There are so many streaming services these days competing for our business that it is sometimes easy to forget what a goldmine of television is available on BBC iPlayer at no extra cost.
Although once a relatively short-term repository of the latest broadcast shows for catch-up, the streaming service has over the past few years grown into a seriously impressive archive of the best of the BBC past and present.
Although not every classic BBC drama and comedy is available on iPlayer (for many you’ll need to stump up for a BritBox/ ITVX Premium membership) there’s still plenty of great box sets to choose from as well as a good number of hidden gems to be discovered.
Our list of the top shows and series on iPlayer will be regularly updated, but in the meantime if you have any suggestions of your favourites be sure to leave them in the comments below.
Love TV? Discover the best shows on Netflix, the best Prime Video TV shows, the best Disney+ shows , the best Apple TV+ shows, the best shows on BBC iPlayer , the best shows on Sky and Now, the best shows on ITVX, the best shows on Channel 4 streaming, the best shows on Paramount+ and our favourite hidden gem TV shows. Don’t forget to check our critics’ choices to what to watch this week, the best shows of 2024 so far and browse our comprehensive TV guide.
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The best shows of 2024…
Hell Jumper
Documentary, one-off, 2024
In 2022 Chris Parry, 28, travelled to Ukraine with the intention of doing something to help in the war effort. As Paddy Wivell’s tense film shows, he became a volunteer evacuator, driving into dangerous frontline situations to rescue the vulnerable and the elderly from Russian bombardment. His luck ran out in January 2023 when he was killed on a mission to Soledar. Much of this documentary is made up of footage he shot on his GoPro, lending a warzone immediacy to the narrative. There is also emotive testimony from his parents — who did not quite know the full extent of his activities — his friends, his Ukrainian girlfriend and fellow evacuators (“hell jumpers”).
Linford
Documentary, one-off, 2024
The name Linford Christie may mean little to most people under 45, but the Jamaican-born Londoner was a giant of British athletics and part of a wave of black high-achievers in sport in the 1980s and 1990s. This profile traces his rise as a sprinter before homing in on his career’s twin climaxes: the 1988 Seoul Games, at which he came third (upgraded to silver) in a 100m “won” by the later disqualified Ben Johnson; and Barcelona in 1992, where he took the sprint gold. The film is unable to make sense of his murky suspension in 1999 for alleged doping (though all but retired at 39), but it’s clear about the impact — he lost his TV work and was banned from coaching in Sydney. His achievements remain: his major medal haul (24) is the highest by a male British athlete, and his 30-year UK 100m record stood until last year.
The Jetty
Thriller, one season, 2024
At first the crime that kicks off this thriller seems rather mundane: a possible arson attack on a lakeside boathouse. As The Jetty slowly unfolds, however, it becomes clear that there’s more to the story than bored kids causing trouble. Jenna Coleman plays Detective Ember Manning, still tangled up in grief after the death of her partner yet holding everything together for the sake of her teenage daughter and her community. However, the appearance of a podcast journalist (Weruche Opia) asking questions about a missing persons cold case throws harsh new light on her small town, and Ember starts to suspect there is a predator lurking among the residents. Fans of Broadchurch, Happy Valley and Passenger will appreciate the creeping dread that suffuses each scene, while the writer Cat Jones has a sharp way with a sudden twist. The still waters of The Jetty’s picturesque landscape, it turns out, run very deep and very dark indeed.
The Turkish Detective
Crime drama, one season, 2024
Given that this crime drama begins with a former Met Police officer arriving in Istanbul, viewers might worry that The Turkish Detective suffers from Death in Paradise syndrome: a fish-out-of-water copper wryly navigating unknown territory. Happily, it’s more complex and serious than that — think Wallander rather than The Mallorca Files. Based on Barbara Nadel’s series of Inspector Ikmen novels, it follows Detective Mehmet Suleyman (Ethan Kai) as he leaves London for a post in the city of his birth under the guidance of Cetin Ikmen (Haluk Bilginer), an eccentric inspector. Then a student with ties to a famous entrepreneur is murdered. What unfolds is excitingly conspiratorial, with Mehmet’s own reasons for heading to Turkey — blighted love, difficult family ties — thickening the plot. For devotees of international crime, it could be a prime new destination.
Spent
Comedy, one season, 2024
The former catwalk model Michelle de Swarte has drawn on some of her own experiences to tell the story of a spendthrift model called Mia who is forced to leave the US and head back home to the UK to face disaster upon disaster. The wordplay is sharp and snappy. Mia is spoiled and indulgent, but also strangely easy to like and there is excellent support from the ensemble, including Matt King (aka Super Hans from Peep Show) as Mia’s hilariously grotesque agent Mills. The BBC may be moving away from personal journey comedies, so this could be a museum piece one day. But it’s definitely worth a look.
A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder
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Drama, one season, 2024
Based on Holly Jackson’s YA novels, this sprightly six-parter feels like a cross between an Agatha Christie mystery and a hot-blooded, hormonal teen story. Set in a pretty English village, our young Miss Marple is Pippa “Pip” Fitz-Amobi (Emma Myers), who unearths the case of the murdered schoolgirl Andie Bell supposedly at the hands of her boyfriend, Sal Singh. Pip has her doubts and thinks the killer is on the loose, so joins forces with Sal’s brother Ravi (Zain Iqbal). The young cast deliver decent performances, the acting roster bolstered by an impressive list of more seasoned thesps including Anna Maxwell Martin and Mathew Baynton.
Lost Boys and Fairies
Drama, one season, 2024
The writer Daf James’s drama is partly a dramatised guide to the adoption process, seen through the eyes of a gay couple, Gabriel (Sion Daniel Young) and his partner, Andy (Fra Fee), who are steered through it by Elizabeth Berrington’s social worker. And partly it’s the life story of Gabriel, a drag queen whose troubled childhood is evoked in flashbacks. It’s only when the pair attend an “activity day” where prospective parents meet kids that the drama starts to gel. The mixture of comedy and poignancy, musical numbers and how-to tips, and Gabriel’s identification with one boy who, like him long ago, shows off as a means of self-protection.
The Outlaws
Comedy drama, three seasons, 2021-
The Bristolian reprobates are back for a third series, having pulled off a scam that put their archenemy in jail at the end of the previous run. Anxiety levels are unusually low as they do another stint of “community payback”, now at a city farm. But Rani (Rhianne Barreto) returns, and shows the gang a dead body in the back of her car. Flashbacks to what followed the finale of season two, when she roared off to London in a stolen car, partially reveal what happened. That sets up a “what do we do with the corpse?” caper — an overused trope, but still a reliable source of farcical shenanigans — in which only Diane’s ( Jessica Gunning) idiocy prevents them being caught out. Greater jeopardy awaits, though, with Rani on the run and a likely murder investigation.
Rebus
Crime drama, one season, 2024
Ian Rankin’s misanthropic Edinburgh policeman becomes Inspector Reboot in the latest adaptation of the crime writer’s work. Richard Rankin, best known to TV audiences for his role in Outlander, stars as the younger detective sergeant who is drawn into a criminal conflict. With Gregory Burke (the playwright who wrote the National Theatre of Scotland’s global hit Black Watch) on script duty, Rebus re-imagined becomes a detective constable and his petty criminal brother Michael an ex-soldier struggling to support his family. In some respects DC Rebus is just another off-the-shelf proto-alcoholic loner cop, but this is stylishly done and a joke concerning Mick Jagger will have you laughing for a week.
The Responder
Crime drama, two seasons, 2022-
The first series of Tony Schumacher’s superior crime drama in 2022 was a slow-burn success, attracting Line of Duty fans who found themselves in the market for a gritty, complex police procedural. It’s good (in an unbearably tense way), then, to have Martin Freeman back as Chris Carson, a demoted night-shift police officer almost entirely made up of stubble and barely suppressed rage, navigating the demands of his job and Liverpool’s dark streets with his dented moral compass. Things aren’t going well for him (but he hopes that a day job might be on the cards) — and then he hits a downward spiral as he brushes up against a conspiracy. The dialogue crunches like broken glass, while the cast, including MyAnna Buring and Adelayo Adedayo, help to build a whole world around Chris — one that could collapse in on him at any moment.
Blue Lights
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Crime drama, two seasons, 2023-
The ranks of the police drama are hugely overcrowded, so it was testament to the power of the writing and the quality of the performances that the first series of this Belfast-set show gathered enough word-of-mouth momentum to become a hit last spring. Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson, the writers, clearly have no intention of letting Blue Lights dim as its second season kicks off, pitching novice police officers Grace (Siân Brooke), Tommy (Nathan Braniff) and Annie (Katherine Devlin) into a city-wide crime wave, the turbulent harbinger of a gangland feud. This is a landscape of dangerous pubs and syringe-filled parks, soup kitchens and dank pharmacies — a sense of dread increasing with every call-out. Yet amid the heaviness the script is needle sharp, whether characters are discussing Johnny Cash, dating (“texting weak, calling strong”) or the blurred lines between police and social work. Fans of The Responder, Kin and Line of Duty will know the score, but Blue Lights has a flash all of its own.
This Town
Drama, one season, 2024
Created by Steven Knight, the writer behind Peaky Blinders, this six-part drama tells the story of a very different kind of Midlands folk. There’s family dysfunction and rampant violence, but this time it’s all unfolding in 1981 against a backdrop of civil unrest, concrete walkways and flat-roofed pubs. Wandering into a riot in his duffle coat is student Dante (Levi Brown), a dreamy poet with a gift for “fighting” on the dancefloor; his brother Gregory (Jordan Bolger) is a soldier stationed in Belfast, while his cousin Bardon (Ben Rose) is under pressure to join the IRA. Yet the drama’s title should set the Specials’ Ghost Town running through your head, and it’s music that gives these young people a chance of escape (original songs were written by Kae Tempest, Dan Carey and Eska). Geraldine James, Nicholas Pinnock and Michelle Dockery balance out the young cast as their characters navigate divided loyalties and conflicting identities. From the first shot of a petrol bomb, it’s on fire in every way.
Beyond Paradise
Crime drama, two seasons, 2023-
The first series of this child of Death in Paradise and Doc Martin was a huge success, becoming the UK’s most-watched new drama of last year, so it can hardly be said that Robert Thorogood and Tony Jordan, its creators, don’t know what they’re doing. Thorogood, who came up with the original Caribbean series, certainly knows how to plot a murder and churn through hapless detective characters, while Jordan, formerly of Albert Square, is expert at keeping his drama tight and local. The formula remains the same for series two, with Kris Marshall returning as Humphrey, Sally Bretton as Martha and the cast of colourful characters that habitually people cosy crime scenes. The Shipton Abbott Players rehearse for their Murder Mystery Night — leading to a case that Humphrey declares is “the weirdest job I’ve ever worked on”. Zahra Ahmadi also stars.
Things You Should Have Done
Comedy, one season, 2024-
There’s an art to playing dumb in TV comedy and those who achieve it do so by investing their characters with a deep self-belief. Lucia Keskin has mastered this skill in her new sitcom. She plays the near-inert Chi, a 20-year-old “stay-at-home daughter” whose recently deceased parents have left her the family home on condition that she complete a list of life tasks. Located somewhere between the real and the absurd, and with a splendid ensemble cast, this is the kind of endearingly slipshod TV comedy where the hits are so perfect you don’t mind the misses.
The Way
Drama, one season, 2024
Michael Sheen directs and also appears in this James Graham three-part drama set in Port Talbot which immediately recalls his award-winning Sherwood. Once more industrial action — inflamed by suspicion of the steel plant’s Asian owners’ plans — causes deep divisions. This time it’s a family, the Driscolls, that’s split, not a village. On one side Geoff (Steffan Rhodri) is anti-strike, while Thea (Sophie Melville) is part of the police’s thin blue line. On the other, Geoff’s wife, Dee (Mali Harries), is a militant, and Owen (Callum Scott Howells) revels in violence. Graham’s gift for dramatising the interplay of personal and political is evident again, but what’s most striking in the opener is the feel of the later scenes. As protests escalate into an “uprising”, Port Talbot becomes engulfed by division, chaos and a lack of control.
Death in Paradise
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Mystery drama, 13 seasons, 2011-
Despite its ever-churning cast of male leads — Ralf Little following Ben Miller, Kris Marshall and Ardal O’Hanlon as the UK detectives who wind up on the Caribbean island of Sainte Marie — Death in Paradise has been a sunny presence in the winter schedules since 2011. There might have been times during the past 12 series — the show is on its 100th episode — when you started to wonder if the BBC keeps the show as a kind of benevolent holiday scheme for familiar TV actors. However, this new series is the occasion for a properly dramatic storyline. Selwyn Patterson (Don Warrington), the commissioner, is in dire peril — shot by an assassin while celebrating 50 years of police service. Island intrigue — including blackmail, debt and adultery — bubble to the surface until the perpetrator is unmasked in DI Neville Parker’s traditional Poirot-style denouement. Yes, it’s about murder and crime and deadly sins, but Death in Paradise remains a little ray of sunshine.
The Traitors
Reality game show, two seasons, 2022-
It’s been more than a year since this adaptation of the Dutch game show De Verraders first appeared on British television, introducing the phrase “I’m 100 per cent faithful” into the national vernacular. A high-stakes wink murder — or an analogue Among Us — it was so addictive that fans even found themselves watching the US and Australian versions for their cloak-and-dagger hit. Overseen by Claudia Winkleman and her increasingly rococo knitwear and tweed, the second series begins tonight with 22 new contestants heading to a Scottish castle to compete for a prize of up to £120,000. Among them will be three traitors conspiring to “murder” their colleagues and take all the money. In a world of debased reality TV formats there’s a purity to The Traitors’ evil Cluedo concept; expect to find yourself 100 per cent faithful to it by the first cliffhanger.
The Tourist
Drama, two seasons, 2022-
The brothers Harry and Jack Williams really have cornered the market in writing quirky thrillers this winter. Hot on the heels of Boat Story comes the second season of The Tourist, the sequel to the most-watched UK drama of 2022. Jamie Dornan returns as Elliot, still suffering from amnesia (and an enormous growth of beard) after his accident in Australia. However, this time the twisted action moves to Ireland, a journey encouraged by Danielle Macdonald’s Helen: “Time to find out who you really are.” It is by no means a peaceful mission and it’s not long before there’s a wonderfully absurdist chase scene, a violent kidnapping and a couple of deliberately disgusting scenes involving toilets and carcasses. The uneasy tone is very much shared with Boat Story; like Elliot, estranged from his own life, you never quite know what’s around the corners of the Irish landscape or how he can ever manage to go home again.
Drama
House of Cards
Political drama, one season, 1990
The American version of this political thriller was Netflix’s earliest global hit. But long before the streaming giant posted out DVDs, the original House of Cards, in four short parts, became one of the greatest political dramas. It tells the story of the Machiavellian Conservative chief whip Francis Urquhart (Ian Richardson) as he plots to topple the prime minister while getting into an ever-more complex relationship with a young female reporter. This masterpiece from Michael Dobbs and Andrew Davies draws on Shakespeare to bring high drama to the corridors of power. Noteworthy for Urquhart’s frequent asides to the audience and an ending that leaves the viewer with plenty to chew, this is BBC drama at its very best.
Boat Story
Crime drama, one season, 2023-
Unfolding like a Coen brothers film in a Yorkshire seaside town, all voiceovers, silent-movie-style title cards and sudden violence, Boat Story is an eye-catching thriller by Harry and Jack Williams, the writers and producers. What makes this Fargo-goes-to-Redcar drama truly gripping is the cast. Daisy Haggard plays Janet, bravely struggling with the wounds life has inflicted upon her when an encounter with Samuel, a fellow troubled dog-walker played by Paterson Joseph, spins her life around. Stumbling across a shipwreck full of cocaine, they decide to change their luck by stealing the drugs, drawing the unwelcome attention of gangster The Tailor (Tchéky Karyo). Boat Story turns crime into a caper, yet the comedy comes with an undertow of dread — by the end of episode one you will need to know whether Janet and Samuel are to sink or swim.
The Ambassadors
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Comedy-drama, one season, 2013
The knotty late novels of Henry James are not easy to bring to the screen. Iain Softley’s 1997 adaptation of The Wings of the Dove achieved it, while James Ivory’s 2000 film The Golden Bowl failed. This low-budget 1977 BBC interpretation of James’s 1903 masterpiece is a quiet triumph. Paul Scofield imbues the role of Lewis Strether with a haunted innocence while Lee Remick, as his European guide, Maria Gostrey, gives her character a cryptic seductive wisdom that James himself would have delighted in.
Vigil
Thriller, two seasons, 2022-
If you still miss Line of Duty and its torrents of top-secret jargon and impenetrable acronyms, then this military thriller makes a fine substitute. The first series was largely set on a nuclear submarine, adding a claustrophobic edge to DCI Amy Silva’s investigation into a murderous conspiracy below the waves. In this second series Suranne Jones’s Silva is back on dry land, but she’s in no way on solid ground. Called in to handle a dramatic and deadly incident at a military base, Silva becomes embroiled in another lethal plot — one that pushes her and partner DI Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie) into fresh danger. The set-pieces come with an impressive action-film heft, while the writer Tom Edge has built a credible world of geopolitical intrigue involving rogue journalists and arms traders. As with AC-12, though, it is the tensions around the characters — not least the relationship between Silva and Longacre — that add depth without the need for a submarine.
The Sixth Commandment
Crime drama, one season, 2023-
Set in a village in Midsomer Murders territory, Sarah Phelps’s unsettling true crime drama initially centres on an inspirational teacher who died in 2015. A few years earlier Peter (Timothy Spall) meets Ben (Éanna Hardwicke) while working as a lecturer, and begins a relationship eventually sealed by a form of betrothal ceremony. To him, it combines late-life sexual liberation with Christian fellowship, but an alarming subsequent decline in his mental and physical health clearly points to Ben pressurising and manipulating him. Spall and Hardwicke both impress, and Anne Reid also stars as a neighbour who becomes more prominent in the second episode.
Steeltown Murders
Drama, one season, 2023-
In 1973 three young women were murdered around Port Talbot, brutal crimes that seemed destined to remain unsolved until 30 years later, when the secrets contained in DNA evidence could suddenly be unlocked. Written by Manhunt’s Ed Whitmore, Steeltown Murders shifts between these two distinct timeframes, the first the nicotine-stained, brown-suited bad old days familiar from Life on Mars and Red Riding; the second a world of Tony Blair, high-ranking female police officers and all-new computer databases. Philip Glenister plays DCI Paul Bethell, desperate to revisit the case that eluded him in his younger CID days; Steffan Rhodri is his equally dedicated colleague Phil “Bach” Rees. While the technological leaps — and limitations — of police work are central, the careful script never loses sight of the victims. Especially moving is a 1973 montage of young women getting ready to go out, their different bedrooms — wallpaper choices, nail varnishes, Bowie posters — underlining their humanity and the horrible, random cruelty of the world outside.
The Gold
Drama, one season, 2023
“That lot have it and us lot nick it,” the notorious fence Kenneth Noye (Jack Lowdon) declares at the start of this crime thriller, but nothing about The Gold is that simple. On November 26, 1983, six armed men crashed into the Brink’s-Mat security depot at Heathrow and accidentally ended up stealing gold bullion worth £26 million. While this drama by the Bob Servant creator Neil Forsyth reconstructs the heist with exhilarating energy, it locates the real tension in the aftermath of the crime — the police investigation, the international money-laundering, the moral grey areas. Hugh Bonneville plays Chief Superintendent Brian Boyce, interrogating suspects with quiet exasperation at “stupid greedy people”, while Charlotte Spencer and Emun Elliott add street-smart wit as his savvy team. At the core of everything, though, glowing through the excellent performances and the beautifully judged 1980s setting, there lies the gold, a treasure and a curse.
Cardiac Arrest
Medical drama, three seasons, 1994-1996
Jed Mercurio is best known today as the mastermind behind police corruption thriller Line of Duty, but the doctor turned screenwriter began his TV career much closer to home with hard-hitting 1994 medical drama Cardiac Arrest. Starring Helen Baxendale, the dark and at times traumatic show focuses on the hectic lives and exhausting work of junior doctors on the frontline of an NHS hospital.
Doctor Who
Science-fiction, 39 seasons, 1963-
As part of the show’s 60th anniversary, almost every Doctor Who is now on iPlayer from the first doctor, William Hartnell, in 1963, through to the present. There’s also an archive at bbc.co.uk/doctorwho where you can find cast interviews, rare audio and behind-the-scenes photos and scripts. If you’ve never seen the pre-2005 Doctor, try Genesis of the Daleks from 1975, a tale about the evolution of evil that still feels relevant today.
Time
Prison drama, two seasons, 2021-
One moment, Orla (Jodie Whittaker) is making breakfast for her three kids, the next she’s hurtling towards jail in a prison van. If she is wrong-footed by her sudden change in circumstance, so is the viewer, quickly dragged into a nightmare world that is governed by its own obscure set of rules. While the first series of Jimmy McGovern’s prison drama was set in a men’s prison (and starring Sean Bean and Stephen Graham), the second series of Time tells the stories of three incarcerated women and their distinctive traumas and crises. There’s Whittaker’s Orla, Bella Ramsey’s heartbreaking drug addict Kelsey and Tamara Lawrance’s Abi, her self-possession masking a profound trauma, while Siobhan Finneran returns as Marie-Louise, the prison chaplain. Flashes of violence are never far away, and Time underscores both the brutal realities of the physical prison setting while also bringing alive the deep emotional stresses these women are under in jail.
Our Friends in the North
Drama, one season, 1996
Charting the story of four friends from Newcastle across 31 years from 1964 to 1995, Our Friends in the North is one of the most accomplished dramas of the 1990s. It was written by Peter Flannery and stars Christopher Eccleston, Gina McKee, Daniel Craig, Mark Strong and Peter Vaughan. This tragic, funny, evocative and beautifully executed piece of television combines the micro and the macro, the personal and political and still remains accessible, gripping and entertaining. From general elections to the miners’ strikes and the Great Storm of 1987, in just nine episodes the show takes viewers through the social history of the country, through the eyes of a small group of normal people.
Life on Mars
Mystery drama, two seasons, 2006-07
How the Greater Manchester cop Sam Tyler (John Simm) manages to go from a car accident in 2006 to working under DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister) in 1973 remains a mystery to our protagonist and the audience for much of this brilliant series. But no matter the reason or the eventual conclusion of the story (which is worth waiting for), the audience are treated to a tremendous story with fine lead performances from Simm and Glenister.
Spooks
Spy drama, ten seasons, 2002-11
This stylish, fast-paced BBC drama follows the fortunes of MI5 operatives working out of Thames House in London. Across ten series the show features a fabulous British cast, beginning with Matthew Macfadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Jenny Agutter and Peter Firth — and later adding Nicola Walker, Hermione Norris, Richard Armitage, Raza Jaffrey and Robert Glenister, among others. A must-watch for fans of British TV.
Peaky Blinders
Crime drama, six seasons, 2013-22
One of the most celebrated BBC dramas of the past decade, Steven Knight’s excellent story of the titular crime gang in the inter-war period stands out for its compelling storylines, excellent individual performances and sublime soundtrack. Starring Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby at the head of a gangster family, this gripping show goes on a long and winding road to a very satisfactory conclusion and also benefits from an ensemble cast including Paul Anderson, Sophie Rundle, Tom Hardy and Helen McCrory.
Poldark
Period drama, five seasons, 2015-19
This moody programme is set between 1781 and 1801 and based on the novels of Winston Graham. Aided by the beautiful backdrop of coastal Cornwall, it tells the story of Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner) returning from the American War of Independence. He finds his father has died and the family estate has heavy debts — and to add insult to injury, his love, Elizabeth, is engaged to his cousin. He meets a young woman, Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson), at Truro market and employs her as a maid, but soon falls in love and they marry. The series follows their story through love, life, family, death and war across five series.
Normal People
Drama, one season, 2020
A huge lockdown 2020 hit, this charming adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel of the same name tells the story of Marianne Sheridan (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell Waldron (Paul Mescal) as they move through their lives from school to being undergraduates at Trinity College Dublin. It charts the complex relationship between the pair across many years. The series made international stars of its two leads, who deliver fine performances in this moody psychological drama.
Last Tango in Halifax
Drama, five seasons, 2012-20
Written by Sally Wainwright and featuring Sarah Lancashire, this comedy-drama may have fewer serial killers and cliffhangers than Happy Valley, but the razor-sharp characters and note-perfect scripts elevate it to the same rare air in television terms. The Bafta-winning show stars Anne Reid and Derek Jacobi as an ageing couple, Alan and Celia, who are reunited in their seventies by social media and rekindle a spark of romance that began in the 1950s. An intense story of family life and time-passing, this portrait of love in later life is a joy to observe.
Call the Midwife
Period drama, 12 seasons, 2012-
Originally based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, a midwife who worked in the East End of London, in more than a decade Call the Midwife has grown into one of the most popular shows on the BBC. With a large ensemble cast that has included Jessica Raine, Helen George, Charlotte Ritchie, Miranda Hart, Stephen McGann and Jenny Agutter, the show tells the story of the lives, loves and losses of the nuns of Nonnatus House in Poplar. Known for its fearless approach to hard-hitting themes from the late 1950s and 1960s as well as its warm-hearted characters, the show has quite rightly been decorated with numerous awards from the Baftas to the National Television Awards.
Line of Duty
Crime drama, six seasons, 2012-21
One of the most talked-about BBC shows of recent decades, Jed Mercurio’s fantastic police drama spent six seasons with the audience on the edge of their seats as layer upon layer of conspiracy and corruption was uncovered. Focused on the exploits of the AC-12 anti-corruption police unit, the show is famed for its brilliantly tense interrogation scenes and unexpected twists that can turn the plot on its head in an instant.
I, Claudius
Historical drama, one season, 1976
One of the most celebrated BBC dramas of the 1970s, this exceptional adaptation of Robert Graves’s novels tells the story of the early Roman Empire with narration from an elderly Emperor Claudius from AD24 until his death in AD54. Starring Derek Jacobi in a towering performance opposite Siân Phillips as Livia, Brian Blessed as Augustus and a truly memorable turn from John Hurt as Caligula, this story of power, excess and corruption paved the way for shows such as House of Cards and Game of Thrones.
A Very English Scandal
Political drama, one season, 2018
Adapted from a book by John Preston with a script by Russell T Davies and directed by Stephen Frears, this show is sublime, with an outstanding leading duo. Ben Whishaw gives a Bafta-winning performance as Norman Scott, while Hugh Grant is utterly convincing as the former Liberal leader who faced trial for conspiracy to murder — playfully merging charm with manipulation. It’s simultaneously fascinating and a grim look at society.
The Responder
Police drama, one season, 2022-
“I want to be a good bobby, I want to do good things,” Martin Freeman’s troubled Liverpool cop Chris Carson tells his therapist. “I want to be normal.” Written by the former Merseyside police officer Tony Schumacher, The Responder indicates just how difficult it is to achieve those aspirations in a broken world, one that quickly changes shades from moral grey area right into the heart of darkness. It’s not easy for a police drama to stand out in a crowded field, but The Responder has a next-level grittiness, the broken-glass sharpness of Schumacher’s dialogue accentuated by the 360-degree detail of the city setting. Six Bafta nominations (including one for Matthew Herbert’s atmospheric music) are vindication for this compulsive drama.
The English
Western, one season, 2022
A gorgeous take on the Old West by Hugo Blick, the man behind The Honorable Woman and Black Earth Rising. Set in 1890, it stars Emily Blunt as a woman determined to wreak revenge on the man she blames for her son’s death. The show is stunning to look at, but be warned, it’s not always an easy watch: heads are blown off and hearts are shot through with arrows. Nonetheless, it’s a smart homage to spaghetti westerns and features some impressive lead performances.
Sherlock
Crime drama, four seasons, 2010-17
A cult hit that just grew and grew in popularity, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat’s modern-day retelling of the classic Sherlock Holmes stories are a gift that just keeps giving. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch in a fantastic lead performance as the great detective and Martin Freeman as his sidekick John Watson, this is a show that delivers intrigue, excitement and a new lease of life for Arthur Conan Doyle’s fantastic adventures in Baker Street and beyond.
Happy Valley
Crime drama, three seasons, 2014-23
Sally Wainwright’s drama brings out the very best in everyone who appears on screen, not least the truly magnificent Sarah Lancashire as the jaded Yorkshire police officer Catherine Cawood, who battles to protect her family from the evil Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton). Across three riveting seasons this gripping and at times bleak drama showcases tremendous writing and clever plot twists making it quite rightfully one of the most celebrated BBC shows of the past decade.
The Night Manager
Spy drama, one season, 2016
Based on John le Carré’s 1993 novel, the glossy Anglo-American co-production The Night Manager was an instant hit when it landed on screens in 2016 with a starry cast including Hugh Laurie, Tom Hiddleston and Olivia Colman. A classy espionage thriller filled with all the double bluffs you’d expect from le Carré, the series focuses on Jonathan Pine (Hiddleston), the night manager of a luxury Cairo hotel, who is recruited by the Foreign Office to infiltrate the illegal arms-trading empire headed by Richard Roper (Laurie). The further he is drawn into Roper’s world, the more complex his relationships become and the dangers of his mission escalate out of control. First-timers are in for a treat, but equally it is a drama that rewards re-watching.
Comedy
Colin from Accounts
Australian comedy, one season, 2022-
The “sit” of a sitcom is all-important, how characters are contrived to meet and become trapped in each other’s company. This charming Australian comedy hit begins with a dog escaping his home and instigating a modern “meet-cute” between Ashley and Gordon (the writers and real-life partners Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall). They evidently don’t know how to work a photocopier to advertise for his owners to reclaim him, and are instead lumbered with not only his care but also some astronomical veterinary bills. “Sit” duly organised, the “com” derives from the mismatch in age and outlook, their “will they, won’t they” energy and an earthy fondness for scatology.
The Young Ones
Sitcom, two series, 1982-84
There are only 12 episodes of the comedy, but, luckily for fans of anarchic fun, all of them are on iPlayer. A groundbreaking show that ushered in a new age of British comedy with its heady mix of offbeat jokes, surrealism and slapstick, such was its influence that in 1985 it became the first non-music show to be broadcast on MTV in the US. The antics of the tearaway students Vyvyan (Adrian Edmondson), Rick (Rik Mayall), Neil (Nigel Planer) and Mike (Christopher Ryan) are matched by an eccentric performance from Alexi Sayle as their landlord, Jeremy, and a raft of British comedy guest stars including Ben Elton, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Stephen Fry.
Blackadder
Sitcom, four seasons, 1983-89
Starring Rowan Atkinson as Blackadder and Tony Robinson as his servant Baldrick across four very distinct eras in British history, the show features a who’s who of British comedy talent. From Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry to Tim McInnerny, Rik Mayall, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Planer and Chris Barrie, Blackadder benefited as much from the interjections of its supporting cast members as the leads. Although the original series — The Black Adder (written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson) — had its moments (who can forget Brian Blessed as Edmund’s dad?), it’s a close call between Blackadder II and Blackadder Goes Forth (written by Curtis and Ben Elton) as the best series.
The Office
Sitcom, two seasons, 2001-03
Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s groundbreaking mockumentary set the bar for British comedy for decades and made international stars of its creators, spawned a US juggernaut of a remake and perhaps most importantly gave the world David Brent. Famous for leaving much of the mundanity of life in the show, The Office’s razor-sharp scripts, excellent performances and cringe comedy has often been imitated but never surpassed in the past 20 years. It’s a comedy with a lot of layers that rewards re-watching. So if it’s been a while, why not give it another go?
Gavin & Stacey
Sitcom, three seasons, 2007-19
The sitcom dreamt up at a wedding has become one of the nation’s favourite shows. Despite the title, the show is really centred on Smithy and Nessa, played by the masterminds behind the show, James Corden and Ruth Jones. Very rarely is there a dud moment — it’s nearly always funny and has achieved that rare feat of appealing across generations as well as embedding itself into popular culture. Will it come back for another series? With James Corden back to the UK, it’s possible — but for now, enjoy it all again on iPlayer.
Detectorists
Sitcom, three seasons, 2014-22
There is never a bad time for a return to Mackenzie Crook’s bucolic sitcom, which slowly meanders through life in the Essex countryside. Also, if you don’t have time for a whole series just watch episodes four to six from season one, which work beautifully as a stand-alone piece of British film-making that will cause you to marvel anew at the show’s gentle comic beauty and quiet wisdom.
What We Do in the Shadows
Parody comedy, five seasons, 2019-
There are not enough witty shows on television like this one. It is a gorgeous and clever parody documentary based on the 2014 New Zealand film of the same name, co-written and co-directed by Flight of the Conchords’ Jemaine Clement and Thor: Ragnarok’s Taika Waititi. Silly and bonkers, the series follows a gang of vampire housemates in New York City as they go about their daily activities. The best character is Nandor (Kayvan Novak), also known as Nandor the Relentless, a former pillager whose purpose in life is now to keep his vampire house in an acceptable condition. Packed with jokes, it is easy to fall for the show’s charm — and there’s just enough drama to sink your teeth into.
The Thick of It
Political satire, four seasons, 2005-12
With all four seasons back up on the BBC streaming service it’s a little unnerving to revisit Armando Iannucci’s absurdist political satire and discover it’s not all that absurd any more. The idiocy, the ambition, the spin, the paranoia all feels very normal in 2023. Thankfully, the scripted version remains a lot funnier than the real thing. Plus who can resist seeing Peter Capaldi as the foul-mouthed spin-doctor Malcolm Tucker in one of the great small screen performances.
Fleabag
Comedy, two seasons, 2016-19
The show that catapulted Phoebe Waller-Bridge to stardom, Fleabag became a near-instant overnight hit when it was shown on BBC3 in 2016. Our protagonist is the titular Fleabag (played by Waller-Bridge), a young woman living in London dealing with grief while attempting to navigate love, life and a difficult family. A dark, gritty and brutally honest comedy, we are treated to a tour-de-force in writing and comic timing as this one-time one-person stage show is transformed into a captivating piece of television that will be watched and re-watched for a long time to come.
This Time with Alan Partridge
Satirical sitcom, two seasons, 2019-21
Steve Coogan’s finest comedy creation, Alan Partridge, has been with us for 32 years, assaulting the airwaves from Radio 4’s On the Hour and The Day Today to his seminal 1997 sitcom I’m Alan Partridge. However, there is more Partridge than you might think, and tucked away on iPlayer are two series of This Time with Alan Partridge. Coogan’s return to the BBC in 2019 is a One Show-style magazine programme hosted by the Norwich-based entertainer accompanied by Susannah Fielding’s Jennie Gresham. With welcome turns from his downtrodden PA, Lynn (Felicity Montagu), and friend “sidekick” Simon (Tim Key), this is Partridge back in the big time on prime time — but how long will he last before orchestrating his own demise?
Documentaries
Planet Earth III
Natural history, one season, 2023
It’s nearly 20 years since the first series of Planet Earth was broadcast on BBC1 and since then it has become increasingly difficult to watch natural history programmes without a grim awareness of how the world has changed. The first episode of this new series is dedicated to coastal environments and features 66-year-old footage of David Attenborough, now 97, visiting Raine Island, a precious turtle breeding ground on the Great Barrier Reef. “Can it last another lifetime?” he asks poignantly at the programme’s end. Even though this film must sound an inescapable ecological alarm about the state of the world, there is still plenty of wonder mixed in with the sadness, a festival of wildlife headlined by the death-or-glory battle between South African Cape fur seals and the great white shark.
Russia 1985-1999: TraumaZone
Documentary, one season, 2022
Known for his distinctive — at times almost hypnotic — style of films, Adam Curtis is one of the most creative and celebrated British documentary-makers, having picked up four Baftas for his troubles. This fascinating series of seven hour-long programmes is subtitled What It Felt Like to Live Through the Collapse of Communism and Democracy and is made up of largely unused archival footage of the Soviet Union and Russia found in the BBC’s Moscow bureau. In a stylistic shift, Curtis uses on-screen captions to hold together what is a remarkably intimate and immersive piece of television. It brings alive a time of enormous change that would pave the way for the rise of Putin and the modern relationship between Russia and the West.
Louis Theroux collection
One of the master documentary film-makers of the modern era in Britain, Theroux has become well known for his explorations of unexpected subjects as well as interviews with some of the most interesting people in the world of celebrity. iPlayer has an extensive collection of Theroux docs to enjoy, including his seminal Weird Weekends series, the specials (which include his films about crystal meth, brothels, porn, religion and prisons, among other eclectic subjects) and interviews with Judi Dench and Stormzy, among others.
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Biographical documentary, one-off, 2022
It begins in the present, with the film-maker Laura Poitras documenting the American photographer Nan Goldin as she orchestrates various protests against the Sackler family, the billionaire dynasty whose company, Purdue Pharma, fuelled the opioid epidemic and then “whitewashed” their billions funding art galleries worldwide. Then the film opens out into the story of Goldin’s own creative life. Gradually, we see the painful connections between the film’s two strands and the personal hurt and anger at the heart of Goldin’s campaign. The result is a brave, vivid and gripping film and one of the finest art documentaries of recent years.
Around the World in 80 Days with Michael Palin
Travelogue, one season, 1989
In an age where there are seemingly fewer celebrities who haven’t made a travelogue series than have, the fact that Michael Palin’s Around the World in 80 Days still stands out as one of the best is testament to just what a magical show this is. It was originally shown in 1989 and Palin’s easy charm guides the viewer through a seven-part documentary based on the central premise of Jules Verne’s classic 1873 novel. Palin travels on foot, by train, boat, hot-air balloon and even husky-driven sled as this remarkable series closely follows the trail of Phileas Fogg from France to Greece, India, China and the US. Along the way, Palin meets and interacts with local people, their customs and traditions.
Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland
Documentary, one season, 2023
The director James Bluemel and the team behind this five-part history of the Troubles will, quite correctly, be garlanded with awards for making a magnificent set of films, but immense credit must go to those individuals who have diligently borne witness, and shown bravery and commitment to a still-vulnerable peace by putting faces to their confessions of hatred, violence and dark experience. As the series concludes, the “Irish and Northern Irish” comedian Patrick Kielty (the newly announced host of RTE’s flagship Late Late Show) whose father, Jack, was murdered by loyalist paramilitaries in 1988, says: “Sometimes you need to stare into the abyss to realise that this can’t go on.”
Dynasties
Natural history documentary, one season, 2018
Nobody narrates nature documentaries better than David Attenborough. His dulcet tones have become synonymous with beautifully shot scenes from the animal kingdom. In this series, he takes us into the world of vulnerable or endangered species. That means we get insight into a pride of lions in Kenya, tigers and hunting dogs — and can cry over the scenes of baby penguins facing an icy death in the Antarctic. With its state-of-the-art camera work, lush orchestral soundtrack and high production values, this is a fascinating watch that tears at the heartstrings and gives us a look at the power, control and violence at the top of the food chain. Don’t turn over before the behind-the-scenes segment of the show, which delivers a captivating look at how the magnificent programme was made.
Storyville — The Trials of Oppenheimer
Documentary, one-off, 2023
If you’ve seen Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, starring Cillian Murphy as the theoretical physicist instrumental in developing nuclear weapons as part of the Manhattan Project, be sure to head to iPlayer for more. Narrated by Zoë Wanamaker, with a mix of interviews and recreations, the 90-minute Storyville — The Trials of Oppenheimer tells the extraordinary story of the rise and fall of J Robert Oppenheimer as he began to make enemies among establishment figures. In a compelling and emotional film that explores the perils of mixing great scientific discovery with government, power and politics, David Strathairn plays the scientist as he defends himself against accusations of being a communist.
