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, period drama, serious, costume drama, period piece and crime drama. Plot: investigation, family relations, murder, society, police, murder mystery, costume, show, british and british police. Genre: Drama, Crime and Mystery. Country: UK and USA.
Best British TV shows
TOP TV Shows: Downton Abbey (2010), Pride and Prejudice (1995), Endeavour (2012), Broadchurch (2013), Doc Martin (2004), Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989), Peaky Blinders (2013), Grantchester (2014), Strike (2017), Poldark (2015), Father Brown (2013), Rosemary & Thyme (2003), Midsomer Murders (1997), Vera (2011), Call the Midwife (2012), All Creatures Great & Small (2020), Sherlock (2010), Foyle's War (2002), Line of Duty (2012), Sanditon (2019).
List of Best TV Shows
244K
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 60 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:
costume drama, captivating, historical drama, realistic, serious ...
Audience:
teens, girls' night, teen drama
Plot:
aristocracy, estate, traditional versus modern, relatives, manners, countryside, high society, servant, country estate, butler, family life, aristocrat ...
Time:
20th century, 1910s, edwardian era, 1920s, 50s ...
Place:
england, britain, hawaii, europe, yorkshire ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 50 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, atmospheric, stylized, period piece ...
Audience:
chick flick, girls' night, date night, kids
Plot:
prejudice, love and romance, fall in love, aristocracy, wooing, initially antagonists, social differences, looking for love, opposites attract, love story, unlikely couple, countryside ...
Time:
18th century, 19th century, victorian era, 1810s, 1800s ...
Place:
england, britain, europe, london
Is relevant?
37K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 90 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:
detective, serious, realistic, intellectual, costume drama ...
Plot:
police, police detective, investigator, murder, talented, coworker, police investigation, murderer, oxford, british, british police, law enforcement ...
Time:
60s, future, 20th century
Place:
england
Is relevant?
140K
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:
realistic, serious, clever, tense, emotional ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
murder investigation, murder, police investigation, police detective, twists and turns, police, murderer, legal, grief, multiple suspects, small town, pedophile ...
Time:
2010s, 21st century
Place:
england
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
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, hospital, treatment, loner, doctors and patients, teacher, surgery, responsibility, antisocial behavior, manners, medicine ...
Time:
2010s, 2020s, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
england, cornwall, london, europe
Is relevant?
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, realistic, captivating, detective, serious ...
Audience:
kids
Plot:
investigation, whodunit, private detective, murder, murder mystery, danger, murder investigation, who done it, riddles and clues, multiple suspects, private investigator, uncover truth ...
Time:
1930s, 20th century
Place:
england, london, united kingdom, europe
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 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, captivating, stylized ...
Audience:
teens, boys' night
Plot:
organized crime, gang, mafia, gang war, gangster, determination, cruelty, crime boss, power struggle, mob boss, rivalry, shooting ...
Time:
1920s, 20th century, ancient times, 1910s, victorian era
Place:
england, britain, ireland, birmingham alabama, europe ...
Is relevant?
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:
detective, tense, crime drama, period piece, serious ...
Plot:
investigation, murder mystery, murder, partners against crime, priest, police detective, who done it, village, village life, friendship, clergy, whodunit ...
Time:
50s, 20th century, 1940s, 1950s, year 1953
Place:
england, united kingdom, europe, london
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
32K
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, suspenseful, psychological thriller, saga, serious ...
Plot:
investigation, private detective, multiple suspects, female partner, mind game, antisocial behavior, private investigator, unrequited love, detective agency, amputee, war veteran, danger ...
Time:
future, 2010s
Place:
england, united kingdom, oxford university, london, britain
Is relevant?
40K
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, costume drama, period piece, realistic ...
Audience:
family friendly
Plot:
countryside, estate, love affair, rich and poor, couple relations, love and romance, society, master and servant, poverty, social differences, family relations, english countryside ...
Time:
18th century, victorian era, 1790s, 19th century, 1800s ...
Place:
england, cornwall, britain
Is relevant?
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, realistic, suspenseful ...
Plot:
investigation, who done it, danger, murder, clergy, amateur detective, uncover truth, riddles and clues, priest, friendship, law enforcement, church ...
Time:
50s, 1950s, 20th century
Place:
england, united kingdom
Is relevant?
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, clever, captivating, detective ...
Plot:
who done it, countryside, friendship, female detective, riddles and clues, murder, private detective, investigation, gardener, partners against crime, murder investigation, amateur detective ...
Place:
england, europe
Is relevant?
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, clever, realistic, serious, suspenseful ...
Plot:
murder, who done it, police detective, murder investigation, investigation, whodunit, detective inspector, multiple suspects, human nature, british police, law enforcement, couple relations ...
Time:
20th century, future, 90s, 2000s, 2010s ...
Place:
england, europe
Is relevant?
24K
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, costume drama ...
Audience:
chick flick, boys' night
Plot:
murder, who done it, female detective, police investigation, law enforcement, british police, crime investigation, police detective, murder mystery, criminal, right hand man, investigation ...
Time:
future, 2020s, 2010s, 21st century
Place:
england, europe, northern england
Is relevant?
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:
costume drama, sincere, touching, realistic, stylized ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
midwife, childbirth, pregnancy, convent, nursing, friends, doctor, nurse, medical, family life, home birth, friendship ...
Time:
50s, 60s, 1950s, year 1961, 2010s ...
Place:
england, london, europe, britain
Is relevant?
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:
sweet, funny, sentimental, humorous, sincere ...
Audience:
family outing
Plot:
veterinarian, village life, countryside, english countryside, human animal relationship, dog, cow, rural setting, new life, friendship, animal, scotsman ...
Time:
1930s, 20th century, 1940s
Place:
yorkshire, england
Is relevant?
1.1M
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 90 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, exciting ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
sherlock holmes, investigation, murder mystery, private detective, genius, friendship, mastermind, deduction, murder, british, mind game, riddles and clues ...
Time:
2010s, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
london, england, wales, afghanistan, scotland yard ...
Is relevant?
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, realistic, captivating, period piece ...
Audience:
family friendly
Plot:
investigation, world war two, police detective, police investigation, detective inspector, police, investigator, whodunit, war crime, nazism, british police, murder investigation ...
Time:
1940s, 20th century
Place:
england, europe, new mexico, london
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story:
Steve Arnott is a young officer who’s fallen foul of his superiors for refusing to help in the cover-up of an operation that ended in the shooting of an innocent father. He seems ideal to join AC-12, an anti-corruption police unit, just as it ...
Style:
serious, tense, crime drama, realistic, suspenseful ...
Plot:
police, police corruption, honest law enforcer, british police, police detective, twists and turns, female police detective, corruption, dirty cop, policewoman, secret, law enforcement ...
Time:
future, 2010s, 21st century
Place:
england, united kingdom, britain
Is relevant?
20K
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, crying ...
Plot:
resort, marriage, wooing, high society, fall in love, rise to the top, sanity, male female relationship, society, social differences, looking for love, beefcake ...
Time:
19th century, georgian era, 18th century, regency period
Place:
england
Is relevant?
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, sentimental, sincere, period piece, realistic ...
Audience:
girls' night, kids
Plot:
village life, friendship, social relations, hopes, small town, abbey, true love, victorian england, father son relationship, employer employee relationship, neighbor neighbor relationship, father daughter relationship ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, 1800s
Place:
england, britain, europe
Is relevant?
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:
witty, humorous, clever, hilarious, multicultural ...
Plot:
servant, butler, valet, master and servant, master servant relationship, domestic servant, boss and employee, bachelor, friendship between men, aristocracy, mishap, power relations ...
Time:
1930s, 20th century, 1920s
Place:
england, london, usa, europe
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 57 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, romantic drama, historical drama, sincere ...
Audience:
girls' night, date night
Plot:
countryside, romanticism, love and romance, society, sister sister relationship, love triangle, wooing, manners, rich and poor, rich man poor woman, love story, unrequited love ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, georgian era, regency period
Place:
london, europe, britain, england
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
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?
132K
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min.
TV show
Story:
The Office is a British sitcom television series that was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the programme is about the day-to-day lives of office ...
Style:
humorous, mockumentary, sitcom, dark comedy, feel good ...
Plot:
workplace, everyday life, office, coworker, boss and employee, job, employer employee relationship, workplace problem, boss, storytelling, humour, sketch ...
Time:
2000s, 21st century
Place:
europe, england, seattle
Is relevant?
279K
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 60 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, costume drama, clever, period piece ...
Audience:
family outing
Plot:
royal family, british royal family, queen, monarchy, monarch, british history, royalty, winston churchill, queen elizabeth ii, british monarchy, prime minister, politics ...
Time:
50s, 2000s, 1940s, 1950s, 70s ...
Place:
england, buckingham palace, london, wales, syria ...
Is relevant?
163K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story:
A dark psychological crime drama starring Idris Elba as Luther, a man struggling with his own terrible demons, who might be as dangerous as the depraved murderers he hunts.
Style:
psychological thriller, detective, crime drama, atmospheric, tense ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
police investigation, murder, police, talented, police detective, uncover truth, psychopath, forensics, crime investigation, law enforcement, serial killer, tough law enforcer ...
Time:
2000s, 2010s, 21st century
Place:
london, england, united kingdom, europe
Is relevant?
93K
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min.
TV show
Story:
The unlikely friendship between Merlin, a young man gifted with extraordinary magical powers, and Prince Arthur, heir to the crown of Camelot.
Style:
epic, exciting, arthurian, humorous, fairy tale ...
Audience:
teens, family outing
Plot:
king arthur, supernatural, arthurian legend, witch, dragon, supernatural ability, legends and myths, camelot, magic, knight, wizards and magicians, friendship ...
Time:
middle ages, medieval times, 6th century
Place:
england, wales, europe
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 60 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, period piece, serious, sincere, captivating ...
Audience:
girls' night, chick flick
Plot:
prejudice, initially antagonists, social differences, love and romance, pride and honor, society, young woman, rich and poor, fall in love, couple relations, love affair, owner ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, 50s, turn of the century, 1850s ...
Place:
england, britain, london
Is relevant?
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, costume drama, period piece, stylized ...
Plot:
butler, high society, master and servant, marriage, family values, housewife, rich and poor, family life, lifestyle, millionaire, abbey, class differences ...
Time:
1930s, edwardian era, 20th century
Place:
england, wales, europe, london
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
