An updated list of the best shows of all time on BritBox
An updated list of the best shows of all time on BritBox
Classic ‘Doctor Who’ finally joins the ranking alongside ‘The Office,’ ‘Line of Duty,’ and more.
I’ll admit that I’ve missed a few classics for this list of the 10 best shows of all time on BritBox. But the best thing about life is you can almost always find a way to rectify your mistake. So here I am, with a brand-new show cracking the list. You’ll find a lot of crime dramas here, along with a few select comedies and genre-defining sci-fi shows. Some you may have watched, others you may have never heard of. But if you still think of British TV as cozy villages, quiet mysteries, and easy viewing, this list should stop you in your tracks. Here are my picks for the top 10 shows of all time streaming on BritBox right now.
Top 10 all-time best TV shows streaming on BritBox:
No. 10: ‘Life on Mars’ (2006) | Sci-fi crime drama
“Life on Mars” follows Sam Tyler, a Manchester detective who gets hit by a car in 2006 and wakes up in 1973 — where he is still a cop and still expected to work cases. The problem is that everything around him has changed. The police work is rougher, the rules are looser, and every modern tool he depends on hasn’t even been invented yet.
The question is what happened to him. Did he travel through time? Is he in a coma? Did he go insane? The show won’t give you answers quickly, but it will give you a real cop drama. Throw in Gene Hunt, played by Philip Glenister — a loud, old-school DCI who clashes with Sam constantly — and you’ve got enough conflict to carry the series. If you want a blend of crime show, mystery box, and buddy-cop nightmare, this is for you.
Life on Mars
A detective chief inspector from 2006 is investigating a serial killer when he is knocked over by a speeding car. Waking up, he finds himself mysteriously transported back in time to 1973. Initially struggling to come to terms with his situation, he has to come to terms with the old-fashioned technology and attitude of the day, while figuring out how he came to be trapped in the past.
No. 9: ‘Happy Valley’ (2014) | Crime drama
Catherine Cawood is barely keeping it together In “Happy Valley.” Sarah Lancashire takes on the role of the Yorkshire police sergeant who’s angry, devastated, exhausted, and still finds ways to be funny. Then the man she connects to her daughter’s death comes back into her life and things get real.
What I like is that the crime stories stay grounded. They hit families, towns, relationships, and people who are already barely getting by. That’s what makes it feel so heavy. And by the time the series gets to Season 3, it has built into something much bigger than a strong police drama. It is one of the best crime shows of its era.
Happy Valley
Happy Valley is a dark, funny, multi-layered thriller revolving around the personal and professional life of Catherine, a dedicated, experienced, hard-working copper. She is also a bereaved mother who looks after her orphaned grandchild.
No. 8: ‘Prime Suspect’ (1991) | Crime drama
Yes, “Prime Suspect” started back in 1991, but don’t let that scare you off. Helen Mirren plays Detective Inspector Jane Tennison, a investigator trying to prove herself in a male-dominated police department that would prefer she go home. She’s great at the job, but as a woman, it’ll take a lot more than that to earn the respect of her team.
The cases get pretty dark, too. Expect murder, violence, abuse of power, and damaged people from case to case. But like much of British TV, it never chases shock value. Tennison is brilliant, difficult, exhausted, and constantly fighting to keep control of the investigation and herself. You can see the influence this had on so many darker British crime shows that came after it, and Mirren is the main reason it works. If you care about the genre at all, this is essential viewing.
Prime Suspect
Highly skilled Detective Inspector Jane Tennison battles to prove herself in a male dominated world.
No. 7: ‘Cracker’ (1993) | Crime drama
There’s a reason “Cracker” still gets talked about all these years later. Robbie Coltrane plays Dr. Eddie “Fitz” Fitzgerald, a criminal psychologist who helps police crack violent cases by understanding how killers think. That sounds useful, obviously, but Fitz is not some calm genius floating above everyone else. He is arrogant, messy, reckless, hooked on gambling, awful in his personal life, and somehow still completely magnetic.
The show goes to some pretty dark places, but it is never just dark for the sake of it. “Cracker” is interested in what people hide, what they justify, and how ugly things can get when someone knows exactly where to press. You can feel the influence on shows like “Luther,” “The Fall,” and even “Mindhunter.” This is not cozy background TV. It is sharp, uncomfortable, character-driven crime storytelling, and it still has teeth.
Cracker
The wise-cracking Edward ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald is a brilliant but flawed criminal psychologist with a remarkable insight into the criminal mind.
No. 6: ‘Doctor Who’ (1963) | Sci-fi
This is what I alluded to in the intro. The classic “Doctor Who” has been around since 1963, which sounds like a lot to take on until you start watching it. The Doctor changes, the companions change, and the show can jump from ancient history to some alien planet and reinvent itself. BritBox has 26 seasons(!!!) of the classic series, stretching from William Hartnell through Sylvester McCoy, so you can basically watch British sci-fi evolve in real time.
That history is why it belongs here. Some episodes look every bit their age, and honestly, that’s part of its charm. Then the show comes up with some a monster or unnerving idea or a fresh piece of sci-fi storytelling that still works decades later. Daleks, Cybermen, time travel, horror, comedy, cardboard-looking sets… it all became one of the defining British TV shows ever made. And it’s finally made the list.
Doctor Who
The adventures of The Doctor, a time-traveling humanoid alien known as a Time Lord. He explores the universe in his TARDIS, a sentient time-traveling spaceship. Its exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a common sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. Along with a succession of companions, The Doctor faces a variety of foes while working to save civilizations, help ordinary people, and right many wrongs.
No. 5: ‘Luther’ (2010) | Crime thriller
I could watch Idris Elba drink a cup of coffee (or tea in his case?) in complete silence and be mesmerized, so obviously “Luther” is one of my favorite shows on this list. He plays DCI John Luther, a brilliant detective who is so obsessed with catching killers that he sometimes seems one bad day away from becoming part of the darkness he is chasing. He is not casual about the job — he lets it eat him alive.
This is one of the darkest shows on the list, especially once you get into the villains. Some of them are genuinely hard to shake after an episode ends. But the real hook is Luther himself, because Elba makes him feel huge and broken at the same time. He is intense, scary-smart, emotionally wrecked, and impossible not to watch. There is a reason this show built such a loyal following. It knows exactly how to get under your skin.
Luther
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.
No. 4: ‘Extras’ (2005) | Comedy
“Extras” is Ricky Gervais at his best, and I will stand by that. He plays Andy Millman, an actor who wants a real career but keeps getting stuck in the background of other people’s terrible productions. He is desperate to be taken seriously, which of course makes every humiliation hit even harder.
The celebrity cameos are a huge part of the fun because people like Kate Winslet, Daniel Radcliffe, and Patrick Stewart all show up and happily make themselves look ridiculous. But the show is not just a parade of famous people acting badly on purpose. It is awkward, painfully honest, and way more sad than you expect. If you have ever been around the entertainment business, even a little, the desperation here feels very real. Also, yes, Gervais shows up more than once on this list for a reason. He gets this kind of discomfort better than almost anyone.
Extras
Andy Millman gave up his day job five years ago in the hope of achieving the big time, but he’s yet to land a speaking part, let alone saunter down the red carpet to pick up an Oscar. He remains optimistic however, as rubbing shoulders with the A-list on-set only serves to reinforce his belief that the big time is just a job or two away.
No. 3: ‘The Fall’ (2013) | Psychological thriller
“The Fall” is built around a killer in Belfast and the detective trying to stop him, but it is not playing the usual guessing game. Gillian Anderson plays Stella Gibson, a cool, controlled investigator who comes in to track a serial killer, and from the beginning, the show is more interested in pressure than surprise.
You know who the killer is — that is not the trick. The real tension comes from watching how he operates, how Gibson closes in, and how obsession starts poisoning everyone around the case. It is slow, tense, and deeply unsettling without feeling flashy. Anderson is fantastic because Stella always seems completely composed, even when the situation around her gets worse and worse. It is a very controlled show about people losing control, which is exactly why it works.
The Fall
When the Police Service of Northern Ireland are unable to close a case after 28 days, Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson of the Metropolitan Police Service is called in to review the case. Under her new leadership, the local detectives must track down and stop a serial killer who is terrorising the city of Belfast.
No. 2: ‘Line of Duty’ (2012) | Police thriller
“Line of Duty” is still the first drama I tell people to watch when they get BritBox. It is about AC-12, an anti-corruption unit that investigates police officers who may be bent, compromised, or hiding something much worse. Every season starts with a case that seems to have a certain scope, then keeps opening up until suddenly everyone looks suspicious.
That is the fun of it. One bad decision turns into a conspiracy. One interview turns into a trap. One little lie can wreck an entire career. And then there is “H,” the mystery that sits over the whole series and keeps pulling everything back into one bigger question. The performances are great, the writing is ridiculously tight, and the interrogation scenes alone are worth the price of admission. If you want one British cop drama that shows you why people get obsessed with British cop dramas, this is the one.
Line of Duty
A drama about the investigations of AC-12, a controversial police anticorruption unit.
No. 1: ‘The Office (UK)’ (2001) | Workplace comedy
For me, “The Office” is the best show on BritBox. It changed TV comedy, obviously, but the real reason it still works is much simpler than that. Ricky Gervais makes David Brent feel horribly believable as the boss who thinks he is charming, funny, inspiring, and loved by everyone, while almost everyone around him is quietly dying inside. Then Martin Freeman gives this tiny, slow-burn performance as Tim that somehow carries half the emotional weight of the show.
It is still brutal, still awkward, and still weirdly tender in the places you forget about until you rewatch it. It is one of my favorite shows ever, and if someone has never seen it, I am honestly a little jealous. Just know that it is not the U.S. version with different accents. It has its own rhythm, its own sadness, and its own all-time status.
The Office
Nightmare boss. Tedious colleagues. Pointless tasks. Welcome to Wernham Hogg.