TV tonight: David Mitchell’s crime-solving Ludwig returns
The popular cosy-crime drama is back – with a couple of changes. Plus: some late-starters get into the dating game. Here’s what to watch this evening
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Ludwig
9pm, BBC One
Is there a danger that, with John “Ludwig” Taylor’s true identity revealed, this cosy-crime drama will lose intrigue in its second series? Jeopardy is just about maintained: John is now a police employee but he’s still investigating his brother’s fate, while solving a case a week in his bumbling style. But chief constable Ziegler is on his case – he knows something’s up, he’s just not sure what. Undemanding fun, enlivened by Mitchell’s lead and Anna Maxwell Martin’s Lucy. Phil Harrison
Dragons’ Den
8pm, BBC One
A big first for the show in its 23rd season: with guest judges Susie Ma and Jenna Meek onboard, there are more female dragons than male. Pitches kick off with Kimberly and her eco-conscious haircare range Selkie, before mother and son Shashi and Sanjay fill the den with Spice Kitchen aromas. Hollie Richardson
The Yorkshire Vet
8pm, Channel 5
Reality show featuring James Herriot’s former trainee Peter, his vet pals and a god-like voiceover from All Creatures Great and Small’s Christopher Timothy. Your enjoyment of the show depends on how much you like watching the surgical treatment of a recently pregnant cow with a prolapse. Priya Elan
A House Through Time
9pm, BBC Two
Back to Edinburgh where David Olusoga is busy bringing more dusty census records to life. We’ve reached the Victorian era in the house on Calton Hill and the residential turnover is brisk. There’s Thomas Mains, a struggling shoe-maker; Thomas Glen, a renowned bagpiper; and, most intriguingly, Catherine Johnston, a brothel keeper. PH
Better Date Than Never
9pm, BBC Three
“Better late than never! Who would have thought?” This dating show is a cheerful treat, following daters who range in age, gender and identity but who have left it late to get into the dating game. This time it’s the turn of Charles, who is trying speed-dating, and Kento, who is excited about a second meeting. PH
Possession
9pm, Sky Atlantic
Karla Crome’s rich, intelligent thriller about the echoing injustices of slavery comes to a mesmeric conclusion, which begins with British-Jamaican lawyer Claudia (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) trapped beneath the floorboards of a house that thrums with past pain. Violent confrontations, in the present day and the 18th century, resolve the narrative in stunning fashion. Jack Seale
Film choice
Novak Djokovic: The Wolf in Winter, Thursday, Prime Video
“He’s soft and gentle … but he’s also angry.” Jelena Djokovic’s assessment of her husband is the knotty thread that runs through Jason Hehir’s documentary about a giant of tennis who has yet to be forgiven for surpassing the achievements of crowd favourites Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. His intensity and stubbornness (a Serbian national trait, we’re told) hasn’t endeared him to the public but, as we go behind the scenes at the 2025 Australian Open and meet an honest, engaging family man with a long history of tough choices, this film could go some way to changing minds. Simon Wardell

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