When it comes to delivering gritty, compelling, captivating TV drama, the UK is one of the leading producers in the world. There are few countries which can compete with the UK when it comes to drama, and even fewer places in the world to produce so much of it.

But how familiar are you with the best British TV drama? Perhaps not familiar enough? Well, maybe you just need pointing in the right direction.

Below you will find an extensive list of some of the best British dramas to dive into. Shows which are not only hugely entertaining, but also boast some of Britain’s leading actors (Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Graham, Olivia Colman, Michael Sheen, Idris Elba, etc).

From Broadchurch, The Crown, and Luther, to Peaky Blinders, The Sculptress, and Whitechapel, there is a wealth of TV drama to get lost in. Want to check it all out? Then take a look at the list below.

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List of over 100 British TV dramas

Image: ©ITV

Below is a list of over 100 British dramas. Should you be in the mood for something dramatic to sink your teeth into, these could be the shows for you:

  • A Mother’s Son (2012)
  • A Touch of Frost (1992 – 2010)
  • Above Suspicion (2009 – 2012)
  • After the Flood (2024 – Present)
  • Agatha Christie’s Marple (2004 – 2013)
  • Agatha Christie’s Poirot (1989 – 2013)
  • The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (2006)
  • Appropriate Adult (2011)
  • Bad Girls (1999 – 2006)
  • Bancroft (2017 – 2020)
  • Band of Gold (1995 – 1997)
  • The Bay (2019 – Present)
  • Bergerac (1981 – 1991)
  • Between the Lines (1992 – 1994)
  • Black Work (2015)
  • Bramwell (1995 – 1998)
  • Broadchurch (2013 – 2017)
  • Buried (2003)
  • Call the Midwife (2012 – Present)
  • Casualty (1986 – Present)
  • Chasing Shadows (2014)
  • Cold Feet (1997 – 2020)
  • Cracker (1993 – 2006)
  • Crocodile Shoes (1994 – 1996)
  • The Crown (2016 – 2023)
  • Death Valley (2025 – Present)
  • Death Comes to Pemberley (2013)
  • Death in Paradise (2011 – Present)
  • Des (2020)
  • D.I. Ray (2022 – 2024)
  • Douglas is Cancelled (2024)
  • Downton Abbey (2010 – 2015)
  • The Enfield Haunting (2015)
  • The Escape Artist (2013)
  • The Fall (2013 – 2016)
  • Fat Friends (2000 – 2005)
  • Father Brown (2013 – Present)
  • Fearless (2017)
  • The Fixer (2008 – 2009)
  • Footballers’ Wives (2002 – 2006)
  • Foyle’s War (2002 – 2015)
  • Gentleman Jack (2019 – 2022)
  • Hatton Garden (2019)
  • Heartbeat (1992 – 2010)
  • Houdini & Doyle (2016)
  • The Hunt for Raoul Moat (2023)
  • I Fought the Law (2025)
  • Irvine Welsh’s Crime (2021 – 2023)
  • Jekyll and Hyde (2015)
  • Joan (2024)
  • Karen Pirie (2022 – Present)
  • Kavanagh Q.C. (1995 – 2001)
  • Little Boy Blue (2017)
  • Litvinenko (2022)
  • The Loch (2017)
  • The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies (2014)
  • Luther (2010 – 2019)
  • Manhunt (2019 – 2021)
  • Malpractice (2023 – 2025)
  • Midsomer Murders (1997 – Present)
  • Midwinter of the Spirit (2015)
  • Mr Bates vs The Post Office (2024)
  • Mr Selfridge (2013 – 2016)
  • Mrs Biggs (2012)
  • New Tricks (2003 – 2015)
  • Nolly (2023)
  • Out There (2025)
  • Peak Practice (1993 – 2002)
  • Peaky Blinders (2013 – 2022)
  • The Pembrokeshire Murders (2021)
  • Platform 7 (2023)
  • Playing Nice (2025)
  • Poldark (2015 – 2019)
  • Prime Suspect (1991 – 2006)
  • Professor T (2021 – Present)
  • Quiz (2020) 
  • Rebus (2000 – 2007)
  • Red Eye (2024 – Present)
  • Ridley (2022 – Present)
  • Ripper Street (2012 – 2016)
  • Scott & Bailey (2011 – 2016)
  • The Sculptress (1996)
  • See No Evil: The Moors Murders (2006)
  • Sherlock (2010 – 2017)
  • The Silence (2010)
  • The Sister (2020)
  • Spender (1991 – 1993)
  • Spooks (2002 – 2011)
  • Stephen (2021)
  • The Suspect (2022)
  • Taggart (1985 – 2010)
  • The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe (2022)
  • Touching Evil (1997 – 1999)
  • Trial & Retribution (1997 – 2009)
  • Trigger Point (2022 – Present)
  • The Vice (1999 – 2003)
  • The Victim (2019)
  • Unforgotten (2015 – Present)
  • Whitechapel (2009 – 2013)
  • Wild at Heart (2006 – 2012)
  • Wire in the Blood (2002 – 2008)
  • Without Sin (2022)

Seek out the above shows through streaming, TV reruns, or physical media, and you’ll have all the British drama you could ever need.

Image: ©ITV
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Alex Wiggan's avatar

Editor/Writer/British

Alex Wiggan

Alex is a writer, editor, and blogger specialising in movies, TV, comics, retro toys, and general geekery. He is a championing voice in nerd content, an expert in pop culture, and a trusted movie critic who publishes new reviews on a weekly basis. After graduating with a degree in film & television studies from the University of Derby in the UK, Alex went on to study journalism in Sheffield, before acquiring NCTJ accreditation. Prior to a career in blogging, Alex was a magazine editor, a senior copywriter, a features writer, and a freelancer.

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Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about British dramas. For more posts be sure to check out the recommended reads below

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