Sian Clifford is embracing a very different kind of character in Ludwig season 2, with the Fleabag star set to play a powerful politician with plenty of secrets. Almost a decade after making her breakthrough as Claire in Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s acclaimed BBC comedy-drama, Clifford has joined the cast of the BBC detective series as recurring character Joanne Kemper.
And while Joanne may initially appear as a key witness in one of John Taylor’s latest investigations, Clifford has teased that there’s considerably more going on beneath the surface. Described as a powerful MP for Cambridge, Joanne comes from a family with deep political roots in the city.
Her father held the same position before her, meaning the Kemper name carries considerable influence in the local community. “Joanne’s family have been in power within Cambridge for quite a long time. Her father was an MP before her,” Clifford said. “There’s a real level of trust with them as a family and as representatives of that community.”
That political legacy has also brought her into the orbit of Chief Constable Ziegler, played by Ralph Ineson. “Joanne has a police aide who takes care of her security, and Ziegler is a confidant of hers,” Clifford explained. “I run into a spot of bother at the beginning of episode one, and he’s the person I call. They’re a team of people that I feel I can rely on.”
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Ziegler is already a familiar obstacle for puzzle master John, who has had to spend the first season pretending to be his missing twin brother James. John’s elaborate deception remains at the heart of Ludwig, with season 2 continuing to explore what happened to James and why he disappeared in the first place. Joanne could prove particularly important to that mystery.
The politician is already linked to a series of deaths that James had been investigating before he vanished, bringing her directly into the path of John and his sister-in-law Lucy, played by Anna Maxwell Martin.
As their investigation progresses, the pair increasingly find themselves looking towards Joanne for answers – although getting close to someone so powerful could be dangerous.
“She’s obviously a very important person, with a lot of links to senior members of the police force,” David Mitchell explained. “She’s a senior person in her political party, so she’s powerful, connected, and intimidating.”
Joanne initially enters the story as a murder witness, but John immediately senses something familiar about her. “When John first meets her, he has a strong impression that she’s met James before. Something that, as a twin, he’s used to picking up on.”
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For John and Lucy, however, getting closer to the truth also means becoming increasingly exposed to people with considerably more power than themselves. Producer Georgie Fallon has teased that the duo will soon discover just how far the conspiracy surrounding James runs.
“It’s that classic thing of it goes all the way to the top,” she said. “This series is about realising that there’s someone even above Ziegler who knows what’s going on and pulling John and Lucy further into this world of power and politics that’s not accessible and quite scary.”
Fallon added: “They realise they’re dealing with some quite powerful people, and she represents that.”
For Clifford, portraying Joanne presented an opportunity to move into more mysterious territory. “I approach playing an antagonist as I would any other character. I’m fed by the script, the people around me, and their brilliant performances.”
She said: “It’s a nice challenge to take on, particularly because she is mysterious and a bit of an enigma and hiding so much.”
Clifford will make her Ludwig debut when the second season arrives on BBC One, from Thursday, 20 August. The actor has also recently appeared on the big screen in Samuel Abrahams’ satirical mockumentary Lady, playing another very different kind of powerful woman.
Ludwig series 2 starts Thursday (20 August) on BBC One from 9pm.
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