
If you are into puzzles, doing crosswords and if you don’t mind the odd murder this 6-Part BBC comedy/mystery is the show for you.
I didn’t really think that David Mitchell could act that well, but in this show his comedic and more surprisingly his dramatic timing is impeccable.
The set up is not original but I don’t mind it, and tried and tested formulas work for a reason. David Mitchell plays John Taylor, an introverted, socially awkward agoraphobic puzzle maker who’s pen name is the title of the show.

The action starts with John in his house in London devising and solving puzzles while cooking Sunday dinner for himself. This is John’s job, and it is apparent he is somewhat a loner. His landline rings and it his sister-in-law Lucy who presses him to come to her home in Cambridge to ask for a favour.
His twin James and Lucy’s husband is a detective who has mysteriously vanished. Lucy asks John to impersonate his brother who is in the Cambridge Police Force to find James’s notebook and start to decipher it and try and solve clues that were left behind to solve his disappearance. This mystery is the central thread to the narrative and is complimented by the fact that in each episode there are individual cases for him to solve. He has no experience in sleuthing and the fun is watching him gain confidence as a detective and person. Each episode is a puzzle within a puzzle.

The supporting cast is superb especially Anna Maxwell Martin who plays Lucy, John’s childhood friend and wife to his brother. She tries to get clues and sleuth her way around town to find out anything about why her husband has disappeared. James/John’s new right-hand man at work is Russell Carter, who is played by Dipo Ola, and he is perfect as the doubtful but never annoying sidekick. Another stand-out is junior detective DC Simons Evans who is played by Gerran Howell. He reminds me of the character PC Kelby from Beyond Paradise and provides some welcome comic relief.

My favourite episode is No.5, because it has got the best guest character who is Ludwig’s mentor (Derek Jacobi) from school. I found him relatable and his interactions with Ludwig are touching and revealing. You also get to see John when he was younger which was a great touch, so you delve more into his character.
The script is cleverly done. I can’t remember when I have watched a detective show and fully laughed out loud during it. One of the great concepts about this show is that there are no pointless red herrings and misdirects.
Ludwig reminds me of that other BBC show Death in Paradise, as well as Agatha Christie where the detective gets all the suspects into a room and then reveals elaborately who the killer is. In this case John leaves it to the suspect to confess but rarely considers motive, as he thinks it is secondary. He has a different strategy. He believes that with looking for evidence a significant number of coincidences are unlikely to be a coincidence. Hence, he looks for the variable to unravel the mystery.
I highly recommend this show, and I feel the BBC has another hit on its hands. The organisation receives plenty of criticism, but when it comes to dramas it is hard to beat.
This article is very well written and has taken a show in which I had zero interest in and has brought it to life for myself. It’s tempting me to watch it for myself to enjoy the experience.
Props to you Nyah! This is excellent!
I am truly thankful to the owner of this web site who has shared this fantastic piece of writing at at this place.
Sky Scarlet I appreciate you sharing this blog post. Thanks Again. Cool.