Ludwig star Gerran Howell has confirmed his exit from the hit comedy-drama. Speaking with Radio Times, the actor, who currently stars as Dr Dennis Whitaker in The Pitt, was asked if he’ll appear in future episodes of Ludwig.
“Unfortunately not, no,” he replied. “I hope the door is still open, because I really love that show.”
Cast as DC Simon Evans, Howell starred alongside series lead David Mitchell in the BBC production. Following the release of season one, which premiered in 2024, the show received positive reviews, with fans comparing it to the iconic detective drama, Inspector Morse, on IMDb.
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Renewed for a second instalment, the BBC confirmed in September that filming had commenced on season two of Ludwig.
“Picking up from where things were left at the end of series one, master puzzle-setter John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor (David Mitchell) is now a Crime Scene Consultant working on ‘impossible’ crimes for the Cambridge Police Authority,” notes the synopsis.
“No longer having to masquerade as his brother, he’s openly more ‘Ludwig’ than ever – brilliant at solving puzzles but hopeless at everything else. But John’s identical twin brother, James, is still missing, and now that he’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.
“Of course, John won’t stop, and neither will Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin), John’s sister-in-law and wife of his missing brother James – a puzzle needs solving, and a husband and father needs bringing home. One masquerade may have ended, but a new one has just begun.”
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While Howell won’t be returning, several of his season one co-stars are reprising their roles. Appearing alongside David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin, Dipo Ola, Dylan Hughes, Dorothy Atkinson, Ralph Ineson and Karl Pilkington are back for season two.
The BBC has also confirmed several new additions to the cast, with Mark Bonnar appearing as newspaper editor, Gareth Fisher, while Sian Clifford inhabits the role of local MP, Joanne Kemper. Rounding out the cast, and Ben Ashenden and Rumi Sutton are billed as DC Ethan Cole and DC Caitlin Sullivan, respectively.
The BBC has yet to announce a release date for season two of Ludwig. Season one is streaming now on BBC iPlayer.
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Megan is a freelance news reporter for Digital Spy.Â