As Ludwig’s second series continues apace, one of its stars has teased what’s to come in its second half – and it might be a little “uncharacteristic”. The first half of the six-episode run is already streaming on iPlayer, with episode two airing on BBC One tonight (27 August).
In a new interview, Dipo Ola, who plays DI Russell Carter, said the arrival of Stephen Merchant as new character Danny Sloane will herald a shift when the remainder of the series begins streaming on 10 September.
“I think things kick into gear from episode four in a way that, even though it’s only been a season and a half, seems kind of uncharacteristic for the show, which I think is really really cool, because things really take up a head of steam,” he told Radio Times.
BBC
Related: Line of Duty’s Mark Bonnar reveals what ‘blew him away’ joining Ludwig for season 2
“Obviously the second part of the season kicks off with Stephen Merchant’s character being introduced into the world of Ludwig, which is a really, really fun thing. He was so funny, so great… so tall as well.
“But yeah, I think episodes four, five, and six really pick up steam, and I think it’ll lead up to a really, really satisfying conclusion of that arc for season 3, which will be something we get to do in a couple of weeks’ time, we get to start.”
The show is a big hit for the BBC, and its launch episode attracted big ratings last week – narrowly beating the equivalent episode from series one.
Per Broadcast, it attracted 2.8 million viewers, which was 28.5% of the TV-watching audience at that time. That’s up on both the slot average of 2.6 million, and the first episode of series one’s 2.7 million. At time of writing, the drama is also trending in second place on iPlayer, behind only EastEnders.
BBC
Related: Ludwig season 2 review
David Mitchell fronts the show as the titular John “Ludwig” Taylor, with Anna Maxwell Martin as his sister-in-law Lucy Betts-Taylor.
Alongside Merchant, season two also welcomes Mark Bonnar as Gareth Fisher, Sian Clifford as Joanne Kemper, Ben Ashenden as DC Ethan Cole and Rumi Sutton as DC Caitlin Sullivan.
Ludwig season 2 airs on BBC One on Thursdays until 24 September. The first three episodes of season 2 are currently available on iPlayer, with the remaining three dropping on 10 September. Season 1 is streaming on the same platform now.
Visit our Streaming Guide now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.
The new edition of Legends, a 100-page all-colour celebration of Ariana Grande, is here! Buy Ariana Grande in newsagents or online.
Shaun is an Evening News Editor at Digital Spy, with over a decade of experience reporting on all things pop culture. He has written for outlets including Metro, Attitude, Huffington Post, The Mirror, Yahoo!, Pink News and Express Online, specialising in TV, movies, soaps, music and LGBTQ+ issues. He is also a BAFTA Rocliffe-winning scriptwriter, having written episodes of the soap Hollyoaks, the official Steps musical Here & Now and multiple Offie Award-nominated plays. He studied English Literature and Drama at the University of East Anglia, and will happily talk at length about Desperate Housewives to anyone who’ll listen.