Ludwig is the latest crime drama from BBC One and iPlayer, and our review will tell you why it's as good as it looks.

Not only does it combine the forces of Peep Show's David Mitchell and Motherland's Anna Maxwell Martin in the leading roles (inspired casting), it's also a brilliantly new twist on the crime drama.

In a world where true crime, crime dramas, and so-called thrillers are ten a penny, this is a truly original series. And that's not easy.

Here's our Ludwig review explaining why it doesn't take a puzzle-solver to work out that this series needs watching!

Ludwig review: Is BBC series worth watching?

BBC One's new comedy series Ludwig is a brilliantly bonkers twist on a very popular format - the murder mystery.

The new detective introduces anti-hero John 'Ludwig' Taylor. He's a cantankerous, anti-social, puzzle-maker, who lives like a hermit. But, despite being brittle at first, we guarantee you'll be rooting for him.

In episode one of the new six-parter, we see John get a call out of the blue from his sister-in-law Lucy. It's clear he's not used to getting calls, or hearing from family for that matter.

Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin being typically brilliant) informs him that his identical twin brother has staged his own disappearance - and she needs help working out why.

Crucially, John's twin James was a DCI in the local police force, and his job undoubtedly holds the key to his disappearance.

Socially-awkward and world-shy John must pose as his twin brother in order to gather information about James. But will the easily-spooked John be able to find any clues to his brother's whereabouts?

Having somehow infiltrated the Major Investigations Team by just turning up and looking exactly like his twin brother, John uses his puzzle knowledge to gather information... And he may just have found his new vocation!

Can John crack the biggest puzzle of his life?

The beauty of the series is that John must force himself into the land of the living. The central mystery is the whereabouts of his brother James, but each episode there is also a secondary murder mystery/puzzle which John must solve while 'posing' as his brother.

Ludwig is multi-dimensional. John must overcome his own hangups about being in the world, in order to find out more about his brother's disappearance. Then the puzzle within the puzzle has so much appeal for the viewer.

In each episode, John 'Ludwig' takes on a new case, as well as attempting to crack the overarching storyline of James' disappearance.

The idea is funny and intriguing. It's a murder mystery with comedy thrown in, and each episode is a code waiting to be cracked.

What is Ludwig's past in BBC drama?

Like Professor T, there's a hint of sadness in Ludwig's past. We discover that his father abandoned twins John and James when they were school boys. While it pushed James to prove himself, it forced shyer, bullied John into a corner - into the world of puzzles.

As his brother's son is also left without a dad, John slowly becomes determined to right the wrongs of his past.

He discovers that his brother has "left bread crumbs" in the way of "coded messages" for him to follow. And it's a genuine pleasure to follow John on his journey.

And it's really quite heart-warming to see John actually begin to enjoy the task at hand... Could this be a new lease of life for the previously monastic John?

Forget cynical, blood-thirsty crime dramas. This is heartwarming, brilliantly executed, and thoroughly wholesome. It's the thinking man's crime drama, with a witty script, which doesn't descend into dad's jokes or clichés. Death in Paradise should take note...

Ludwig starts on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Wednesday, September 25, 2024 at 9pm