{"id":577032,"date":"2026-08-07T00:06:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T00:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/577032\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T00:06:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T00:06:16","slug":"ludwig-season-2-announces-an-exciting-new-guest-star-at-odds-with-john-ludwig","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/577032\/","title":{"rendered":"Ludwig season 2 announces an exciting new guest star \u2013 &#8220;at odds with John Ludwig&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"3\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Ahead of its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a73358803\/bbc-ludwig-premiere-date-season-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a73358803\/bbc-ludwig-premiere-date-season-2\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"return later this month\" data-node-id=\"3.1\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">return later this month<\/a>, Ludwig has announced an exciting new guest star. And it seems that he may be butting heads with David Mitchell&#8217;s puzzle maker!<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"9\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">The BBC has revealed that Stephen Merchant will join the series, taking on the role of &#8220;cocky snooker champion Danny Sloane&#8221; who is &#8220;at odds with John Ludwig&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"13\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Some first look pictures are below, while the broadcaster also confirmed that Sloane will pop up in the fourth episode of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a71744111\/ludwig-season-2-must-watch-mystery\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a71744111\/ludwig-season-2-must-watch-mystery\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"season two\" data-node-id=\"13.1\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">season two<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img draggable=\"true\" alt=\"stephen merchant, ludwig\" title=\"Stephen Merchant, Ludwig\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2500\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;width:100%;height:auto;\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/fdc08d25-b0bc-47df-8936-e306cad2a2c5.jpg\" class=\"css-0 e1ddfba50\"\/><\/p>\n<p>BBC<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"18\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tech\/best-tech-deals\/g35899960\/best-streaming-services\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tech\/best-tech-deals\/g35899960\/best-streaming-services\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Best streaming services\" data-node-id=\"18.1\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Best streaming services<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"22\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">In the new episodes, Mitchell&#8217;s Ludwig is now a Crime Scene Consultant after the events of the first season, with the character no longer having to disguise himself as his missing twin brother.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"26\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">&#8220;Now that he&#8217;s an official employee of the station, John is forbidden from using any police resources to look for his brother or uncover exactly what he was investigating,&#8221; the synopsis adds.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"31\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">&#8220;Of course, John won&#8217;t stop, and neither will Lucy, John&#8217;s sister-in-law and wife of his missing brother James &#8211; a puzzle needs solving and a husband and father needs bringing home. One masquerade may have ended, but a new one has just begun.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"35\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Anna Maxwell Martin also returns as Lucy Betts-Taylor, while new cast additions include Mark Bonnar as newspaper editor Gareth Fisher, Sian Clifford as local MP Joanne Kemper, Ben Ashenden as DC Ethan Cole, and Rumi Sutton as DC Caitlin Sullivan.<\/p>\n<p><img draggable=\"true\" alt=\"anna maxwell martin, ludwig season 2\" title=\"David Mitchell, Ludwig season 2\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4582\" height=\"3055\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;width:100%;height:auto;\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ad2a09b6-a4d6-4891-992f-a0606e99a2e6.jpg\" class=\"css-0 e1ddfba50\"\/><\/p>\n<p>BBC<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"40\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">The first season of Ludwig was a huge hit when it was released in 2024, becoming the BBC&#8217;s biggest comedy launch in six years.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"44\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Speaking upon the show&#8217;s season two renewal, Mitchell said: &#8220;I am delighted that Ludwig will be returning to solve more of Mark Brotherhood\u2019s brilliant mysteries. I can\u2019t wait to get started and have renewed the subscription on my denouement-learning app.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"48\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Ludwig season two will air on BBC One at 9pm on Thursday 20 August, and will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer from the same date.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"53\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a70049607\/streaming-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a70049607\/streaming-guide\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Streaming Guide\" data-node-id=\"53.1\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Streaming Guide<\/a> now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"57\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">The new edition of Legends, a 100-page all-colour celebration of Ariana Grande, is here! <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hearstmagazines.co.uk\/livinglegendsarianagrande\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.hearstmagazines.co.uk\/livinglegendsarianagrande\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Buy Ariana Grande in newsagents or online\" data-node-id=\"57.3\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Buy Ariana Grande in newsagents or online<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0a81bfbe-1026-4736-8d8a-d20144e2ec87_1551709595.png\" alt=\"Headshot of Sam Warner\" title=\"Headshot of Sam Warner\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"css-o0wq4v ev8dhu53\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/movies\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">movies<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">TV<\/a> and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/author\/samwarner\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NME<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.screendaily.com\/sam-warner\/1100838.contributor\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Screen International<\/a>. \u00a0Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/lord-of-the-rings\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Lord of the Rings<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/love-is-blind\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Love Is Blind<\/a>, and is equally in his element crossing every &#8216;t&#8217; and dotting every &#8216;i&#8217; as a sub-editor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ahead of its return later this month, Ludwig has announced an exciting new guest star. And it seems&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":577033,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[137241,635,261001,637,146,85,46,195853,636,261000,237453,411],"class_list":["post-577032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-collection-latest-news","tag-content-type-news","tag-contentid-e0240269-a9da-4044-a58e-e9041ca72e1d","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-entertainment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-gb","tag-shorttitle-ludwig-season-2-announces-an-exciting-new-guest-star","tag-sponsored-false","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=577032"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577032\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/577033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=577032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=577032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=577032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}