# David Mitchell's new show "Ludwig" on BBC **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [September 29, 2024, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236 "2024-09-29T11:01:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2024, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236/1 "2024-09-29T11:01:39Z")
Dunno if/when it might turn up on BBC America (did his Shakespeare ever make it?) The setup is he’s a reclusive puzzle guy with an identical twin Detective in Cambridge who goes missing. So of course the wife of his brother convinces him to come (what’s 150 miles from Cambridge?) and impersonate his brother. I reckon it started last Wednesday yet my wife and I were able to watch the first two of six on BBC iPlayer. Likely, as usual the first was better than the second yet both were very funny. His character’s name is John Ludwig Taylor yet only the sister in law (and her son) even know he’s not his brother who I’ve only seen is James Taylor; so I can’t wait to see what _his_ middle name is. I read in the Daily Fail or the Mirror (same thing) that some people were complaining about the Beethoven score. After reading that I half-expected Hans Zimmer-esque cranking of the Fifth, I’ve only heard what sounded like a tease of a few notes of Für Elise from his posthumous Christmas Album otherwise non-interfering stuff from what might be like 3rd or 4th, otherwise I’d just think it a good score. “Ode to Joy” is used both digetically (?) at the end of the first episode and the closing credits of the 2nd. It’s good to see him back though. Last seen as Shakespeare and some talk shows. ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2024, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236/2 "2024-09-29T11:54:52Z")
Police detective drives around an Oxbridge city in a 30 year old car and solves puzzling murders while listening to classical music. Haven’t we done that already? Despite that it’s nothing like Morse and is an enjoyable gentle comedy. Well worth bingeing all the episodes on iPlayer. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2024, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236/3 "2024-09-29T12:24:16Z")
> [@Coriolanus](#): > > It’s good to see him back though. Last seen as Shakespeare and some talk shows. “Some talk shows”? That’s a rather belittling way of describing _Would I Lie To You?_, which he’s been doing for 17 years now and which I’d easily say is the most _consistently_ enjoyable comedy show I’ve ever watched. David Mitchell never went away; he’s just been doing phenomenally funny stuff that American audiences don’t know about. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2024, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236/4 "2024-09-29T12:48:22Z")
DM also presents a radio comedy quiz show called “The Unbelievable Truth”. Worth a listen if you can get it on [BBC Sounds](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b007mf4f) ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2024, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236/5 "2024-09-29T15:40:39Z")
Also a frequent visitor on other British panel/quiz shows. His signature “tune” is the long-form rant about linguistic expressions or other stuff we never think about and take for granted. Kind of like Andy Rooney, with a beard instead of eyebrows, but much funnier. Married to Victoria Coren Mitchell, very funny and smart in her own right, host of Only Connect, maybe the hardest quiz ever on TV. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2024, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236/6 "2024-09-29T15:47:30Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > a rather belittling way of describing _Would I Lie To You?_ Didn’t mean to belittle. “Would I lie to you” is a clever and often hilarious show. Oddly it was the co-captain (?) or rival Lee Mack that got me to watch the show as I had seen some “Not going out”. Mitchell was even funnier as he has a sort of charm.I didn’t know (then) that they both had been on the show for 17 years. I don’t watch much TV yet we were lucky enough to have whatever BBC channel “Upstart Crow” (his Shakespeare show) for episode one. I said to my wife, “If David Mitchell is in and co-wrote this show it’s going to be great” and I miss it. Covid knocked it out except for one Very Special Episode. (ETA: I believe they were going to stage it in the West End as a stand-alone play) I said the same thing when I heard about Ludwig. I didn’t know if he was playing a cop or a Monk-like detective yet if he’s in it it’s going to be great. I read in the Independent that there are lots of calls for another series and a quick read of the synopsis suggests the overall arc of James Taylor’s whereabouts will not be solved. BTW, I now think his middle name is Wolfgang. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2024, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236/7 "2024-09-29T15:58:12Z")
If you’re choosing to watch stuff because David Mitchell is in it then you should go back to the early days of _That Mitchell and Webb Look_ [and the radio version … _Sound_], _Peep Show_ and _Ambassadors_. All feature in equal measure his long-time writing and performing partner Robert Webb. Each is very different types of comedy vehicle, but they are clever and genuinely funny and bear repeated watching. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2024, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236/8 "2024-09-29T16:07:17Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > All feature in equal measure his long-time writing and performing partner Robert Webb. They also made a feature film, **Magicians** , though it’s not generally considered their best work. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2024, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236/9 "2024-09-29T16:10:32Z")
> [@Coriolanus](#): > > I believe they were going to stage it in the West End as a stand-alone play And they did stage it for six weeks or so from February 2020 to March till Covid closed it. Yet my wife wasn’t here then. And somehow I was not informed that it returned in Sept-Dec 2022. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2024, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236/10 "2024-09-29T22:03:47Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > David Mitchell never went away; he’s just been doing phenomenally funny stuff that American audiences don’t know about. Side-remark: BBC America used to show a LOT of UK comedy (including the aforementioned _That Mitchell and Webb Look_). This must be eight years ago or more, now—but I still miss those shows. Now they show mainly American movies–the same ones shown on a bunch of other cable channels. Very dull. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2024, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236/11 "2024-09-29T22:09:09Z")
It’s a pet peeve of mine that BBC America has fewer and fewer British shows; I think the Graham Norton Show is just about the last one. Now if I want to watch a British show in the US, my choices are the Britbox or Acorn streaming services or perhaps PBS. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2024, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236/12 "2024-09-29T22:11:45Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I think the Graham Norton Show is just about the last one. Yeah, that sounds right. Maybe BBC America OWNS Britbox and Acorn? Or one of them? And their strategy is to divert Americans starved for UK content over to one of those premium plans? If so: curse their flinty little hearts. (Anyway, if few Americans know who David Mitchell is, anymore: BBC America has a big share of the blame.) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2024, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236/13 "2024-09-29T22:12:35Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > It’s a pet peeve of mine that BBC America has fewer and fewer British shows; I think the Graham Norton Show is just about the last one. Now if I want to watch a British show in the US, my choices are the Britbox or Acorn streaming services or perhaps PBS. Are they still showing _Bones_ marathons? It’s a strange business model. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2024, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236/14 "2024-09-29T22:16:58Z")
They have marathons of the various Star Trek shows, or Law & Order (the American version; I’d actually appreciate a marathon of the UK version) or David Attenborough documentaries. Everything _but_ British programs. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2024, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236/15 "2024-09-29T22:41:20Z")
I really liked the UK Law & Order. Unfortunately BBCA either never showed the final season or somehow I missed it when it aired. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2024, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236/16 "2024-09-29T22:56:48Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > I think the Graham Norton Show is just about the last one. > > Yeah, that sounds right. > > Maybe BBC America OWNS Britbox and Acorn? Or one of them? And their strategy is to divert Americans starved for UK content over to one of those premium plans? > > If so: curse their flinty little hearts. > > (Anyway, if few Americans know who David Mitchell is, anymore: BBC America has a big share of the blame.) BBC America is co-owned by BBC and AMC. Acorn is owned by AMC. Britbox is owned by the BBC. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2024, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236/17 "2024-09-29T23:15:34Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > I really liked the UK Law & Order. Unfortunately BBCA either never showed the final season or somehow I missed it when it aired. Apparently on AMC+ [which has a free trial] [https://www.amcplus.com/shows/law-and-order-uk--1029055](https://www.amcplus.com/shows/law-and-order-uk--1029055) ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2024, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236/18 "2024-09-29T23:23:27Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > BBC America is co-owned by BBC and AMC. Acorn is owned by AMC. Britbox is owned by the BBC. well that explains a lot. Curse their flinty little hearts indeed. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236/19 "2024-09-30T00:25:12Z")
Anyone know if there are plans to stream in the US? This sounds like exactly the kind of inoffensive show we’d watch ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236/20 "2024-09-30T00:27:13Z")
No idea. My guess is that it ends up on either Britbox or Acorn but there’s usually a delay of months before new shows appear in the US. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-mitchells-new-show-ludwig-on-bbc/1008236.md?page=2)