15 Best BBC Dramas Ranked

American dramas tend to get all the attention but British TV has had some pretty intriguing dramas over the years too, especially the best BBC dramas. The UK’s national broadcaster has been a bastion of high-quality drama over its 80-plus year existence. With darker plots, crisp dialogue, and more ruthless characters, the government-run network never holds back when it comes to telling the most fascinating and shocking fictional stories.

There’s a wide variety of dramatic British dramas out there that are perfect for any fan, from crime dramas to sci-fi adventures to classic literary adaptations. Many of these dramas are currently streaming on major platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, hence viewers who haven’t watched them yet don’t need to scratch their heads regarding where to find them. There are even specialized streaming services for UK exports such as BritBox and Acorn TV.

15A Very English Scandal (2018)

• Stream on Prime Video

Drawing on a real British political scandal from the 1970s, A Very English Scandal stars Hugh Grant as party leader Jeremy Thorpe, who goes to desperate lengths to cover up his affair with a less privileged man, played by Ben Whishaw. Russell T. Davies’ writing is at its best in this three-episode miniseries, which recognizes both the absurdity and the tragedy of the scandal.

Grant and Whishaw both provide strong performances that helped lead the A Very English Scandal to critical acclaim and numerous awards nominations when it was release. Its short length makes it an easy watch, and it comes especially recommended to fans of docudramas such as American Crime Story.

14War And Peace (1972)

• Not currently available to stream

For those looking for a truly classic BBC Drama, War and Peace may be the ultimate choice. The series adapts Leo Tolstoy’s novel about Russian nobility striving for meaning during the Napoleonic Wars, and its 20-episode length means it is able to be the most comprehensive adaptation of the epic-length novel.

The series was one of the BBC’s most ambitious undertakings at the time, and received considerable acclaim, especially for Anthony Hopkins’ starring performance as Pierre Bezukhov. While the visual style may come off as dated to modern viewers, War and Peace is a great example of how the BBC has been home to high-quality drama for almost a century.

13Happy Valley (2014-23)

• Stream on AMC+

Happy Valley follows the impressively calm Yorkshire police sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire), who has to deal with some cases involving dark subject matter. Audiences first meet her when a heartbroken man sets himself on fire on a playground. Everyone panics but Cawood is casual about it. She even goes to a store first to buy chords to hold her shades.

She then remarks: “He can send himself to paradise, that’s his choice, but he’s not taking my eyebrows with him.” That statement alone makes you fall in love with her. And critics love the series way much more than the fans do. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a score of 98%. Happy Valley recently concluded, making now a great time to binge one of the best BBC dramas.

12The Hollow Crown (2012-16)

• Stream on The Roku Channel

The BBC has produced a lot of Shakespeare adaptations over the years, but The Hollow Crown might be the most unique and well-suited to modern audiences. The series stays faithful to the great playwright’s text while adapting his history plays into an epic, Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon-style prestige drama.

The first series of The Hollow Crown adapts Shakespeare’s “Henriad” tetralogy, while the second season, subtitled The Wars of the Roses, takes up the three Henry VI plays and the memorable Richard III. Both seasons feature major acting names such as Jeremy Irons, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Judi Dench.

11House Of Cards (1990)

• Stream on Prime Video

Years before the Netflix remake came out, the original House of Cards had already made a mark as one of the best BBC dramas of all time. The BBC series was adapted from the Michael Dobbs novel of the same name. The series followed the Conservative Party’s Chief Whip Francis Urquhart (Ian Richardson) as he devised manipulative schemes to enable him to become the leader of the ruling party and, eventually the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Urquhart was every bit a Machiavellian monster as Frank Underwood, if not more brutal.

10Luther (2010-2019)

• Stream on Britbox

One of Idris Elba”s best roles comes in Luther, where he plays British detective John Luther who spends his days tracking down serial killers of London. He is so consumed by his job that his estranged wife once remarks: “You care about the dead more than the living.”

Despite trying his best to be a good cop, Luther’s integrity is tested when he begins investigating a woman named Alice (played by The Affair’s Ruth Wilson). Alice has an obsession with him and Luther soon begins developing a dangerous connection with her too. The series received 11 Emmy nominations during its hugely successful run and had a feature film continuation released in 2023.

9Pride And Prejudice (1995)

• Stream on Hulu

Jane Austen’s famous novel Little Women has had plenty of adaptations over the years, but the 1995 BBC version might be the most definitive version. The six-episode miniseries captures all the complexity of Austen’s depiction of nineteenth-century middle-class society amidst the clash of personalities between Elizabeth Bennett and her would-be suitor Mr. Darcy.

Perfect for fans of period romances, Pride and Prejudice is perhaps best remembered for Colin Frith’s performance as Mr. Darcy (including a legendary scene in a wet shirt). The series helped launch Firth to stardom and is still one of the most popular Austen adaptations and best BBC dramas.

8Normal People (2020)

• Stream on Hulu

Based on a New York Times best-seller of the same name, Normal People revolves around the steamy relationship of young lovers Marianne and Connell as they move from high school to college. Cornell happens to be popular while Marianne is lonely and intimidating. Soon, the tables turn between them. Normal People was nominated for four Emmys and received critical acclaim for its depiction of a modern romance. The series aired on BBC One and BBC Three in the UK but in the US rights were acquired by Hulu.

7Line Of Duty (2012-)

• Stream on Prime Video & Hulu

Line of Duty focuses on a department of the police that is responsible for investigating corruption within the Central Police force. The series follows Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) who was transferred to the unit after he refused to be part of a cover-up.

The series is a popular and unique type of police procedural drama that focuses on the police unit that takes on cases of police corruption. While not as well-known internationally as some of its other drams, Line of Duty was one of the BBC’s biggest hits domestically in the 21st century, and also attracted considerable acclaim for its suspenseful writing.

6Killing Eve (2018-22)

• Stream on Hulu

Sandra Oh is a brilliant actress, and here, she’s been more than outstanding. Killing Eve follows Eve Polastri (Oh), a British intelligence investigator who is only interested in female assassins. After doing shoddy investigations, she ends up getting fired from MI5. However, that’s not the end of the road for her.

She soon gets recruited by an MI6 division that’s looking to capture an assassin named Villanelle (Jodie Comer). Soon, Eve and Villanelle become a bit too obsessed with each other. Killing Eve is also keen on promoting female empowerment. Aside from the two leads being women, each of the four seasons has had a different female head writer. While the series’ ending proved divisive, the complex dynamic between Eve and Villanelle remained one of the most engrossing relationships on television.

5Sherlock (2010-2017)

• Stream on Crackle

Benedict Cumberbatch’s breakout role saw him play a modern version of Sherlock Holmes as he teamed up with his trusted sidekick, Dr. Watson (Martin Freeman) to solve crimes in London. To make the series even more modern, Watson had a blog in which he documented his adventures with Holmes. The blog ended up making Holmes a celebrity. The series has won numerous awards including two Emmys for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie” for Benedict Cumberbatch and “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries Or a Movie” for Martin Freeman.

4Peaky Blinders (2013-2022)

• Stream on Netflix

There can be no doubt that a show is brilliant when Tom Hardy agrees to play a supporting character. The gangster drama sees Cillian Murphy portraying the kingpin of the Shelby Crime Family as he controls crime in the West Midlands industrial city of Birmingham back in 1919. Hardy joined the show in Season 2 as fan favorite Alfred “Alfie” Solomons, the boss of a Jewish gang in Camden Town. Peaky Blinders is based on the infamous urban youth gang of the same name and has become known as one of the best BBC dramas. It recently culminated and a film is on the horizon.

3Bleak House (2005)

• Stream on Hulu

One of the BBC’s most acclaimed series ever is its 2005 adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Bleak House, which won a Peabody, was nominated for several Emmys, and received near-universal praise from critics. The series ingeniously adapts Dickens’ serialized page-turner into the format of a modern soap opera, with all the quality and production expected of the BBC.

The story of Bleak House involves a legal battle over an estate that becomes entangled in romance and tragedy. The 2005 series features a murderer’s row of acting talent including big names such as Gillian Anderson, Carey Mulligan, and Charles Dance.

2Doctor Who (1963-)

• Stream on Britbox and HBO Max

One of the BBC’s longest-running dramas and perhaps its most iconic is the sci-fi series Doctor Who. The series stars a shape-shifting, time-traveling Doctor who takes his human companions on adventures throughout the cosmos. Doctor Who was a British TV staple between 1963 and 1989, and its 2005 revival drew a worldwide fandom that continues to this day.

Such a long series inevitably has its ups and downs, and fans will always argue about which Doctor or period is the best, but Doctor Who is undeniably the BBC’s most impactful contribution to pop culture. With so many genres and tones covered over the years, there’s something for anyone to enjoy. The return of fan favorite writer Russell T. Davies and Doctor David Tennant in 2023 marks a great time for lapsed fans or newcomers to get on board.

1Fleabag (2016-19)

• Stream on Prime Video

Created by and starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag is one of the most acclaimed and impactful BBC series in the past decades. While structured as a comedy, the series deals with dark and dramatic subjects such as grief, religion, and sexual inequality.

Waller-Bridge stars as the owner of a failing café struggling to recover from the death of a close friend. Despite running for just two seasons of six episodes each, Fleabag made a huge impression for its sarcastic wit and deft humor, and won four Emmy Awards including Outstanding Comedy Series. This means that, despite its comedic trappings, Fleabag will likely be a great choice for those looking for the best BBC dramas.