Sian Clifford Ludwig season 2 casting has been confirmed, with the BBC detective series welcoming her as recurring character Joanne Kemper, a powerful politician described as an MP for Cambridge who is hiding considerably more than she lets on.
Who is Joanne Kemper?
Joanne enters the story as a key witness in one of John Taylor’s latest investigations, but Clifford has made clear that the character runs far deeper than that. Joanne comes from a family with long political roots in Cambridge: her father held the same parliamentary seat before her, meaning the Kemper name carries real weight in the local community.
‘Joanne’s family have been in power within Cambridge for quite a long time. Her father was an MP before her,’ Clifford said. ‘There’s a real level of trust with them as a family and as representatives of that community.’
That dynastic political standing has also placed Joanne in close proximity to Chief Constable Ziegler, played by Ralph Ineson. ‘Joanne has a police aide who takes care of her security, and Ziegler is a confidant of hers,’ Clifford explained. ‘I run into a spot of bother at the beginning of episode one, and he’s the person I call. They’re a team of people that I feel I can rely on.’
Sian Clifford Ludwig season 2 and the mystery surrounding James Taylor
Ziegler is already a familiar obstacle for John, who spent the first season pretending to be his missing twin brother James. Joanne is directly linked to a series of deaths that James had been investigating before he disappeared, pulling her into the path of John and his sister-in-law Lucy, played by Anna Maxwell Martin, almost from the start.
John’s instincts are immediately triggered when the two meet. ‘When John first meets her, he has a strong impression that she’s met James before. Something that, as a twin, he’s used to picking up on,’ Clifford said.
David Mitchell, who plays John, has described Joanne as someone with serious reach. ‘She’s obviously a very important person, with a lot of links to senior members of the police force,’ he said. ‘She’s a senior person in her political party, so she’s powerful, connected, and intimidating.’
Producer Georgie Fallon has teased that the conspiracy surrounding James stretches further than anyone in the first season could have anticipated. ‘It’s that classic thing of it goes all the way to the top,’ she said. ‘This series is about realising that there’s someone even above Ziegler who knows what’s going on and pulling John and Lucy further into this world of power and politics that’s not accessible and quite scary.’ Fallon added: ‘They realise they’re dealing with some quite powerful people, and she represents that.’
Clifford on playing an antagonist
For Clifford, the role offered a chance to move into genuinely murkier territory. ‘I approach playing an antagonist as I would any other character. I’m fed by the script, the people around me, and their brilliant performances,’ she said. ‘It’s a nice challenge to take on, particularly because she is mysterious and a bit of an enigma and hiding so much.’
Away from Ludwig, Clifford has also recently appeared on the big screen in Samuel Abrahams’ satirical mockumentary Lady, playing another very different kind of powerful woman.
New faces joining the Ludwig cast
Clifford is far from the only new arrival in season 2. According to TV Insider, Mark Bonnar joins the cast as newspaper editor Gareth Fisher, adding another layer of influence to a series that is increasingly exploring what happens when investigators get too close to the powerful. TV Insider also reports that Ben Ashenden joins as DC Ethan Cole and Rumi Sutton as DC Caitlin Sullivan, expanding the investigative ensemble around John and Lucy.
The additions suggest the show is widening its world considerably for its second run, threading together politics, policing and the press as John and Lucy dig deeper into what happened to James and why he vanished.
When does Ludwig season 2 start?
Ludwig series 2 begins on Thursday, 20 August on BBC One from 9pm. Clifford’s debut as Joanne Kemper arrives in the very first episode, when her character’s ‘spot of bother’ sets the season’s central mystery in motion. Viewers who want a reminder of where John’s deception left off, or a rundown of where to watch both series, can find Digital Spy‘s streaming guide updated with the details.
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