Ludwig star David Mitchell reveals why filming BBC detective series was ‘unbearably poignant’

David Mitchell has revealed the “unbearable poignancy” of filming his new BBC detective comedy, Ludwig. The comedian and actor leads the cast as reclusive puzzle setter John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor, who impersonates his identical twin brother, detective James, after he mysteriously goes missing. 

Ahead of the show’s premiere, David spoke to HELLO! and other press during a Q&A session about filming the drama in Cambridge, which is where he studied as an undergraduate and met his comedy partner, Robert Webb.

“I’ve been back a few times but it was nice to be there filming something because when I was [a student] there I desperately wanted to get into acting and comedy as a job, so I thought, ‘Look at me, this is my job!’. So that’s a nice return,” explained the 50-year-old. “But obviously, I think anyone who moves away from where they went to as a young person or as a student will know that when you go back, it’s filled with an unbearable poignancy which is part of the message that life conveys relentlessly that you’re going to die one day. 

“So you look around the place and remember where you had fun, the various rooms where friends of yours lived and they’re not there now and it’s all about the terribly sad passing of time which is one of the things we try and use television to distract people from,” he quipped. 

© Big Talk Studios/David Emery/BBC

On why using Cambridge as a backdrop for the murder mystery is integral to the genre, David said: “I was delighted that it was set in Cambridge because I genuinely feel that having a picturesque context is such a key part of the genre. Obviously, with Inspector Morse set in Oxford, Miss Marple set in different villages, and Poirot and Sherlock Holmes set in the past, which we all know is more aesthetically pleasing.”

David also revealed that his life-long love of murder mysteries is what drew him to the role. “I’ve always loved murder mysteries,” he explained. “Some of my happiest viewing memories are as a child watching Miss Marple with Joan Hickson, and Inspector Morse. I think when it can have that comic spin as well, that’s even better.”

© BBC

For those yet to watch the show, it follows David’s character John, whose identical brother James mysteriously goes missing. In a quest to find him, John takes over his twin’s identity. 

The synopsis continues: “John has never married, never had a family and never really ventured further than his own front door. Without a computer, mobile phone or even a television, he lives in quiet solitude, designing puzzles for a living, under the nom-de-plume of ‘Ludwig’.

© BBC

“However, filling the shoes of your identical twin is one thing – when your twin also happens to be a successful DCI leading Cambridge’s busy inner-city major crimes team the stakes are much higher. John may be a master of all things cryptic, but can he crack the biggest puzzle of his life?”