The BBC finally finds its new Jonathan Creek with unmissable murder-mystery

If the thought of another alcoholic detective failing to confront deeply embedded trauma while solving the death of (another) dead young girl in a bleak village makes you want to scream into a pillow then you should acquaint yourself with BBC’s Ludwig.

The cosy crime series follows John, played by David Mitchell, an introverted geek, unfamiliar with technology and human touch, who is suddenly called upon to insert himself into a highly illegal and covert investigation.

But he’s willing to break the law for his sister-in-law Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin) who is in a state of despair after the mysterious disappearance of her police officer husband James (also David Mitchell).

Lucy suspects something is rotten in the police department as James left an odd letter of resignation for the job he loved before he fled. She decides, then, the only sensible option is to have John impersonate her husband as a cop to sniff out what’s awry.

A reluctant John, a world-class puzzle solver who writes expert books under the nom de plume Ludwig, literally steps into his brother’s shoes – but gets more than he’s bargained for when he’s expected to oversee murder investigations.

The set-up is perfect: it’s a puzzle within a puzzle. In each episode, viewers get the instant gratification of a murder case being cracked but are kept hanging over the circumstances of James’ disappearance. The show expertly treads the tightrope of giving us answers, while keeping us wanting more.

As for the murder investigations, it’s refreshing Ludwig has no tortured interviews between a suspect and a terse police officer in a windowless room in the basement of police station. It’s been done and done well by Line of Duty. I’m bored of it now.

Instead, John, who has zero formal police training, draws on his puzzle skills to crack the cases, to the bafflement of his fellow officers. He’s certainly no Jimmy McNulty but more like a modern-day Jonathan Creek.

But Ludwig is not all death and anguish – and this is where the show really excels. It’s really funny. John’s ham-fisted approach to presenting to be his brother leads to many moments of laugh-out-loud comedy. And, let’s face it, no one can make awkwardness as hilarious as David Mitchell.

It’s refreshing to watch a crime show where I don’t have to look away from the screen every few minutes – or need to turn the brightness up on my screen as it’s so dark and depressing. More need to follow suit rather than follow in The Bridge blueprint.

Ludwig is also packed with excellent performances. David Mitchell is certainly not reinventing the wheel, and is playing, well, David Mitchell, but no one else could play John better. What other actor would be able to express quiet discontent with such panache?

Anna is also great as the whip-smart Lucy, battling her grief over her husband’s disappearance, while also humorously despairing at John’s general inaptitude with modern life and human interaction.

Playing John/James’ second in command at the station is Dipo Ola as DI Carter. He’s a great foil to David’s John and manages to communicate with just a hint of a frown the bemusement over John’s unorthodox policing.

Nestled among the cast are two British comedy stars: Ricky Gervais’ former sidekick Karl Pilkington as DI Neville and Alma’s Not Normal star Sophie Willan, who is particularly excellent as the snappy and unhinged police IT consultant Holly.

If you’re looking for a show that has the warmth of Only Murder In The Building, the riddles of Jonathan Creek and, well, the sardonic humour of Peep Show, Ludwig is a must-watch.

Just like any good puzzle, it all clicks into place.