Ludwig to be remade in America
Ludwig, the hit new BBC comedy drama starring David Mitchell as a detective, is to be remade for American audiences.
Broadcast reports that production company Big Talk Studios has hired US writers Megan Ganz and Jonathan E Steinberg to work on the scripts.
Ganz, a former associate editor of satirical publication The Onion, has written for Community, Modern Family and It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Meanwhile Steinberg is co-creator of post-apocalyptic drama Jericho and action adventure series Black Sails.
Created and written by Mark Brotherhood, Ludwig follows John 'Ludwig' Taylor, whose identical twin brother James mysteriously vanishes. John takes on his brother's identity to uncover the truth behind his disappearance. But there's a twist: John has lived a quiet, uneventful life, designing puzzles and avoiding the outside world, while his brother is a high-flying DCI leading a major crimes team in Cambridge. Ludwig must enter the high stakes world of serious crime-solving.
The show, which received a BAFTA nomination last month for Scripted Comedy and was named Best Comedy Programme in the Broadcast Awards in February, launched on BBC One in September. The programme swiftly attracted over 9.5 million viewers, making it one of the most-watched comedies of the year. The BBC confirmed in October that it had recommissioned the show.
The six episodes of the first series have now been sold to over 80 countries. In the USA, viewers can see David Mitchell in action via the BritBox platform.
Broadcast reports that the remake will be given a different title. It has not yet been announced which American network will be taking on the new version.