Looking for a change in scenery, and accents? Zip across the ocean to the land of fish and chips, electric tea kettles, and adding u’s to random words with these 18 British television series. Whether you’re looking for laughs, baked delights, or tension you could cut with a knife, they’ve got you covered. Read on to plan (and stream) your own journey to the UK — one you can take without ever leaving your couch.
Emma (Ambika Mod) and Dexter (Leo Woodall) meet for the first time on the night of their graduation in 1988. They go their separate ways the next morning, but that’s not the end of their story. In fact, it’s just the beginning, as that one chance meeting changes both of their lives. One Day follows Emma and Dex by showing where they are on that same day, July 15, for the next 20 years. They grow and change over those two decades — experiencing joy and heartbreak, sometimes together and sometimes apart — but the one constant is they’re never far from each others’ minds. It’s a heart-tugging romance, so make sure you have tissues within reach.
When Eddie Horniman (Theo James) inherits the family homestead (and the title of Duke of Halstead) over his older brother, Frederick (Daniel Ings), he takes over a 15,000-acre estate — and a mess. Not only does Freddy have a drug problem, but he also owes millions of pounds to less-than-reputable lenders. And on top of it all, Eddie also discovers that the financial underpinnings of the estate are not what they seem. This series by Guy Ritchie is wry, funny, and of course action-packed — a witty collision course between British aristocrats and gangsters, who may have more in common than they think.
Delve into the world of London’s East End during the postwar baby boom through this long-running show, told from the perspective of midwives (both Catholic nuns and their secular counterparts) starting in 1957. Many of the midwives come and go as the series progresses — including now-Oscar winner Emerald Fennell — but the format stays the same: tear-jerking stories told around the work done to bring new lives into the world.
This witty teen dramedy is likely light years different from your own high school sex ed class, but that’s part of its charm. It follows the students, staff members, and parents of Moordale Secondary, including Asa Butterfield’s Otis, an awkward teen who starts an underground sex therapy clinic at school — using insight he’s learned via his mother, Jean (Gillian Anderson), who’s a sex therapist herself — to help fellow classmates with their intimacy issues. All four seasons are now streaming, so you can see exactly how the series goes out with a bang. (Sorry, we had to.)
Fall in love all over again with this queer coming-of-age story based on the beloved graphic novels of the same name. The romance here focuses on Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) and Charlie Spring (Joe Locke), but in typical high school fashion, friends and friends of friends around them are falling in and out of love. There’s a lot of laughs along the way to telling this sweet story, and learning to understand — and love — yourself.
It’s time to go back into the tent! Devour the latest episodes or catch up on past seasons with this quintessential UK reality show, where amateur bakers tackle food-related challenges that test their skills, creativity, and perseverance — though that’s only part of the appeal. The bonds formed between the contestants, even though they’re going up against each other for the coveted cake plate, are as soul-leavening as their creations during Bread Week.
There’s nothing more British than the monarchy, and this series, inspired by real events, follows the royal family as they navigate their roles in changing times, and conflicts between each other. The series starts with Queen Elizabeth II (first played by Claire Foy, then Olivia Colman, and now Imelda Staunton), as she falls in love, gets married, and takes on the crown in quick succession; through the life changing, and ultimately tragic, marriage and divorce of her son Charles (Dominic West), the Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales (Elizabeth Debicki).
The Brits have a long tradition of making documentaries that revolve around someone taking long walks. This show skewers that format, in both a hilarious and loving way. Follow comedian Diane Morgan, in her alter ego Philomena Cunk, as she attempts to tell an off-kilter history of the world while stomping around in boots and tweed. If that wasn’t enough, you’ll never think of Technotronic’s anthem “Pump Up the Jam” in the same way again.
Actor and comedian Jack Whitehall is funny enough on his own, but pair him up with his theater agent father, Michael Whitehall? And throw them into tricky travel-related situations like naked yoga in Los Angeles, a clown festival in Odessa, and a drag competition in Australia? It’s a wild and funny travel documentary ride, with a lot of father-son bonding — and jokes at each other’s expense.
Marcella Backland (Anna Friel) is a former police investigator who tries to work out an 11-year-old unsolved case involving a suspected serial killer — because that killer appears to be on the hunt again. The Nordic-noir-style series zeroes in on the case, though Marcella’s personal life is also intertwined, as her husband Jason (Nicholas Pinnock) leaves her and sends their two kids off to boarding school. After this first mystery is solved, she keeps chasing killers, even as her mental health unravels, making truth and reality harder to discern.
Step back in time to 1919 Birmingham, where Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) leads the Peaky Blinders street gang as he tries to expand his empire in the aftermath of World War I. His first major adversary is the Royal Irish Constabulary, sent by Winston Churchill (Andy Nyman in Season 1 and Richard McCabe in Season 2). The series stretches into the run-up to World War II, with Shelby confronting the Irish Mob and the British Union of Fascists. It’s dark and often violent, but a stunner of a crime drama, if that’s what you’re looking for.
After thwarting a terrorist attack, police sergeant and war veteran David Budd (Richard Madden) is promoted to the personal detail of Home Secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes). But it’s an uneasy match, as Budd’s experiences at war make him distrustful of the government, especially the Conservative party. Not only is Montague a member of that party, but she also supported the war he turned against. Their conflict starts the series with a degree of tension that only ramps up as Montague becomes a target herself in this nail-biting political thriller.
This gritty crime drama, which includes none other than Drake among its executive producers, wrapped its final season last year, so now’s the perfect time to watch from start to finish. It follows Dushane (Ashley Walters) and Sully (Kane Robinson), two drug dealers in a fictional East London public housing estate called Summerhouse. It’s a ruthless, violent business, but those involved — both sellers and users — are still people, which is where most of the focus, and drama, of this series lies.
Things never look quite right in this mind-bending anthology, which tells a series of dystopian stories that explore the potential terror-inducing uses of technology in our everyday lives. The episodes work within a variety of genres, including crime thriller, noir, horror, and black comedy, and since you don’t need to watch them in order, you can pick and choose depending on what suits your mood. But no matter what you watch, they’ll most likely send a chill down your spine, and make it hard to go to sleep that night.
This four-part limited series follows 13-year-old Jamie (Owen Cooper) who has been accused of murdering a girl in his class. But rather than being a classic whodunit crime drama, Adolescence tackles some of the important questions of our current cultural moment through Jamie’s story — from ideas of masculinity that are instilled in our youth to the unregulated and expansive world of the internet. The 13-time Emmy-nominated series asks how a young boy like Jamie could end up in this sort of situation, and what we can learn going forward.
This time-bending mystery crime drama begins when Detective Sergeant Shahara Hasan (Amaka Okafor) finds a dead body on London’s Longharvest Lane. Only, this isn’t the first time this same body has appeared at this location: Detective Alfred Hillinghead (Kyle Soller) found the same body in 1890, as did Detective Charles Whiteman (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd) in 1941, and so, too, will Detective Iris Maplewood (Shira Haas) in 2053. As the detectives each investigate the same murder across four different timelines, they also begin to uncover a deeper conspiracy with potentially devastating consequences.
There’s a new detective in town in this Emmy-nominated procedural from The Queen’s Gambit creator Scott Frank. After surviving a traumatic shooting, Detective Carl Morck (Matthew Goode) is assigned to lead Edinburgh’s new cold case unit. Carl’s promotion to become the head of Department Q doesn’t exactly feel like a career high for him — his boss put him in the role so she could keep a closer eye on him. Still, he approaches his new position with care, and assembles a team of fellow misfits to help him find the answers he is searching for in a series of unsolved crimes.
For a good mix of murder mystery, coming-of-age story, and the cozy setting of a sleepy English town, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder should do the trick. Starring Emma Myers — also known as Wednesday Addams’ werewolf bestie, Enid Sinclair, in Wednesday — the series follows 17-year-old Pippa Fitz-Amobi’s investigation into the murder of a high school student that has haunted her hometown for five years. As Pip begins digging into the mysterious case of Andie Bell (India Lillie Davies), she realizes that if her hunch about the case is correct, the murderer might still be out there. Find out whether Pip can crack this case, and keep an eye out for some clues about the series’ return with Season 2.
