"Ludwig"
ITV Studios announced a swath of global sales for the contemporary and stylish, smash hit detective drama "Ludwig" that will see it airing in 85 international markets with more under discussion. Produced by Big Talk Studios, part of ITV Studios, in association with That Mitchell And Webb Company and commissioned for a second season, "Ludwig" was the BBC’s biggest new scripted show of 2024. It attracted over 9.5 million viewers (28-day figure), making it the largest scripted show since 2022 and the biggest launch for a comedy since at least 2018.
Seasons one and two of "Ludwig" are a BritBox co-production for the United States and Canada where season one will premier on 20 March. Both seasons have also been snapped up by ZDF Germany which comes on board as a new co-production partner. Telequebec for French Canada, Telefónica in Spain, Warner Bros. Discovery’s free-to-air channel Giallo in Italy, SVT Sweden, DR Denmark, YLE Finland, NRK Norway, RUV Iceland and BBC Poland have also acquired two seasons.
Season one has been acquired by NPO Netherlands, VRT Belgium, Prima Group in the Czech Republic, Telia Lithuania and Telia Estonia, RTL Hungary and Pickbox in Croatia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Bosnia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro, as well as Zoomer Media in a second window deal for English-speaking Canada.
Created and written by Mark Brotherhood and produced by Big Talk Studios the binge-worthy comedy-drama has been described as ‘the funniest show on TV this year’ (The Guardian) and ‘a comedy triumph’ (Daily Telegraph), "Ludwig" has been praised by both critics and viewers alike. Series two will again be written by Mark Brotherhood. The executive producers are Kenton Allen, Mark Brotherhood, David Mitchell, Kathryn O’Connor, Toby Welch and Chris Sussman. The new series was commissioned by Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy Commissioning. The BBC Commissioning Editor is Tanya Qureshi. Ludwig is produced in association with ITV Studios, which also handles international distribution.
In the Asia Pacific region, Ludwig has found a home on Seven Network in Australia, TVNZ in New Zealand, Pumpkin in China, Now TV in Hong Kong, BBC India, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan and NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) in Japan. Meanwhile BBC First has taken the show in a panregional deal for Africa.
Tom Clark, EVP, Global Sales & Commercial Strategy, Global Partnerships at ITV Studios praised the title: “Ludwig is simply in a league of its own. Having broken records for BBC, it has captured the hearts of British viewers and we can’t wait to see what success lies in store for our international partners," commented.
The show follows John "Ludwig" Taylor, whose identical twin brother James mysteriously vanishes. John takes on his brother’s identity to uncover the truth behind his disappearance. But there’s a twist: John has lived a quiet, uneventful life, designing puzzles and avoiding the outside world, while his brother is a high-flying DCI leading a major crimes team in Cambridge. Filling in for James leads to hilariously high stakes and serious crime-solving. For the second season, David Mitchell ("Peep Show", "Back", "Upstart Crow)" returns as Ludwig, alongside Anna Maxwell Martin ("Motherland", "Until I Kill You") as Lucy Betts-Taylor, the wife of John’s missing brother James.