BritBox Delivers on Christmas Joy With Ludwig and The Other Bennet Sister Events

I don’t know who needs to hear it, but Christmas is less than three months away!

Among things to look forward to, BritBox fans have not one, but TWO exciting holiday television events to mark on their calendars.

The brilliant puzzle-solving mystery series Ludwig will treat us to a one-hour special, while The Other Bennet Sister returns with a three-episode event.

Ludwig Season 2 and Christmas Special

First things first. Ludwig aficionados have waited two long years for the second season, which finally premieres on BritBox on October 13.

Ludwig Season 1 introduced us to John Taylor, a recluse who publishes well-known and popular puzzle books under the pseudonym “Ludwig.”

• American Hostage Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Magic Ticket Sweepstakes
  by Carissa Pavlica
• Lanterns Goes True Detective Mode in a Subpar Penultimate Episode — Review
  by Denis Kimathi
• Anna Pigeon Season 1 Episode 8’s Cliffhanger Has Us Wanting to Speak to the Manager!
  by Jasmine Blu

When his identical twin brother, James, a successful police detective, goes missing, John reluctantly goes along with his sister-in-law Lucy’s plan to impersonate James so they can get his notebook from his office.

Of course, he gets dragged along to cases as “James,” where his “John” brain solves them, much to Lucy’s exasperation.

By the conclusion of Ludwig Season 1, the jig is up on John’s stint as James, although the issue of his twin’s disappearance remains unresolved.

New cast members joining stars David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin for Season 2 include Ben Ashenden and Rumi Sutton as two new DCs, as well as Mark Bonnar as newspaper editor Gareth Fisher and Sian Clifford as MP Joanne Kemper.

BritBox teases the upcoming season like this:

Now an official police consultant tackling a new slate of seemingly impossible crimes, John “Ludwig” Taylor continues his search for his missing twin brother alongside Lucy, as one masquerade ends and another begins.

A Legendary Holiday Adventure

With Ludwig Season 3 already in production, the hope is that the wait between seasons won’t be as long.

In the meantime, the Christmas special one-off is sure to please fans of Ludwig and classic British mystery, as screen icon Sir David Suchet guest stars.

@media (max-width: 768px) {
.tvf-google-cta {
padding: 22px 14px !important;
}

.tvf-google-cta p {
font-size: 22px !important;
line-height: 1.25 !important;
margin-bottom: 16px !important;
}

.tvf-google-cta a {
font-size: 14px !important;
padding: 10px 18px !important;
border-radius: 34px !important;
line-height: 1.3 !important;
}
}

Best known for portraying Agatha Christie’s famous Belgian private investigator, Hercule Poirot, Suchet gets a seat on the other side of the case this time, playing one of the holiday mystery’s murder suspects.

As reported by BritBox media, Suchet stated, “It made quite the refreshing change to be playing a suspect rather than the detective, and to sit comfortably in my armchair while David delivered the denouement. I had a thoroughly enjoyable time.”

For his part, star Mitchell was ecstatic to be working with someone whose work he’d appreciated for so long.

“I have long been a huge admirer of Sir David Suchet’s work and have watched every episode of Poirot several times, so it was a dream come true for me when he agreed to appear in the Ludwig Christmas Special.

“He was an absolute joy to work and spend time with – funny, interesting and generous – and his performance in the program is wonderful.”

Putting Their Little Gray Cells to Work

According to BritBox, “Set in Yorkshire, the 60-minute Christmas episode sees John, Lucy and Henry arrive at a remote Christmas-themed hotel for what should have been a much-needed escape, when a sudden blackout turns the festivities into a locked-room murder mystery.

Trapped by a blizzard and cut off from the outside world, the guests must spend the night with a killer in their midst. With John reluctantly pulled into one of his strangest puzzles yet, the race is on for the Taylors to solve the crime before Christmas.”

Holiday Greetings from Longbourn

After The Other Bennet Sister’s record-smashing debut on BritBox, audiences eager for more time with Ella Bruccoleri’s Mary Bennet — now Mrs. Tom Hayward — were elated by news of a three-episode Christmas special in the works.

Focused on the often-overlooked middle sister of Pride and Prejudice fame, The Other Bennet Sister delivered a fresh, enchanting perspective on life as a young woman of exceptional intellect and unique interests in Regency England.

Based on Janice Hadlow’s novel, BritBox credits the ten-episode limited series with driving five times as many new subscribers as any previous launch and fueling the service’s highest-ever week of signups.

• I Finally Watched One of Buffy’s Most Controversial Episodes — And I Almost Quit the Show
  by Sam Huang
• Television Has More Locations — Yet Fewer Places — Than Ever
  by Carissa Pavlica
• 9 Years Later, I’m Still Not Over Sheldon’s Horrible Hindi Accent on The Big Bang Theory
  by Sayantan Choudhary

Although no further novels exist to adapt, author Hadlow gave screenwriter Sarah Quintrell additional storylines to shape into a holiday arc of three 30-minute episodes.

Having agreed to marry Tom at the conclusion of the series, the holiday event will examine how Mary navigates the new societal pressures she faces as Mrs. Hayward.

Happiness Endures But So Does Family

Life as a married woman does not mean Mary has escaped life as a Bennet by any means.

The cast members confirmed to be returning for the holiday event include Ruth Jones as Mrs. Bennet, Poppy Gilbert as Lizzie, Maddie Close as Jane, Molly Wright as Kitty, and Grace Hogg-Robinson as Lydia.

Additionally, both Caroline Bingley (Ted Lasso Season 4‘s Tanya Reynolds) and her beloved Mr. Ryder will appear.

So far, there’s no mention of whether Indira Varma‘s Mrs. Gardiner will be included in the festivities, but I certainly hope so. New to the cast is Mary’s housemaid, Lucy, played by Nerys Amber Stocks.

So Much To Unwrap

What’s at the top of your wishlist, Fanatics? Is it too early to wish you a happy holiday season?

I personally can’t decide which event has me more excited. Both series have excellent pedigrees — talented casts, fabulous writing, gorgeous production quality, and wonderfully innovative plot twists.

• Outlander: Blood of My Blood Stars on Torn-Apart Lovers, Henry’s Memories, and What Comes Next
  by Paul Dailly
• Shemar Moore Wants You To Get Ready for a Dark and Gritty S.W.A.T. Exiles
  by Alexandria Ingham
• Amy’s Brain Is Her Superpower (And Her Achilles Heel) — Hank Steinberg Talks Doc Season 3 & Amy’s Evolution
  by Jasmine Blu

While Ludwig is the ongoing series, The Other Bennet Sister carries with it generational affection for Austen’s characters.

And it cannot be overstated how delightful both John Taylor and Mary Hayward née Bennet are in their quirky individuality.

Furthermore, the acceptance and understanding their families (not you, Mrs. Bennet) show them makes them the perfect series for Christmas specials.

Hit our comments with your hopes and expectations for these events! Let’s discuss!

TV Fanatic is searching for passionate contributors to share their voices across various article types. Think you have what it takes to be a TV Fanatic? Click here for more information and next steps.

The post BritBox Delivers on Christmas Joy With Ludwig and The Other Bennet Sister Events appeared first on TV Fanatic.