Ludwig bosses explain genius hidden puzzles fans can solve – but might have missed

The new series, which has proven to be a hit with viewers, kicks off with the mystery of what happened to John's identical twin brother, James, a detective who seemingly up and left his family to go into hiding.

Having disappeared, John decides to steal his brother's identity in a bid to find out the truth of what happened – but there is a lot more to it than meets the eye.

Georgie Fallon, a producer on the series, explained: "John 'Ludwig' Taylor has spent a lifetime seeing the world in puzzle form, and it was important to ensure the design of our station was a unique, contemporary workspace that he would not understand, enjoying the idea that by posing as his twin brother he is 'hiding in plain sight'.

"Keeping a sense of playfulness but also making sure it wasn't too unrealistic."

Fallon explained that director Robbie McKillop drew inspiration from interview rooms in the likes of Barbie, Decision to Leave and Jacques Tati's Playtime in a bid to create "a station that appeared to be structured and uniform but that would nonetheless be hard for John to navigate – a workspace that was seemingly simple but one that John felt incredibly uncomfortable in, and did not understand".

She continued: "We agreed it should be contemporary to contrast with John's personal aesthetic and only make the slightest nod to privacy – having John in the middle of the office in a booth where his colleagues could pop in and catch him off guard but also a space that he could look out from on his tip toes and spy on what was going on in the office."

But the intricacies don't stop there! Along with designer Melanie Allen, she and McKillop used panelling and tiles in the station. While this was a "perfect way" to add detail on camera, "it was also a way of working in some puzzle motifs".

"Puzzles are so crucial to the show and to John's character – we were always looking at ways to layer it into the design," Fallon explained further.

"The cork board that the Taylor's use as an evidence board form a chequerboard. The panelling in Carol's office and the interview room is geometric. And the tiles in John's office have a pattern like a sudoku puzzle – which was an idea our graphic designer, Jonny, had. It also looks slightly like morse code.

"Once you start think about puzzles you see them everywhere – we enjoyed finding ways to subtly weave them in with the aim of immersing the audience in the puzzle-like world of Ludwig."

Did you spot any?

Ludwig is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.

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