BritBox's Ludwig Casts Stephen Merchant As Brash Snooker Champ In Season 2 (Exclusive)

This season on "Ludwig," a giant of British comedy is coming to turn the (snooker) tables on John.

Stephen Merchant ("Hello Ladies," "The Office") has been cast in the detective series' upcoming second season, TVLine has learned exclusively. He'll play Danny Sloane, an arrogant snooker champion "who is at odds with John," per the official character description. 

"Ludwig" will return to the streaming service this fall. Merchant, whom you can see in character in the photos above and below, will appear Season 2, Episode 4. He'll join returning series stars David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin, as well as new series regulars Mark Bonnar ("Dept. Q"), Sian Clifford ("Fleabag"), Rumi Sutton (ITV's "After the Flood"), and Ben Ashenden ("Black Mirror"). Bonnar will play Gareth Fisher, a newspaper editor. Clifford will portray local MP Joanne Kemper. And Sutton and Ashenden will play DC Caitlin Sullivan and DC Ethan Cole, respectively.

When "Ludwig" returns for Season 2, John "Ludwig" Taylor will apply his master puzzle-setter skills to his new role as a crime scene consultant working on seemingly impossible-to-solve crimes for the Cambridge Police Authority. "No longer having to masquerade as his brother," the official synopsis reads, "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."

The rundown continues: "Of course, John won't stop and neither will Lucy (played by 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."

Merchant co-created BBC's "The Office" and was an executive producer on the American version; he also co-created/starred in "Extras" and "The Outlaws," among other series. His acting work includes stints on "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon," "Modern Family," "The Big Bang Theory" and "Life's Too Short."

Are you planning to watch "Ludwig" Season 2? Let us know in the comments!