#FIRSTLOOK: “LUDWIG” SEASON 2 RETURNS ON BRITBOX | OCTOBER PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS

The riddle continues as David Mitchell (Peep Show) returns as brilliant but endearingly awkward puzzlemaster for a second season of the International Emmy Award-winning mystery series Ludwig. 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 (Anna Maxwell Martin, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder), as one masquerade ends and another begins. Ludwig season two premieres October 13 on BritBox. Fans can also catch more David Mitchell this month as team captain in Would I Lie to You? season 19, streaming on BritBox October 26, 2026

David Tennant (Rivals) joins returning star Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley) for a gripping third season of acclaimed prison drama Time. Set inside a young offenders institution, season three explores guilt, loyalty and redemption in the aftermath of tragedy, with an ensemble cast also featuring Jo Joyner (A Woman of Substance), Vinette Robinson (Sherlock) and Warren Brown (The Responder). Time season three premieres October 22 on BritBox.

BritBox adds another sweeping, must-watch classic to its period drama lineup with War and Peace, the 2016 acclaimed adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s epic starring Lily James (Downton Abbey), Paul Dano (The Batman), James Norton (Happy Valley), Gillian Anderson (The Crown), Jack Lowden (Slow Horses), Jessie Buckley (Hamnet) and Callum Turner (Masters of the Air). Packed with romance, rivalry and intrigue against the grandeur of 19th-century Russia, the star-studded drama is available to stream October 5.

For more information and to access additional press materials, please visit the new BritBox Media Room and sign up here. Screeners are available separately, upon request.

ICYMI

STREAMING NOW: Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence S1 | BritBox Original. BritBox Exclusive, North America Premiere | 6 x 45’ | Released Weekly

In the first contemporary English language Agatha Christie series adaptation, the detective duo of the impulsive Tuppence (Antonia Thomas, The Good Doctor) and loveable try hard Tommy (Josh Dylan, The Buccaneers) rise again. Mixing what made the screwball comedy and playful romance that made this crime solving couple beloved, with a cast representative of the energy of modern London, this series will please old fans – and new – alike.

BritBox October Listings – Please note these are the release dates for standard subscribers only. For release dates and rollouts on the BritBox Premier tier please inquire with press@britbox.com.

October 2, 2026: Celebrity Escape to the Country S2 | New to BritBox, United States Only | 6 x 60’ | Released 2x on Premiere, Then Weekly

Celebrities are helped to find their dream home in the glorious British countryside.

October 5, 2026: War and Peace S1 | New to BritBox | 5 x 60’, 1 x 80’ | Released All at Once

In 1805 when we first meet Pierre (Paul Dano), Natasha (Lily James), and Andrei (James Norton), they are all part of St Petersburg’s glittering elite, but are still fired-up with youthful ambition to find meaning in their lives. Kind-hearted but awkward Pierre, the illegitimate son of Russia’s richest man, wants to change the world for the better. Handsome and gallant Andrei, frustrated with the superficiality of his life, seeks a purpose, while the beautiful and spirited Natasha is searching for true love. At the same time Napoleon’s army edges ever closer to Russia’s borders. As everything they thought they knew is questioned, Pierre, Andrei and Natasha find themselves in a time when Russian society is about to change forever.

October 13, 2026: Ludwig S2 | BritBox Original, BritBox Exclusive, North America Premiere | 6 x 60’ | Released Weekly

Picking up from the end of season one, master puzzle-setter John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor (David Mitchell) is now a Crime Scene Consultant, working alongside DCI Russell Carter (Dipo Ola), on ‘impossible’ crimes for the Cambridge Police Authority. No longer having to masquerade as his brother, he’s openly more ‘Ludwig’ than ever – brilliant at solving puzzles but hopeless at everything else. But John’s identical twin brother, James, is still missing, and now that he’s an official employee of the station, John is forbidden from using any police resources to look for his brother or uncover exactly what he was investigating. Of course, John won’t stop and neither will Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin), John’s sister-in-law and wife of his missing brother James. A puzzle needs solving and a husband and father needs bringing home. One masquerade may have ended, but a new one has just begun.

October 22, 2026: Time S3 | BritBox Original, North America Premiere | 3 x 60’ | Released Weekly

Prison Chaplain Marie-Louise (Siobhan Finneran, Happy Valley) comes to the YOI having lost her faith. When tragedy strikes within the prison, Marie-Louise clashes with veteran officer Bailey (David Tennant, Doctor Who), a man in the midst of his own crisis. Bailey knows more about the circumstances that led to this major incident – but will he come clean before the guilt gets too much? Meanwhile, two teenage young offenders, Peter (Ollie McNulty) and James (Louis McCartney, Hope Street), struggle through the terrifying first weeks and months of their incarceration. Can James ever face his broken parents after an unforgivable act of violence and will Peter tell the truth about the death of an innocent man, or does family loyalty mean more? An unlikely friendship between them looks to shift the trajectory of their futures, but in an increasingly unstable environment, is change ever possible?

October 26, 2026: Would I Lie To You? S19 | New to BritBox | 13 x 30’ | Released All at Once

Comedy panel show where contestants have to bluff about their deepest secrets and the opposing team must decipher which ones are true.

BBC Select October Listings

October 1, 2026: Egypt’s Great Mummies: Unwrapped with Bettany Hughes S1 | Available in North America | 2 x 60’ | Released All at Once

Bettany Hughes unearths ten embalmed bodies, each with a unique story to tell. From pharaohs, to criminals, to children to priests, she opens up a portal into the incredible stories of people from all different parts of ancient Egyptian society.

October 1, 2026: The Showjumper Murder S1 | North American Premiere | 2 x 60’ | Released All at Once

When showjumper Katie Simpson dies, her community accepts suicide, but a journalist questions the truth. A secret investigation uncovers hidden secrets, a dark past and a potential motive, leading to a dramatic murder trial that seeks justice.

October 1, 2026: The Land of Troy | Available in North America | 1 x 30’

Cultural historian Janina Ramirez explores the legendary city of Troy, uncovering its ancient ruins and treasures before journeying through Bozcaada and Gallipoli to discover the region’s rich layers of history.

October 5, 2026: Epstein: Money, Power and Abuse | United States Premiere | 1 x 50’

It’s a sex abuse scandal that has gripped the world. But despite all the headlines and stories, important questions remain unanswered about Jeffrey Epstein. How did he become so powerful?

October 8, 2026: Suez: 24 Hours that Broke the British Empire S1 | United States Premiere | 2 x 45’ | Released All at Once

The dramatic inside story of 6 November 1956, the final day of the Suez Crisis. A day that changed Britain forever. Exactly as it happened – hour by hour, minute by minute.

October 15, 2026: Human S1 | Available in North America | 5 x 50’ | Released All at Once

300,000 years ago when Homo sapiens appeared in Africa, at least six other human species were alive at the time. Today, they’re the only human species that remains. This revelatory series unlocks the secrets of our extraordinary evolution.

October 15, 2026: Fantastic Friends S2 | Available in North America | 8 x 60’ | Released All at Once

Harry Potter legends James and Oliver Phelps are traveling around the world to catch up with their favorite celebrity friends in luxurious locales.

October 22, 2026: Murder in Concrete S1 | North American Premiere | 2 x 60’ | Released All at Once

When a man confesses to killing his housemate several years earlier, two detectives set out to discover the truth behind this brutal crime.

October 22, 2026: The Castle: Rebuilding History | North American Premiere | 1 x 60’

Norwich Castle has dominated the local skyline since 1121 and now it’s being restored. Filmed over seven years, can one of Europe’s most complex heritage projects succeed and stay on budget?

October 29, 2026: Wonderland: Secrets of the Spymasters and Spies S1 | North American Premiere | 4 x 60’ | Released All at Once

They have shaped what has become a hugely popular genre, weaving intricate plots, clandestine operations and intense suspense into their novels. The world’s greatest spy authors, including Ian Fleming, John Le Carré and Graham Greene, explored political issues and international relations with unsettling and often cynical insight. But how much of their work was based on reality?

October 29, 2026: Einstein and Hawking: Masters of Our Universe S1 | Available in North America | 2 x 50’ | Released All at Once

Explore two of the 20th century’s greatest minds: Albert Einstein, who created the theory of relativity, and Stephen Hawking, who produced pioneering work on the Big Bang and black holes.

October 29, 2026: Stolen Babies: Britain’s Adoption Scandal | North American Premiere | 1 x 90’

From the postwar era through the early 1980s, Britain’s state-sanctioned practice of forced adoption separated over 250,000 women from their babies. Through powerful first-hand testimonies, uncover one of the worst injustices of the modern era.