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Tripwire Reviews BBC’s Ludwig Drama
Roll Over Beethoven
Tripwire’s senior editor Andrew Colman reviews David Mitchell’s Ludwig BBC series which was on earlier this autumn…
Ludwig
Creator: Mark Brotherhood
Stars: David Mitchell, Anna Maxwell Martin
The BBC’s output in the last 15 years or so has become, in the face of burgeoning and manifest streaming competition, somewhat more narrow in its focus. Apart from the occasional mandatory period drama, it’s mainly been reality shows, property shows, property reality shows, cooking shows, travel shows – you get the picture. Its remit (excluding its news coverage, of course) isn’t what it was, with most of its best product being bought in, or vintage stuff from an era when the corporation ruled the world. Cosy crime, a term I was only recently introduced to by my colleague Joel that denotes Agatha Christie-style whodunits in rural, bucolic settings in an England that barely exists anymore, is also doing the business, cause it’s well, cheap and only requires a minor star and a retinue of character actors who generally play lightweight stock roles. Although more off-kilter, Ludwig still fits that description.
And then there’s the series lead David Mitchell, the avatar of slightly edgy and / or nerdy comedy, and of course panel shows (another BBC cheapie), where his impish, incisive and lightning wit shines. Mitchell in certain respects is a genuinely rare talent, and a bit of an intellect, but he can only ever be a character actor, and a bumbling misshapen one at that, so he’s perfect for the comedy cosiness of Ludwig, where he plays John Taylor, a bumbling, misshapen puzzle genius and author who, thanks to his overbearing sister in law (Anna Maxwell Martin) opts to impersonate his identical twin brother James, who just happens to be a DCI in the Cambridge constabulary. Successfully fooling everyone into believing he is his brother, his savant ability to solve crimes makes waves at the police station without arousing that much suspicion.
It’s a decent effort, with his brother’s disappearance providing the underpinning for the series of whodunits that are the motor for the comedy. It’s a light-hearted fish out of water affair that evokes that mythical England (as it would) replete with old-school archetypes mixed with more contemporary characters in the ensemble, which to a certain extent sends-up the subgenre. On the plus side, Mitchell is excellent as the gauche, socially awkward protagonist and carries the show very well, Cambridge is the perfect setting for old chestnut murder mysteries, and the set- pieces are clever and contain some excellent dialogue, particularly when Mitchell’s lead has to return to his old alma mater – his reconnection with his old teacher (Derek Jacobi) and his less than stellar school days being a highlight.
Yes, quite a few of the characters (notably his sister in law and his nephew) are at times tiresome plot devices designed to stretch the narrative, but there has to be some red herrings concerning Taylor’s brother’s disappearance, which isn’t resolved at the end, so yes, there’ll be another series, which is nice. Quality hokum with a silly premise then, but still better than most, and it does make for compulsive viewing.
Ludwig is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m0022wvz/ludwig
Read about the show’s genesis too
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