Best British TV shows

This page is updated regularly. Subscribe, so you don't miss new recommendations. The list of "Best British TV shows" contains films with the following parameters. Style: realistic, serious, period drama, costume drama, period piece and historical drama. Plot: murder, society, investigation, family relations, costume, police, british, whodunit, law enforcement and deadly. Genre: Drama, Crime and Mystery. Country: UK and USA.
Best British TV shows
Best British TV shows
TOP TV Shows: Downton Abbey (2010), Pride and Prejudice (1995), Endeavour (2012), Father Brown (2013), Sanditon (2019), Upstairs Downstairs (2010), Vera (2011), Jeeves and Wooster (1990), Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989), Grantchester (2014), Broadchurch (2013), Strike (2017), Peaky Blinders (2013), Rosemary & Thyme (2003), North & South (2004), Poldark (2015), All Creatures Great & Small (2020), The Crown (2016), Taboo (2017), Game of Thrones (2011).

List of Best TV Shows

Watch Trailers From This List to Choose a Movie
 8.7
 223K
Downton Abbey (2010)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 3110 min.
TV show
Story: A chronicle of the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era—with great events in history having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy.
Style: captivating, costume drama, realistic, serious, period piece ...
Audience: teens, girls' night, teen drama
Plot: aristocracy, estate, traditional versus modern, relatives, manners, countryside, high society, butler, servant, family life, country estate, aristocrat ...
Time: 20th century, 1910s, edwardian era, 1920s, year 2010 ...
Place: england, britain, yorkshire, syria, hawaii ...
Is relevant ?
Pride and Prejudice (1995)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 327 min.
TV show
Story: Jane Austen's classic novel about the prejudice that occurred between the 19th century classes and the pride which would keep lovers apart.
Style: romantic, costume drama, stylized, atmospheric, witty ...
Audience: chick flick, girls' night, date night, kids
Plot: prejudice, love and romance, love story, wooing, fall in love, aristocracy, initially antagonists, social differences, looking for love, unlikely couple, opposites attract, couple relations ...
Time: 18th century, 19th century, victorian era, 1810s, 1800s ...
Place: england, britain, europe
Is relevant ?
 8.6
 33K
Endeavour (2012)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 89 min.
TV show
Story: The early days of a young Endeavour Morse, whose experiences as a detective constable with the Oxford City Police will ultimately shape his future.
Style: serious, detective, intellectual, realistic, atmospheric ...
Plot: police, police detective, investigator, murderer, police investigation, talented, coworker, british, oxford, murder, intelligence, bodies ...
Time: 60s, future, 20th century
Place: england
Is relevant ?
 7.8
 15K
Father Brown (2013)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 52 min.
TV show
Story: Father Brown is based on G. K. Chesterton's detective stories about a Catholic priest who doubles as an amateur detective in order to try and solve mysteries.
Style: serious, captivating, intellectual, suspenseful, detective ...
Plot: investigation, who done it, amateur detective, clergy, danger, murder, uncover truth, priest, riddles and clues, friendship, social relations, law enforcement ...
Time: 50s, 1950s, 20th century
Place: england
Is relevant ?
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 7.7
 18K
Sanditon (2019)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story: The spirited and impulsive Charlotte Heywood moves from her rural home to Sanditon, a fishing village attempting to reinvent itself as a seaside resort.
Style: costume drama, period piece, historical drama, romantic drama, heartbreaking ...
Plot: wooing, marriage, resort, society, high society, rise to the top, fall in love, sanity, beefcake, male female relationship, looking for love, social differences ...
Time: 19th century, 18th century, georgian era, regency period
Place: england
Is relevant ?
Upstairs Downstairs (2010)
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story: Set in 1936, the show takes viewers, old and new, back to the lavish world of Belgravia, London. A new set of occupants reside at 165 Eaton Place and viewers see how external and internal influences of the tumultuous pre-war period shape and mould ...
Style: realistic, historical drama, stylized, costume drama, period piece ...
Plot: high society, butler, master and servant, family values, marriage, rich and poor, family life, millionaire, lifestyle, class differences, housewife, couples ...
Time: 1930s, edwardian era, 20th century
Place: england, wales, london, europe
Is relevant ?
 8.1
 19K
Vera (2011)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min.
TV show
Story: A sharp detective with a messy life, DCI Vera Stanhope patrols her “patch” of northeast England, pursuing the truth in cases of murder, kidnapping, and blackmail. Vera is obsessive about her work and faces the world with caustic wit, guile and ...
Style: realistic, serious, detective, crime drama, captivating ...
Audience: chick flick, boys' night
Plot: female detective, police investigation, crime investigation, police detective, murder, who done it, murder mystery, british police, law enforcement, investigation, police procedural, right hand man ...
Time: future, 2010s, 2020s, 21st century
Place: england, northern england, europe
Is relevant ?
Jeeves and Wooster (1990)
Genre: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 55 min.
TV show
Story: Jeeves and Wooster is a British comedy-drama series adapted by Clive Exton from P.G. Wodehouse's "Jeeves" stories. The series was a collaboration between Brian Eastman of Picture Partnership Productions and Granada Television. It ...
Style: humorous, witty, clever, hilarious, relaxing ...
Plot: servant, butler, valet, master and servant, master servant relationship, domestic servant, boss and employee, bachelor, friendship between men, aristocracy, society, power relations ...
Time: 1930s, 20th century, 1920s
Place: england, london, europe, usa
Is relevant ?
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Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 100 min.
TV show
Story: From England to Egypt, accompanied by his elegant and trustworthy sidekicks, the intelligent yet eccentrically-refined Belgian detective Hercule Poirot pits his wits against a collection of first class deceptions.
Style: clever, detective, realistic, captivating, serious ...
Audience: kids
Plot: private detective, investigation, whodunit, murder, murder mystery, who done it, private investigator, murder investigation, danger, multiple suspects, uncover truth, riddles and clues ...
Time: 1930s, 20th century
Place: england, united kingdom, london
Is relevant ?
 7.9
 17K
Grantchester (2014)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min.
TV show
Story: Drama series set in 1953, against the backdrop of the real hamlet of Grantchester. The drama focuses upon the life of Sidney Chambers, a charismatic, charming clergyman who turns investigative vicar when one of his parishioners dies in suspicious ...
Style: tense, serious, detective, crime drama, period piece ...
Plot: investigation, murder, murder mystery, partners against crime, priest, police detective, village, village life, amateur detective, clergy, friendship, haunted by the past ...
Time: 50s, 20th century, 1950s, year 1953, 1940s
Place: england, united kingdom, europe, london
Is relevant ?
 8.4
 126K
Broadchurch (2013)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 48 min.
TV show
Story: The murder of a young boy in a small coastal town brings a media frenzy, which threatens to tear the community apart.
Style: emotional, tense, realistic, clever, serious ...
Audience: teens
Plot: murder investigation, police investigation, murder, police detective, twists and turns, grief, multiple suspects, small town, reluctant partners, legal, uncover truth, murderer ...
Time: 2010s, 21st century
Place: england
Is relevant ?
 7.9
 24K
Strike (2017)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story: A war veteran turned private detective operates out of a tiny office in London’s Denmark Street. Although wounded both physically and psychologically, his unique insight and background as a military police investigator prove crucial in solving ...
Style: detective, tense, suspenseful, serious, talky ...
Plot: investigation, private detective, multiple suspects, female partner, mind game, private investigator, danger, antisocial behavior, police investigation, riddles and clues, misfit, alienation ...
Time: future, 2010s
Place: oxford university, united kingdom, britain, london, england
Is relevant ?
 8.8
 638K
Peaky Blinders (2013)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 2109 min.
TV show
Story: A gangster family epic set in 1919 Birmingham, England and centered on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby, who means to move up in the world.
Style: serious, atmospheric, tense, stylized, captivating ...
Audience: teens, boys' night
Plot: organized crime, gangster, gang, mafia, gang war, determination, cruelty, mob boss, power struggle, crime boss, family relations, rivalry ...
Time: 1920s, 20th century, ancient times, 1910s, victorian era
Place: england, britain, ireland, birmingham alabama, london
Is relevant ?
Rosemary & Thyme (2003)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 48 min.
TV show
Story: Rosemary & Thyme is a British television mystery series starring Felicity Kendal and Pam Ferris as gardening detectives Rosemary Boxer and Laura Thyme. The show began on ITV in 2003. The third series ended in August 2007. The theme is murder ...
Style: feel good, realistic, captivating, clever, detective ...
Plot: who done it, countryside, murder, female detective, riddles and clues, friendship, investigation, private detective, gardener, partners against crime, murder investigation, whodunit ...
Place: england, europe
Is relevant ?
 8.6
 35K
North & South (2004)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 235 min.
TV show
Story: North & South is a British television drama serial, produced by the BBC and originally broadcast in four episodes on BBC One in November and December 2004. It follows the story of Margaret Hale, a young woman from southern England who has to ...
Style: touching, serious, sincere, captivating, costume drama ...
Audience: girls' night, chick flick
Plot: prejudice, initially antagonists, social differences, love and romance, pride and honor, society, rich and poor, young woman, fall in love, couple relations, love affair, unlikely couple ...
Time: 19th century, victorian era, 50s, 1850s, 1800s
Place: england, britain, london
Is relevant ?
 8.3
 36K
Poldark (2015)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story: Britain is in the grip of a chilling recession... falling wages, rising prices, civil unrest - only the bankers are smiling. It's 1783 and Ross Poldark returns from the American War of Independence to his beloved Cornwall to find his world in ...
Style: captivating, family saga, realistic, saga, costume drama ...
Audience: family friendly
Plot: countryside, love affair, poverty, estate, society, rich and poor, love and romance, couple relations, master and servant, social differences, family relations, village life ...
Time: 18th century, victorian era, 1790s, georgian era, 1800s ...
Place: england, cornwall, britain
Is relevant ?
All Creatures Great & Small (2020)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
TV show
Story: The heartwarming and humorous adventures of a young country vet in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1930s. A remake of the 1978 series.
Style: light, funny, humorous, sentimental, sweet ...
Audience: family outing
Plot: veterinarian, village life, countryside, english countryside, human animal relationship, friendship, scotsman, veterinary clinic, following a dream, animal, job, workplace ...
Time: 1930s, 1940s, 20th century
Place: yorkshire, england
Is relevant ?
 8.6
 254K
The Crown (2016)
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 58 min.
TV show
Story: The gripping, decades-spanning inside story of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Prime Ministers who shaped Britain's post-war destiny. The Crown tells the inside story of two of the most famous addresses in the world – Buckingham ...
Style: atmospheric, serious, suspense, clever, historical drama ...
Audience: family outing
Plot: royal family, british royal family, queen, monarchy, monarch, royalty, winston churchill, british history, queen elizabeth ii, british monarchy, prime minister, british politics ...
Time: 50s, 1940s, 70s, 80s, 1950s ...
Place: england, buckingham palace, london, syria, britain
Is relevant ?
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 8.3
 148K
Taboo (2017)
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 59 min.
TV show
Story: Adventurer James Keziah Delaney returns to London from Africa in 1814 along with fourteen stolen diamonds to seek vengeance after the death of his father.
Style: serious, suspenseful, disturbing, stylized, rough ...
Plot: murder, british empire, family business, dark secret, incest overtones, brother sister incest, witchcraft, greed, investigation, conspiracy, homecoming, obsession ...
Time: 19th century, 1810s, georgian era, victorian era, regency period
Place: england, britain, syria, united kingdom, london ...
Is relevant ?
 9.2
 2.3M
Game of Thrones (2011)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 55 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, incest, fantasy world, kingdom, power struggle, conflict, political intrigue, peril, abuse of power, treason ...
Time: middle ages, 2010s, medieval times, 2000s, year 2011 ...
Place: idaho, hawaii
Is relevant ?
 8.3
 25K
Shetland (2013)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story: Created from the novels by award winning crime writer Ann Cleeves, Shetland follows DI Jimmy Perez and his team as they investigate crime within the close knit island community. In this isolated and sometimes inhospitable environment, the team have ...
Style: atmospheric, tense, detective, serious, stylized ...
Plot: police, investigation, police detective, murder investigation, island, police investigation, who done it, multiple suspects, british police, murder, detective inspector, whodunit ...
Time: future, 2020s, 2010s, 21st century
Place: scotland
Is relevant ?
Sense and Sensibility (2008)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 174 min.
TV show
Story: This is the acclaimed 2008 BBC adaptation of the famous Jane Austen novel. While it originally aired as a 3-part miniseries, this home video release includes a single uninterrupted version of the entire film.
Style: costume drama, period piece, historical drama, sincere, sweet ...
Audience: date night, girls' night
Plot: english countryside, society, sister sister relationship, romanticism, love and romance, love triangle, countryside, rich and poor, wooing, rich man poor woman, unrequited love, manners ...
Time: 19th century, victorian era, georgian era, regency period
Place: london, europe, britain, england
Is relevant ?
 8.4
 20K
Doc Martin (2004)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 46 min.
TV show
Story: Doc Martin is a British television comedy drama series starring Martin Clunes in the title role. It was created by Dominic Minghella after the character of Dr. Martin Bamford in the 2000 comedy film Saving Grace. The show is set in the fictional ...
Style: witty, clever, sincere, cynical, humorous ...
Plot: doctor, village life, social relations, doctors and patients, treatment, medicine, teacher, surgery, responsibility, antisocial behavior, manners, hospital ...
Time: 2020s, 2000s, 2010s, 21st century
Place: england, cornwall, london, europe
Is relevant ?
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 8.1
 18K
Emma (2009)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 246 min.
TV show
Story: Emma Woodhouse seems to be perfectly content, a loving father whom she cares for, friends, and a home. But Emma has a terrible habit - matchmaking. She cannot resist finding suitors for her friends, most of all Harriet Smith. Emma is desperate for ...
Style: period piece, witty, feel good, costume drama, light ...
Audience: girls' night, date night, kids
Plot: marriage, aristocracy, couples, female protagonist, looking for love, love and romance, love, fall in love, friendship, love triangle, naivete, opposites attract ...
Time: 19th century, regency period, 1800s, georgian era, victorian era
Place: england
Is relevant ?
Midsomer Murders (1997)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min.
TV show
Story: The peacefulness of the Midsomer community is shattered by violent crimes, suspects are placed under suspicion, and it is up to a veteran DCI and his young sergeant to calmly and diligently eliminate the innocent and ruthlessly pursue the guilty.
Style: atmospheric, detective, realistic, serious, suspenseful ...
Plot: murder, police detective, murder investigation, investigation, who done it, whodunit, detective inspector, multiple suspects, human nature, twists and turns, police investigation, law enforcement ...
Time: 20th century, future, 90s, 2010s, 2000s ...
Place: england, europe
Is relevant ?
Call the Midwife (2012)
Genre: Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story: Drama following the lives of a group of midwives working in the poverty-stricken East End of London during the 1950s, based on the best-selling memoirs of Jennifer Worth.
Style: sincere, touching, realistic, stylized, costume drama ...
Audience: girls' night
Plot: midwife, childbirth, pregnancy, convent, nurse, doctor, nursing, friends, medical, family life, hospital, friendship ...
Time: 50s, 60s, 1950s, year 1961, 2020s ...
Place: england, london, europe, britain
Is relevant ?
Lark Rise to Candleford (2008)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 53 min.
TV show
Story: Set in the small hamlet of Lark Rise and the wealthier neighbouring market town, Candleford, the series chronicles the daily lives of farm-workers, craftsmen and gentry at the end of the 19th Century. Lark Rise to Candleford is a love letter to a ...
Style: costume drama, sincere, sentimental, period piece, realistic ...
Audience: girls' night, kids
Plot: english countryside, friendship, village life, society, social relations, small town, new job, hopes, father son relationship, neighbor neighbor relationship, employer employee relationship, mother daughter relationship ...
Time: 19th century, victorian era, 1800s
Place: england, britain, europe
Is relevant ?
 9.1
 990K
Sherlock (2010)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 88 min.
TV show
Story: A modern update finds the famous sleuth and his doctor partner solving crime in 21st century London.
Style: clever, detective, witty, captivating, serious ...
Audience: teens
Plot: sherlock holmes, investigation, private detective, murder mystery, genius, mastermind, friendship, british, murder, mind game, riddles and clues, prodigy ...
Time: 2000s, 2010s, 21st century
Place: london, england, scotland yard, afghanistan, britain ...
Is relevant ?
 8.2
 16K
Lewis (2006)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min.
TV show
Story: Inspector Robert Lewis and Sergeant James Hathaway solve the tough cases that the learned inhabitants of Oxford throw at them.
Style: realistic, clever, detective, serious, suspenseful ...
Plot: police detective, murder investigation, crime investigation, sergeant, murder, investigator, multiple suspects, police investigation, detective inspector, law enforcement, suspicion, criminal ...
Time: 2000s, 2010s, 21st century
Place: england, europe
Is relevant ?
 8.6
 18K
Foyle's War (2002)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, War
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min.
TV show
Story: As WW2 rages around the world, DCS Foyle fights his own war on the home-front as he investigates crimes on the south coast of England. Foyle's War opens in southern England in the year 1940. Later series sees the retired detective working as an ...
Style: clever, serious, captivating, detective, suspenseful ...
Audience: family friendly
Plot: world war two, investigation, police investigation, police detective, war crime, spy, detective inspector, police, espionage, homicide detective, whodunit, murder investigation ...
Time: 1940s, 20th century
Place: england, europe, new mexico, london
Is relevant ?
Watch Trailers From This List to Choose a Movie