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Youve probably seen David Mitchell before, even if youre not entirely sure where.
Regardless of your level of familiarity, youve definitely never seen him solve a murder.
And Mitchell is perfectly cast in a role seemingly built to suit his usual fussy, pedantic schtick.
But obviously, Im not kidding myself that its a transformative performance.
We thought we were onto something good, but the response exceeded my expectations.
So that was new for me.
That was how I imagine television used to be in the 1980s.
What drew you to it in the first place?
Its not based on a book or any established IP.
Maybe Ive now spoiled detective shows for myself.
But Ive always found them intriguing, relaxing, atmospheric.
So for years Id thought I would love to play a TV detective.
I also loved your bookUnruly.
You have such a great insight into British culture.
Most places dont look like Oxford, whereMorseis set.
So theyre all slightly false, chocolate-boxy views of England.
Its not just a complete rose-tinted mirage.
You just go, Okay, someones been murdered.
And then, Lets not dwell on what that means, but just on who did it.
What I hopeLudwigalso brings is a bit more comedy.
I think through comedy you could reflect differently on society.
Because of that, you essentially allow the show to satirize crime shows.
Ive always been fascinated with the way your comedy plays with your relationship to authority.
You have this persona that likes hierarchy but also mocks it or is cynical about it.
Id want there to be an interesting or comic reason why he is a policeman.
Hes impersonating a police officer, and hes got absolutely no defense.
Every so often, he remembers this and absolutely panics.
Its just another person, isnt it?
And because of that youll be happy to give this away!
In Britain, we dont do that.
What is your relationship to your American fan base?
But Id be delighted to be proved wrong.
Theres been talk of anAmericanPeep Showremake.
Youre not involved with that, are you?No.
Its puzzled me for years why its a genre that doesnt exist in the same way over there.
But I have a theory about why its not caught on in America.
The other reason is that panel shows are, by their definition, slapdash.
And from that, you get two sorts of programs at different times.
And thats, for me, the justification of the genre.
But not all episodes of any panel show have moments like that.
The good panel shows have them quite often, and the bad ones never get to them.
But thats the hope.
I think American television, both good and bad, is made with almost insane focus and professionalism.
It doesnt feel like work, and I love it.
Its too slapdash, too easy.
I think these are bewildering times not just for America.
I thought, at least intellectually, the argument for democracy had been won.
Putin doesnt stand up and go, No, we dont need to bother with that.
He pretends to bother with it.
They do get better as well as worse.
So we are angrily railing against problems that are minute compared to those of our ancestors.
But I dont know how you get that message across to all these angry people.
