Best BBC shows: All the best dramas on BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer is home to some of the UK’s biggest and best-loved dramas, from gripping crime thrillers to acclaimed literary adaptations. With a huge box set library alongside the latest must-watch releases, there’s always something new to discover. The only problem is: where to start?
A tense blend of crime drama and political thriller, Vigil follows a team of investigators as they uncover complex conspiracies with far-reaching consequences. Led by Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie, the acclaimed series keeps the suspense high throughout, with series three having recently landed - so there's plenty to keep you going.
Based on the novels by Robert Thorogood, engaging crime drama The Marlow Murder Club sees a trio of sharp-minded women (played by Samantha Bond, Jo Martin and Cara Horgan) drawn into solving mysteries that baffle the police. Balancing intriguing cases with plenty of warmth, it's an easy-to-watch whodunnit full of twists and charm.
In witty mystery drama Ludwig David Mitchell stars as puzzle setter John Taylor, who assumes his missing twin brother’s identity to solve crimes. With season two having just aired, it’s the perfect time to dip in and discover the clever twists and warm humour that have made the show such a hit.
Trevor Eve dies almost immediately in I, Jack Wright, a mystery drama by Unforgotten creator Chris Lang about a spiky millionaire’s controversial will. A starry cast including Nikki Amuka-Bird, Daniel Rigby and John Simm play the family fighting over his fortune.
The Cage, in which Sheridan Smith and Michael Socha play a pair of casino workers with money problems, who decide to steal from the casino’s safe. The Responder writer Tony Schumacher once again explores Liverpool’s criminal underbelly to great effect in this gritty thriller as the lives of this inept Bonnie and Clyde get more complicated and much, much worse.
There's also Sally Wainwright’s empowering drama Riot Women, Jack Thorne's adaptation of Lord of the Flies, or The Narrow Road to the Deep North starring man-of-the-moment Jacob Elordi. Then there are offbeat comedy dramas like The Outlaws and This Is Going to Hurt, while those wanting something more hard-hitting can turn to Blue Lights or a range of true-story adaptations like The Sixth Commandment.
However, with so much to binge-watch, it can overwhelming to have such a wide range of choice. So we've put together a list of the best available drama series right now, which should mean you can find something to suit you without all that endless scrolling.
Read on, enjoy - and tune in.
Showing 1 to 24 of 105 results
Crime drama following a detective investigating a death on a nuclear submarine - while the vessel remains on active duty. Starring Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie.
Jo Martin, Samantha Bond and Cara Horgan star as a trio of amateur sleuths living in the picturesque Buckinghamshire town on the Thames in a whodunnit from Death in Paradise creator Robert Thorogood.
Comedy drama starring David Mitchell as puzzle setter John 'Ludwig' Taylor, who helps Cambridge police with cases
Andrew Davies' adaptation of Vikram Seth's novel following the story of a university student coming of age in India in 1951. Starring Tanya Maniktala.
Drama based on the true story of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's imprisonment in Iran for six years. Starring Narges Rashidi and Joseph Fiennes
Walsh siblings Claire, Rachel, Maggie, Anna, and Helen grapple with personal challenges, relationships, and the complexities of modern life.
Drama bringing iconic detective Sherlock Holmes firmly into the 21st century. Benedict Cumberbatch plays the astute detective, with Martin Freeman as his companion Dr Watson.
Retired Pawnee scout Eli Whipp encounters Cornelia Locke, an Englishwoman hell-bent on revenge, in a tense period drama starring Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer.
The fallout in a chemistry teacher's life after her one-night stand with a good-looking but dangerous ducker and diver.
Shane Meadows's first period drama, about a little-known 18th Century criminal mastermind. The cast includes established and first-time actors.
Drama exploring the question of sexual consent in contemporary life, written by and starring Michaela Coel.
Drama with Suranne Jones and Bertie Carvel. GP Gemma Foster suspects her husband of having an affair and throws herself into an investigation that will propel her and her family into chaos.
Drama, starring Annette Bening and Sam Neill
Historical drama about Henry VIII's adviser Thomas Cromwell. Adapted from Hilary Mantel's Booker prize-winning novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, it stars Mark Rylance and Claire Foy.
Rural Scottish drama roughly based on Compton McKenzie's Highland novels. It stars Alastair Mackenzie as Archie MacDonald, a budding restaurateur in London.
A man with no memory is pursued across the Australian Outback by enemies from the past he cannot remember in a drama starring Jamie Dornan in the title role.
Small Axe is based on the real-life experiences of London's West Indian community between 1969 and 1982.
Two-part adaptation of JK Rowling's detective novel. Cormoran Strike is hired by the wife of a notorious author to find her missing husband.
Crime drama, based on the best-selling novels by AA Dhand, starring Staz Nair as a detective disowned by his family who becomes obsessed with the case of a missing teenager
In the town of Richford Lake, things are perfect for supermum Juliet and business mogul Lorna. But when their teenage daughters Allegra and Grace get caught in a scandal, this idyllic town falls to pieces. Drama, starring Eve Best and Carme Ejogo
Drama by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight. It follows young people drawn into the ska and two-tone scene in the Midlands during a period of social unrest in the early 1980s.
Leila Farzad stars in a drama about a corrupt detective, who attempts to make amends for her misdeeds but realises she must betray the drug baron she has been working for.
Drama following six aristocratic sisters as they come of age during the turbulent 1930s, starring Bessie Carter and based on Mary Lovell's definitive biography, The Mitford Girls
Modern re-imagining of the Jersey-set crime drama following troubled detective Jim Bergerac (Damien Molony)
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.