face on panel shows, and is also a writer of books on contemporary issues and British royal history. Now, Mitchell is making a television comeback with the hilariously captivating comedy-thriller Ludwig on BBC One, airing on Wednesdays. He portrays John “Ludwig” Taylor, a socially awkward professional puzzle writer who unintentionally transforms into an efficient detective, taking his pseudonym from his puzzle-writing persona.
Mitchell’s character embarks on a journey from composing crosswords to conducting interrogations after his sister-in-law Lucy, portrayed by Anna Maxwell Martin, pleads for assistance in finding her lost husband, a policeman named James. The twist in the tale unfolds when Lucy wants more than just assistance in finding James. She desires that John infiltrates James’s workplace, impersonates James, and retrieves his hidden notes from the office safe. Albeit a far-fetched plan, it doesn’t seem entirely absurd since John and James are identical twins.
However, physical resemblance aside, the two are widely different. Flashbacks reveal contrasting personalities of the twins during their young years where James is perceived as self-assured and extroverted, unlike John who is seen as a nerdy, introverted target for bullies. This characteristic trait of being nerdy fits well within John’s puzzle-writing profession from the comfort of his home. However, impersonating his twin brother and undetected suppression of his feelings for Lucy, with whom he is clearly in love, complicates the situation. Lucy, in return, opted for James over John due to his outgoing personality.
Mitchell, though nowhere close to evoking Daniel Day-Lewis, fits the bill perfectly as a prim and proper nerd trying to blend seamlessly into society’s norms. He grapples with driving James’s car and is caught off guard when he learns that his brother has a new partner (Dipo Ola), who straightaway calls for John’s assistance in a lawyer’s murder case.
John fumbles around awkwardly at first, but soon discovers that cracking a murder case is not much different to solving a puzzle. He examines the killing, pinpointing where each suspect was in the run-up to the crime, and ultimately, he reveals the offender – who subsequently confesses in a tearful breakdown.
Mitchell isn’t the first geeky detective to appear on our screens, following the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock, who favoured solitary time in his ‘mind palace’ over human interaction. Yet, Mitchell uses his comedy skills ingeniously, and the series successfully unravels the mystery of James’s missing location and the degree to which his police colleagues are in the know. It is a suspenseful series underpinned with good humour and serves as the ideal distraction during the midweek slump.