Best British Action TV Shows
This page is updated regularly. Subscribe, so you don't miss new recommendations. The list of "Best British Action TV Shows" contains films with the following parameters. Style: exciting, suspenseful, tense, serious, captivating and suspense. Plot: danger, escapades, rivalry, violence, battles, anti hero, heroes, murder, friendship and british. Genre: Action, Drama and Thriller. Country: UK, USA and Thailand.
Best British Action TV Shows
TOP TV Shows: Strike Back (2010), Red Eye (2024), Game of Thrones (2011), The Last Kingdom (2015), Prison Break (2005), Hunted (2012), Extraordinary (2023), The Sweeney (1975), Spooks (2002), Sinbad (2012), The Musketeers (2014), Prime Target (2025), Spaced (1999), The Gentlemen (2024), Nautilus (2024), Star vs. the Forces of Evil (2012), Thunderbirds Are Go (2015), Supacell (2024), UFO (1970), The Professionals (1977).
List of Best TV Shows
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller, War
Country: UK, USA, Thailand
Duration: 45 min.
TV show
Story:
The series follows John Porter, a former British Special Forces soldier, who is drafted back into service by Section 20, a fictional branch of the Secret Intelligence Service.
Style:
sexy, erotic, exciting, realistic, serious ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
top secret, soldier, terrorist, swat team, heroes, mission, military, undercover, one man army, daring rescue, heroic mission, teamwork ...
Time:
2010s, 2020s, 21st century
Place:
pakistan, middle east, afghanistan, sudan, chicago ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
TV show
Story:
London police officer DC Hana Li is escorting Dr Matthew Nolan back to Beijing where he has been accused of a crime. However, on board flight 357, she finds herself embroiled in an escalating conspiracy and a growing number of murders.
Style:
psychological, tension, suspense, thrilling, captivating ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
airplane, conspiracy, murder, police officer, murder investigation, murder mystery, threat, assassination plot, murderer, claustrophobia, isolation, investigation ...
Place:
beijing china, london, china, asia, england ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story:
Seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. Friction between the houses leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the farthest north. Amidst the war, a neglected military order of misfits, the ...
Style:
epic, captivating, atmospheric, dramatic, stylized ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, girls' night, boys' night, adult
Plot:
dragon, medieval, intrigue, fantasy world, incest, kingdom, power struggle, peril, abuse of power, political intrigue, conflict, rivalry ...
Time:
ancient times, middle ages, medieval times, year 2011, 2000s ...
Place:
idaho, former yugoslavia, hawaii
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story:
A show of heroic deeds and epic battles with a thematic depth that embraces politics, religion, warfare, courage, love, loyalty and our universal search for identity. Combining real historical figures and events with fictional characters, it is the ...
Style:
exciting, captivating, epic, serious, stylized ...
Plot:
viking, king, medieval, danger, battles, kingdom, castle, escapades, kidnapping, heroes, rivalry, political unrest ...
Time:
middle ages, 9th century, medieval times, future, 10th century
Place:
england, britain, chicago, europe
Is relevant?
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658K
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 44 min.
TV show
Story:
Due to a political conspiracy, an innocent man is sent to death row and his only hope is his brother, who makes it his mission to deliberately get himself sent to the same prison in order to break the both of them out, from the inside out.
Style:
exciting, tense, suspenseful, serious, realistic ...
Audience:
boys' night, teens
Plot:
prison, fugitives, escape, prison life, scheme, prison escape, conspiracy, determination, fbi, confined, siblings relations, brother ...
Time:
2010s, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
south america, chicago, texas, california, usa
Is relevant?
10K
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 59 min.
TV show
Story:
Samantha Hunter suspects someone within the private intelligence agency she works at tried to kill her and she seeks to uncover the person behind it.
Style:
tense, suspenseful, atmospheric, serious, realistic ...
Plot:
female spy, agent as target, danger, espionage, who to trust, assassination attempt, dishonesty, betrayal, coworker, twists and turns, haunted by the past, squad ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
england
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min.
TV show
Story:
In a world where everyone develops a power on their 18th birthday, Jen didn't. She's turning 25 and is still waiting to get hers. Adrift in a big, confusing world and armed with nothing but a bit of hope and a lot of desperation, Jen ...
Style:
captivating, psychological, semi serious
Audience:
date night
Plot:
superhero, female protagonist, lifestyle, superhuman powers, supernatural power, outcast, supernatural ability, supernatural, superpower, young adult, gay relationship, mother daughter relationship ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 51 min.
TV show
Story:
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London. The programme's title derives from ...
Style:
detective, serious, realistic, exciting, rough ...
Audience:
kids, boys' night
Plot:
police, british police, partners against crime, police brutality, violence, city, cop, partner, tough law enforcer, rivalry, law enforcement, realism ...
Time:
20th century, 70s
Place:
england, london, united kingdom
Is relevant?
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20K
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story:
Tense drama series about the different challenges faced by the British Security Service as they work against the clock to safeguard the nation. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, and the series follows the work of a group of MI5 ...
Style:
serious, realistic, tense, exciting, suspenseful ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
espionage, intelligence agency, spy, cia, terrorism, undercover, profanity, code breaking, police, heroes, double agent, renegade ...
Time:
2000s, future, 2010s, 21st century
Place:
london, england, lebanon, europe, britain ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Family, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller, War
Country: UK
Duration: 25 min.
TV show
Story:
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, often referred to as Captain Scarlet, is a 1960s British science-fiction television series produced by the Century 21 Productions company of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, John Read and Reg Hill. First broadcast on ATV ...
Style:
spooky, sitcom, serious, suspenseful, suspense ...
Audience:
kids, boys' night
Plot:
supermarionation, puppet, spy, alien, magic, aviation, puppetry, invasion, mars, good versus evil, terrorism, race against time ...
Time:
future
Place:
europe, england
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story:
Sinbad accidentally kills the son of the powerful Lord Akbari in a fist fight. As recompense for the blood debt, Sinbad's brother is killed in front of his eyes. Sinbad escapes, but his grandmother uses a magic talisman to curse him for the ...
Style:
exciting, serious, stylized, costume drama, disturbing ...
Plot:
sinbad, sea voyage, curse, witch, arabian nights, escapades, medieval, rivalry, hopes, adventurer, sailor, ocean ...
Time:
8th century
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 55 min.
TV show
Story:
Set in 17th century Paris, musketeers Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D'Artagnan are members of an elite band of soldiers who fight for what is just. They are heroes in the truest and most abiding sense – men that can be trusted and believed in to ...
Style:
costume drama, exciting, historical drama, realistic, period piece ...
Plot:
musketeer, swords and armor, heroic mission, sword fight, danger, state affairs, partner, escapades, good versus evil, king, three musketeers, chivalry ...
Time:
17th century
Place:
france, paris france
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
TV show
Story:
A brilliant math student is on the verge of a major breakthrough when a shadowy enemy tries to stop him. Fighting for answers—and his life—he teams up with a government agent to unravel a high-stakes conspiracy.
Style:
suspense, twisted, noir, tense, sinister ...
Plot:
mathematics, cryptography, gay, gay interest, male nudity, conspiracy, cat and mouse, government agent, cybersecurity, espionage, hacker, intelligence agency ...
Is relevant?
60K
Genre: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 25 min.
TV show
Story:
Spaced: the anti-Friends, in that it examines the lives of common 20 somethings, but in a way that is more down to earth and realistic. Here we have Daisy and Tim; two 'young' adults with big dreams just trying to get by in this crazy ...
Style:
sitcom, surreal, humorous, funny, anime ...
Plot:
roommate, marijuana, humour, relationships, social anxiety, post apocalyptic, colleague, post apocalypse, housemates, stoner, writers, slacker ...
Time:
20th century, 90s, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
london, england, europe
Is relevant?
175K
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 50 min.
TV show
Story:
Eddie Horniman inherits his father's sizable estate… only to discover it's part of a weed empire. Moreover, a host of unsavory elements of Britain's criminal underworld want a piece of the operation. Determined to extricate his ...
Style:
exciting, captivating, entertaining, humorous, rough ...
Plot:
criminal, gangster, drug, gang, murder, criminal gang, illegal drugs, bandit, drug dealer, gang member, drug dealing, luxury car ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min.
TV show
Story:
The origin story of the iconic Captain Nemo: an Indian Prince robbed of his birthright and family, a prisoner of the East India Mercantile Company and a man bent on revenge against the forces that have taken everything from him.
Plot:
submarine, ancient, steampunk, british colonialism, racism, revenge, island, land grab, british empire, exploration, sea, cleaning ...
Time:
victorian era
Place:
india, asia
Is relevant?
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 22 min.
TV show
Story:
Intergalactic warrior Star Butterfly arrives on Earth to live with the Diaz family. She continues to battle villains throughout the universe and high school, mainly to protect her extremely powerful wand, an object that still confuses her.
Style:
captivating, exciting, sincere, semi serious, anime ...
Audience:
kids, pre-teens, teens, teen fantasy, preschool
Plot:
princess, good versus evil, friendship, teenage life, magic wand, butterfly, magical girl, youth, family relations, imaginary, high school life, portal ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi
Country: UK, New Zealand
Duration: 22 min.
TV show
Story:
Remake of the hit 1960s television show. In the 21st century, Jeff Tracy, a former astronaut, amasses a colossal fortune and decides that he must use it to benefit others. His answer to this desire is to create International Rescue, a unique private ...
Style:
exciting, futuristic, tense, captivating, suspense ...
Audience:
kids, pre-teens
Plot:
rescue, good versus evil, danger, save the day, heroes, family relations, rivalry, escapades, master villain, rescue team, fighting crime, sinbad ...
Time:
future, 2010s, 21st century
Place:
fictional island
Is relevant?
21K
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story:
When five ordinary South Londoners discover they have extraordinary powers, it's down to just one man to bring them together to save the woman he loves.
Style:
thrilling, psychological, captivating, anthology, psychotronic ...
Plot:
superhero, supernatural power, super villain, superpower, fight, supernatural ability, saving a life, battles, save the day, changing lives, superhuman powers, hip hop ...
Time:
2020s
Place:
london, england
Is relevant?
5K
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min.
TV show
Story:
In the year 1980 the Earth is threatened by an alien race who kidnap and kill humans and use them for body parts. A highly secret military organization is set up in the hope of defending the Earth from this alien threat. This organization is named ...
Style:
spooky, apocalyptic, exciting, serious, suspenseful ...
Audience:
kids
Plot:
alien contact, alien invasion, alien, evil alien, spaceship, battles, post apocalypse, space opera, extraterrestrial, space program, aviation, magic ...
Time:
80s, 20th century, near future, year 1980
Place:
england, europe
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story:
The lives of Bodie and Doyle, top agents for Britain's CI5 (Criminal Intelligence 5), and their controller, George Cowley.
The mandate of CI5 was to fight terrorism and similar high-profile crimes. Cowley, a hard ex-MI5 operative, hand-picked ...
Style:
controversial, realistic, serious, rough, bleak ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
spy, law enforcement, cop, espionage, covert operation, police, intelligence, wartime, odd couple, gentleman, car chase, fandom ...
Time:
80s, 20th century, 70s
Place:
england, britain, europe
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Country: UK
TV show
Story:
Family man Joe Petrus is living the American dream with his fiancé and step-kids. However, unbeknownst to them, Joe was involved in a mysterious crime three years ago and now his dangerous past is about to catch up with him. When a killer starts ...
Style:
dark comedy
Plot:
gay, criminal, heist, female criminal, killer, masked villain, target, assassin, female protagonist, man on the run, thief, crew ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Drama, War
Country: UK
TV show
Story:
During the First World War, British troops face the horrors of the Battle of Mons in 1914, internal strife in 1916 and innovative tank warfare in 1918.
Style:
captivating, serious, realistic, suspenseful, costume drama ...
Plot:
world war one, battles, military, soldier, war, battle zone, great war, british soldier, wartime, struggle for survival, military life, wartime life ...
Time:
20th century, 1910s
Place:
europe
Is relevant?
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Genre: Action, Sport
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story:
A professional wrestling program showcasing the best of WWE's UK division.
Style:
exciting, tense, captivating, disturbing, suspenseful ...
Plot:
wrestling, professional wrestling, wrestler, fight for supremacy, hostility, battles, sporting event, cage fighting, hand to hand combat, contest, combat, competitor ...
Place:
united kingdom
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story:
For London's bomb disposal experts, no day is ever the same as they risk their lives protecting the city from harm.
Style:
suspense, captivating, tense, disturbing, suspenseful ...
Plot:
bomb squad, counter terrorism, terrorist, war on terror, terrorist attack, race against time, bomb, female protagonist, terrorism, police, women, workplace situations ...
Time:
2020s
Place:
london, england
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story:
Robin Hood is a British television programme, produced by independent production company Tiger Aspect Productions for BBC One, with co-funding from the BBC America cable television channel in the United States. Based on the traditional stories of ...
Style:
exciting, stylized, realistic, semi serious, epic ...
Plot:
robin hood, archery, medieval, swords and armor, fighting the system, knight, king, criminal heroes, sword fight, righting the wronged, robbery, escapades ...
Time:
middle ages, 12th century, medieval times, future
Place:
england, europe
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller, War
Country: UK
Duration: 52 min.
TV show
Story:
The dramatised account of how the world’s greatest Special Forces unit, the SAS, was formed under extraordinary circumstances in the darkest days of World War Two.
Style:
tense, captivating, thrilling, satirical, inspirational ...
Plot:
world war two, military, mission, british soldier, military officer, soldier, pilot, british army, battles, special agent, fight, military life ...
Time:
1940s
Place:
north africa, libya, cairo egypt, egypt
Is relevant?
2K
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story:
Cuffs is a fresh, authentic and visceral drama that will take the audience on an exhilarating ride through the challenges of front-line policing. Adrenalized and vibrant, the show is packed full of dramatic incidents and colourful characters. From a ...
Style:
detective, suspenseful, suspense, unusual plot structure, tense ...
Plot:
gay lead character, police, police officer, rookie, british police, police investigation, society, friends, police procedural, violence, chase, danger ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
england, britain, brighton
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
TV show
Story:
When the path of free-spirited drug smuggler Max collides with JJ, an enigmatic outsider on the run, an unlikely friendship is formed. They're swept into a chaotic, high-stakes mission they never signed up for, trafficking highly enriched ...
Style:
tense, suspense, political thriller, noir, road movie
Plot:
nuclear threat, smuggling, uranium, cia, cat and mouse, chase, cartel, moral dilemma, conspiracy, espionage, friendship, anti hero ...
Place:
middle east, north africa
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 58 min.
TV show
Story:
Set on a sleeper train traveling from Glasgow to London, a government agency desperately tries to intervene in the rapidly-escalating events onboard. Can two people who've never met, one on the train and one not, work together to save the lives ...
Style:
suspense, intense, tension, twisted, dark ...
Plot:
train, survival, investigation, government agency, claustrophobia, conspiracy, cat and mouse, isolation, mature, train station, hostage, sabotage ...
Time:
2020s
Place:
britain, london, united kingdom, england
Is relevant?
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