New British TV Series From 2024: BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Netflix, Disney, Prime Video, Sky

A feast for the eyeballs! That’s what the UK’s new TV drama (British shows returning for another series this year are here) output looked like for 2024 – a year of thrills, chills and laughs, from supernatural escapism to immersive historical dramas, true stories brought to life, and plenty to feed Britain’s crime mystery obsession.

Here’s a flavour of what 2024 held for your TV: book adaptations include a new imagining of Ian Rankin’s Rebus detective stories coming to the BBC, a scandalous adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s iconic novel Rivals (starring David Tennant), and much much more. 

There were high-stakes action in thrillers like Red Eye, Black Doves and Nightsleeper, and you could transport yourself back in time to discover the lives of a notorious eighties jewel thief in Joan, sinister Jacobean power play in Mary and George, or Tudor-set murder mystery Shardlake. Or escape reality entirely with zombie comedy Generation Z, or watch Jeff Goldblum as Zeus in modern mythology drama KAOS. And all that’s only scratching the surface of 2024’s British TV drama delights.

JANUARY

Fool Me Once

The latest Harlan Coben adaptation for Netflix, which relocates the action from the US to the north-west of England. Michelle Keegan (Our Girl) plays a woman coming to terms with the brutal murder of her husband (Richard Armitage, The Stranger) only to get the shock of her life when she spots him seemingly alive and well on her daughter’s nanny cam. Sweet Tooth‘s Adeel Akhtar plays the lead detective on Joe’s murder (with secrets of his own, of course) and national treasure Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous) plays Joe’s protective mother. Filming took place in Manchester and the series is on Netflix now. If you’ve binged the lot and still have questions, we pick apart the ending here (spoilers!).

Mr Bates Vs the Post Office

This true crime drama depicts one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British history: the hundreds of postal workers who were wrongly accused of theft due to a faulty IT system, some of whom were even imprisoned, and the ten-year battle for exoneration. Mr Bates Vs The Post Office has an impressive cast including Toby Jones (The Long Shadow), Julie Hesmondhalgh (The Pact) and Will Mellor (No Offence). It aired in the first week of January 2024.

Truelove

This six-part Channel 4 drama has a heap of veteran screen talent, including Clarke Peters, Peter Egan, Sue Johnston and Phil Davis. Truelove initially cast Julie Walters in the lead, but due to a back injury she had to withdraw from production, and was being replaced by Lindsay Duncan (Doctor Who). The series is about a group of friends in the sixties and seventies who reunite at a wake and make a drunken pact to help each other die with dignity. Things go, as one might expect in a darkly comic thriller, awry. It’s written by Humans screenwriter Iain Weatherby and co-created by The End of the F***ing World‘s Charlie Covell, and aired on Channel 4 in January 2024.

Criminal Record

Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi unites with Cush Jumbo (The Good Wife) in this Apple TV+ crime thriller about a weathered DI and a rookie DS who are forced to team up on a cold case after receiving a mysterious anonymous phone call. Criminal Record also stars BAFTA-winning Cathy Tyson (Help) as a mother trying to clear the name of her son (Tom Moutchi, Famalam) plus Aysha Kala (The Undeclared War) and Holby City’s Chizzy Akudolu. This eight-part series streamed on Apple TV in January and February.

Joan

The fascinating true-life story of notorious jewel thief Joan Hannington is the inspiration for this new six-part ITV drama, with Game of Thrones‘ Sophie Turner in the lead role, depicting Hannington’s exhilarating but emotional journey from escaping a violent marriage with her daughter to becoming a criminal mastermind nicknamed “the Godmother”. The cast also includes Frank Dillane (The Essex Serpent) as antiques dealer Boisie, Gershwyn Eustache Jnr (Top Boy) as one of Boisie’s old acquaintances, and J Curtis (Harlots) as Joan’s sister Nancy. The series arrived on ITVX on January 24.

Domino Day

This BBC Three drama is a supernatural thriller with a twist – a witch story blended with a take on today’s dating scene. It stars Bafta-nominated Siena Kelly (Adult Material) as Domino, a young woman using all the dating apps, but she isn’t swiping to find her soulmate – she’s a powerful young witch hunting for people on whose energy she can feed. Domino is also searching for a community to help her find out who she is, but there’s a powerful coven of witches tracking her every move, convinced that Domino’s powers need to be stopped before they destroy everything around her. The series also stars Alisha Bailey (Call The Midwife), Molly Harris (Industry) and Babirye Bukilwa (We Hunt Together) and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Read our review here.

FEBRUARY

One Day

David Nicholls’ bestselling romance novel was adapted into a 2011 feature film starring Anne Hathaway that, it’s fair to say, failed to set the world alight. This Netflix series is a much better bet. The lead cast includes This is Going to Hurt‘s Ambika Mod and White Lotus‘ Leo Woodall as Emma and Dexter, two young people who hook up at university on St Swithin’s day and whose lives we follow in elliptical chunks every July 15th since. Prepare to get attached. Streaming now on Netflix.

Breathtaking

Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio is the producer behind this thought-provoking Covid-19 drama, based on the real-life experiences of front-line doctor and bestselling author Rachel Clarke, who co-wrote the series. Golden Globe winner Joanne Froggatt (Liar) stars as a hospital consultant caught in the eye of the storm in the early days of the pandemic. The three-part series was filmed in Northern Ireland earlier in 2023 and aired in February on ITV. Read our review here.

The Way

Good Omen‘s Michael Sheen has once again worked with Quiz writer James Graham, this time on a bold new BBC drama imagining a civil uprising which starts in a small Welsh industrial town. It centres on the Driscoll family, who are forced to flee their home in the unrest, and try to start their lives afresh while battling with the ghosts of the past. It’s got an impressive cast of names: as well as directing, Sheen cameos as one of the Driscoll family, alongside Steffan Rhodri (Gavin & Stacey), Mali Harries (Hinterland), Sophie Melville (The Pact) and It’s a Sin‘s Callum Scott Howells. Read our review here.

MARCH

Mary And George

This historical psychodrama is based on the unbelievable true story of Mary Villiers, who moulded her beautiful and charismatic son George to seduce King James I and become his all-powerful lover, making them one of the most powerful families in the English court. The excellent cast stars the Oscar-winning Julianne Moore (Still Alice) alongside Cinderella’s Nicholas Galitzine and Mayflies’ Tony Curran, plus Unforgotten‘s Nicola Walker and Malpractice‘s Niamh Algar. Filming took place in 2023 and Mary & George premiered on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK on March 5.

The Marlow Murder Club

Death in Paradise creator Robert Thorogood has adapted his own cosy crime novel, The Marlow Murder Club, into a mystery series for the Drama channel and UKTV Play. The series stars Downton Abbey‘s Samantha Bond as Judith Potts, a retired archaeologist whose quiet life in the idyllic town of Marlow, writing crosswords for the local newspaper, is shattered when she hears gunshots in a neighbouring garden and fears a murder has taken place. When the police are doubtful about her story, she teams up with a local dogwalker, Suzie (Doctor Who‘s Jo Martin) and the vicar’s wife, Becks (Cara Horgan, The Sandman) to start an investigation of her own. The Marlow Murder Club aired on Drama and UKTV Play in March, and will arrive on PBS Masterpiece in the US later in the year.

The Gentlemen

This Netflix series is a follow-up (but not strictly a sequel) to Guy Ritchie’s 2019 film of the same name, which saw Matthew McConaughey play American gangster Michael Pearson, who was trying to sell off his highly sought-after marijuana empire. This subsequent series stars Theo James (Divergent) as ex-soldier Eddir Horniman, who inherits his posh father’s sprawling estate only to find he’s sitting atop Pearson’s infamous weed farm. This makes him a target for some very nasty characters indeed, and he has to play Britain’s criminal masterminds at their own dangerous games. Also starring Kaya Scodelario (The Maze Runner), Daniel Ings (I Hate Suzie) and Vinnie Jones, The Gentlemen is available to stream now on Netflix.

Love Rat

This four-part psychological thriller starring Sally Lindsay (The Madame Blanc Mysteries) and Neil Morrissey (The Good Karma Hospital) is about a recently divorced woman having a holiday romance when she realises that her paramour is a scam artist. Enter: the ex husband (Morrissey) to team up with her and try to get the stolen money back. Filming took place in Cyprus, and the miniseries aired on Channel 5 in March.

Coma

Jason Watkins (Line of Duty) starred in a new four-part thriller for Channel 5 about a man pushed to breaking point when his family is terrorised by a group of teenage boys. Alongside Watkins as Simon, Outnumbered star Claire Skinner played Simon’s wife, and newcomer Joe Barber played Jordan, the ringleader of the teens. Desperate to protect his young daughter, Simon will eventually make a split-second decision that changes everything, sending his life spiralling out of control. The series aired on Channel 5 on consecutive nights in March.

Passenger

BAFTA-winning Wunmi Mosaku (Damilola, Our Loved Boy) stars in Passenger, a darkly comic thriller for ITV that is also a debut screenwriting job for Better‘s Andrew Buchan. Set in the small northern village of Chadder Vale, the six-part drama will see Former Met Police Detective Riya Ajunwa (Mosaku) begin to investigate a series of horrific crimes in the village, while trying to convince the villagers that all is not as it seems, as she finds herself drawn into a universe unlike anything she has ever seen. Other cast include The Bay‘s Daniel Ryan, Hubert Hanowicz (This Is Going To Hurt) and Gentleman Jack‘s Natalie Gavin. Passenger premiered on ITVX on Sunday March 24 and all eps are available to stream on ITVX. The series is also available internationally on BritBox.

Big Mood

Derry Girls‘ Nicola Coughlan and It’s a Sin‘s Lydia West star in new Channel 4 comedy-drama Big Mood, about two women navigating their friendship now their twenties are behind them, facing career hardships and mental health struggles. The six-episode series also features Sally Phillips (Taskmaster), Niamh Cusack (The Virtues) and Eamon Farren (The Witcher) and it began airing on Thursday March 28 on Channel 4, and in Australia on Stan the day after.

Renegade Nell

Happy Valley writer Sally Wainwright created this historical adventure series set in 1705, about a gutsy young girl called Nell (Louisa Harland, Derry Girls) who finds herself framed for murder and on the run with her sisters, transforming into a notorious highway robber to survive. Then she meets a plucky young folkloric spirit called Billy Blind, (Nick Mohammed, Ted Lasso) and discovers fate has brought her on the run to defeat a magical plot against the Queen. The cast also includes Adrian Lester (Trigger Point) as the scheming Earl of Poynton trying to bring Nell down, and Frank Dillane (The Essex Serpent) as Nell’s charming but dangerous friend and adversary Charles Devereux. Renegade Nell arrived on Disney+ on March 29.

This Town

The man never stops! Not only has Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight got a second series of SAS: Rogue Heroes and a Peaky feature film on the way, he’s also behind an original six-part drama on the world of ska and two-tone music in the 1970s and 1980s. Set in Coventry and Birmingham, This Town stars Nicholas Pinnock (Marcella), Michelle Dockery and David Dawson, and features original songs written by poet and musician Kae Tempest with producer Dan Carey. The series arrived on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in March.

APRIL

Ripley

This eight-episode psychological thriller is a new adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s famously slippery master forger and conman character Tom Ripley, previously played by multiple actors including Matt Damon in Anthony Minghella’s feature film adaptation The Talented Mr Ripley. This time, Ripley is played by Sherlock and Fleabag‘s Andrew Scott, alongside Lovesick’s Johnny Flynn, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood‘s Dakota Fanning. This one’s been eagerly anticipated for a while now  – it was originally set for Sky Atlantic in the UK and Showtime in the US, and filming took place in Italy in 2021, but Ripley finally arrived on Netflix on April 4. Read our review here.

SCOOP

One-off docudrama Scoop tells the story behind Emily Maitlis’ Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew (as did A Very Royal Scandal on Prime Video and actually produced by Maitlis). Gillian Anderson stars as Maitlis, with Rufus Sewell as the royal prince, and Billie Piper as Sam McAlister, the Newsnight booker on whose memoir the film is based. Read our review here.

The Cuckoo

Four-part thriller The Cuckoo follows Sian (Jill Halfpenny, The Long Shadow), a new lodger for married couple Nick and Jessica (Crossfire‘s Lee Ingleby and The Bay‘s Claire Goose) after they fall on hard times, but they soon realise that Sian is there to cause dark, twisted trouble. Filming began in October 2023 in Ireland and the series aired on consecutive nights on Channel 5 in April.

Baby Reindeer

Richard Gadd adapted his hit 2019 one-man stage show about his female stalker into an eight-part Netflix series that’s caused a real storm concerning compliance and dramatized depictions of real people since its April release. Baby Reindeer tells the compelling true story of the bizarre relationship Gadd developed with his stalker, and the effect it has on him as it forces him to confront a deep, long-buried trauma within himself. Gadd plays himself, with Jessica Gunning (What Remains) playing his stalker Martha. The series arrived on Netflix in April.

Red Eye

Described as a “high-octane thriller”, ITV’s new six-part drama Red Eye is an adrenaline-fuelled ride split between an all-night plane flight from London to Beijing and the corridors of power. It stars Jing Lusi (Crazy Rich Asians), Richard Armitage (Obsession) and Lesley Sharp (Before We Die) and is produced by Bad Wolf. We rate it as a twist-filled thriller that lands smoothly after a bumpy take-off – read our review here. All episodes are available to stream now on ITVX.

The Red King

A twisty police investigation combines with chilling folk horror in this new six-part mystery thriller for Alibi, written by Being Human creator Toby Whithouse. When a successful police officer, Grace Narayan (Anjli Mohindra, The Lazarus Project) is forced into a ‘punishment posting’ on the antiquated island of St. Jory, she begins investigating a cold case about a missing teenage boy. Her investigation leads her to discover extraordinary local characters and the island’s eerie past devotion to a pagan God called the Red King. The series has an impressive cast, including Adjoa Andoh (Bridgerton), Jill Halfpenny (EastEnders) and Marc Warren (Van Der Valk). The series aired in April on Alibi.

MAY

Shardlake

Based on CJ Sansom’s Tudor mystery novel series of the same name, Shardlake is an eerie whodunnit set during the dissolution of the monasteries. When a commissioner is murdered while gathering evidence to close a monastery, Cromwell (Sean Bean, Marriage) orders the sheltered lawyer Shardlake (Arthur Hughes, Help) to find the killer, and makes it clear failure is not an option. He also sends along the cocky young Jack Barak (Anthony Boyle, Derry Girls) to help, although Shardlake can’t tell if he’s an assistant or a spy. And as soon as they arrive at the remote monastery, it’s clear the monks will stop at nothing to preserve their order. The series arrived on Disney+ on May 1 and is well worth a binge-watch. Read our review here.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Heather Morris’ bestselling novel, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, has been adapted into a new TV series for Sky (UK) and Peacock (US). It tells the hard-hitting real-life story of Lale Sokolov, a Jewish prisoner at Auschwitz in the Second World War, who is tasked with tattooing his fellow prisoners’ arms with their ID numbers, and falls in love with one of the women he tattoos. It stars both Oscar-nominated Harvey Keitel (The Irishman) and World on Fire‘s Jonah Hauer-King as Lale, and Baptiste‘s Anna Próchniak as Gita. Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets) plays the novel’s author Heather Morris. The series aired on Sky Atlantic in the UK in May.

The Gathering

This six-part whodunnit from writer-director Helen Walsh is about a violent assault on a teenage girl at a rave in Merseyside, and the cast of characters who might have carried out the attack. It stars newcomers Eva Morgan and Sadie Soverall as teenagers Kelly and Jessica, alongside Vinette Robinson (The Lazarus Project) as Jessica’s mother Natalie and Warren Brown (The Responder) as Kelly’s dad. It’s described as taking in themes of class, teenage life, social media and parenting, all wrapped in a thrilling drama.

Rebus

After almost 15 years off-screen, it was announced in 2023 that Ian Rankin’s Scottish detective is back for a six-part TV series. Originally planned for new streamer Viaplay and now on the BBC, the series sees Richard Rankin (Trust Me) as Rebus in his thirties, recently divorced and demoted from Inspector to Detective Sergeant following a tricky case. The new take on the character – previously played on the small screen by John Hannah and Ken Stott – deals with personal and professional challenges against a backdrop of contemporary Edinburgh. It arrived on BBC Scotland and BBC One and iPlayer in May.

Insomnia

Line of Duty star Vicky McClure leads new Paramount+ drama Insomnia, based on the novel by Sarah Pinborough, about a woman called Emma whose dream life begins unravelling when she develops insomnia just before her 40th birthday. The cast also includes Corinna Marlowe (Hysteria) who plays Emma’s mother, who had a breakdown at a similar age and has always predicted Emma will have the same fate, and Tom Cullen (The Gold) as Emma’s husband Robert. Dominic Tighe (Suspicion) and Lyndsey Marshal (Inside Man) also star as Emma’s close friends.

Eric

This tense, twisty and weird thriller about a missing boy in 1980s Manhattan arrived on Netflix courtesy of The Split screenwriter Abi Morgan. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch (pictured in Doctor Strange above) as the missing boy’s father, a puppeteer on a children’s TV show who finds solace in his friendship with the titular Eric, a monster who lives under his son’s bed. Eric also stars Gaby Hoffmann (Transparent) and McKinley Belcher III (Ozark) and landed on Netflix on May 30.

JUNE

Lost Boys & Fairies

The BBC kicked off Pride month with this emotional three-part drama following the journey of Gabe and Andy, a gay couple hoping to become parents through adoption. The debut drama by Welsh screenwriter and multidisciplinary artist Daf James, it’s an autobiographically inspired bilingual Welsh-English miniseries that explores the highs and lows of adoption for two gay men. All three episodes are currently available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

Queenie

Candice Carty-Williams’s bestselling novel Queenie was adapted for TV and aired on Channel 4. The series stars Dionne Brown (Criminal Record) as Queenie Jenkins, a 25-year-old Jamaican-British woman, who goes through a messy breakup and has to confront her past before she can rebuild. Other cast members include Jon Pointing (Big Boys), Sally Phillips (Bridget Jones) and You‘s Tilly Keeper. Filming took place in South London and the series started airing on Tuesday June 4 at 10pm on Channel 4, as well as streaming as a box-set on channel4.com and on Hulu in the US.

Supacell

This Black, British superhero fantasy series came to Netflix courtesy of rapper and director Rapman, and boasts a strong cast. Doctor Who‘s Tosin Cole is in the lead as Michael, who has to bring together a group of fellow South Londoners who’ve all mysteriously developed superpowers, in order to save the woman he loves. Appearing alongside Cole are Nadine Mills, Eric Kofi Abrefa, Calvin Demba, Josh Tedeku and The Responder‘s breakout star Adelayo Adedayo. Supacell arrived on Netflix on June 27.

Douglas Is Cancelled

This on ITV1 and ITVX four-part drama is written by Steven Moffat (former Doctor Who showrunner and the creator of Inside Man, Sherlock, Jekyll, Coupling and Press Gang). Starring Downton Abbey‘s Hugh Bonneville and Doctor Who‘s Karen Gillan as news broadcasters Douglas and Madeleine, it’s a story about cancel culture. When Douglas is overheard telling a sexist joke at a wedding, his public reputation and work relationships come under fire.

JULY

A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder

Red Rose screenwriter Poppy Hogan has adapted Holly Jackson’s bestselling novel into a six-part drama for the BBC. The teen thriller tells the story of Pippa Fitz-Amobi (Emma Myers, Wednesday), a smart and slightly square heroine on a mission to uncover the killer of schoolgirl Andie Bell. Everyone believes Andie was killed by her boyfriend Sal Singh, but Pip believes the real killer is still out there, so she teams up with Sal’s younger brother Ravi (newcomer Zain Iqbal) to investigate. Anna Maxwell Martin (Line of Duty), and Gary Beadle (Rye Lane) play Pip’s parents, and Ghosts‘ Mathew Baynton also stars. It’s streaming now on BBC iPlayer.

The Jetty

Doctor Who star Jenna Coleman led this new four-part BBC thriller as Detective Ember Manning, who must investigate how a devastating fire in a Lancashire holiday home is connected to a podcaster looking into a missing persons cold case and a sinister “love” triangle between a man and two underage girls. The Jetty has been created by Harlots writer Cat Jones and also stars Matthew McNulty (Deadwater Fell), Peter Sullivan (Poldark) and Happy Valley’s Rick Warden. It arrived on BBC iPlayer on July 15.

Mr Bigstuff

This new six-part comedy stars Danny Dyer (EastEnders) and Ryan Sampson (Plebs) as Glen and Lee, estranged brothers whose reunion blows up Glen’s quiet life. Dyer plays Lee, a drug-addict alpha male who’s on the run from a dodgy past, and Sampson plays his highly strung and conformist younger brother Glen, whose kleptomaniac fiancée Kirsty is played by Big Boys and I May Destroy You‘s Harriet Webb. It came to Sky Max on July 17.

AUGUST

Kidnapped

This true-crime drama tells the real-life story of Chloe Ayling, a British model who was abducted in Italy in 2017, but then found herself in the centre of a media storm after being accused of faking her kidnapping. Killing Eve‘s Georgia Lester has written the six-part series using detailed research and interviews – and with the full support of Ayling herself – and the series explored her kidnap, the court case that had her captors jailed, and Ayling’s experience of being blamed for her kidnappers’ crimes and disbelieved by the press. Tania Parkes (The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself) stars as Chloe Ayling, alongside Adrian Edmondson (Rain Dogs), Nigel Lindsay (The Capture) and Christine Tremarco (The Responder).

KAOS

The eight-part genre-straddling fantasy series series puts a modern twist on Greek and Roman mythology, and comes from The End of the F***ing World‘s Charlie Covell. Starring Jeff Goldblum as an all-powerful but insecure Zeus, KAOS sees six human strangers on Earth discover they’re part of an ancient prophecy, and it’s up to them to save the world from the apocalypse.

Stags

This new British six-part drama came to streamer Paramount+ UK, and it was one to make you think twice about planning that overseas stag do. Nico Mirallegro (Passenger) plays groom-to-be Stu, whose South American stag holiday goes from hedonism to horror after he and his pals are sent to a lawless prison island. This Country‘s Charlie Cooper and SAS: Rogue Heroes‘ Corin Silva play Stu’s pals, alongside Paul Forman, Sophie Lenglinger and Asim Chaudhry. It arrived on the streamer on August 15.

SEPTEMBER

Dead and Buried

Humans‘ Colin Morgan and The Split‘s Annabel Scholey starred together in new BBC Northern Ireland drama Dead and Buried, written by Murphy’s Law and Divorcing Jack screenwriter Colin Bateman. Scholey plays Cathy, a woman who has a chance encounter with Michael (Morgan) the man who, 20 years ago, was convicted for her brother’s murder. Now released from prison and living under a new identity, Morgan’s life is about to be turned upside down.

The Teacher

This Channel 5 drama is a follow-up to 2022’s series of the same name but with a brand new cast, new characters and new story (they’re calling it an anthology). Kara Tointon stars alongside Emmett J. Scanlan and Will Mellor in the psychological thriller about an art teacher who becomes entangled with the death of a student, and faces losing everything. It arrived on September 9.

Nightsleeper

The BBC aired this real-time thriller set on a sleeper train travelling from Glasgow to London, in which a government agency desperately tries to intervene in the rapidly-escalating events onboard. The six-part drama stars Alexandra Roach (The Light in the Hall) and Joe Cole (Gangs of London) as two strangers – one on the train, one not – who are working to save the lives of everyone on board. Filming took place in Glasgow and the series aired in September on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

A Very Royal Scandal

So good, they made it twice? Following on from Netflix’s Scoop starring Gillian Anderson, Billie Piper and Rufus Sewell (see above), is a second retelling of the painful Newsnight interview between Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew about his alleged sexual misconduct. Prime Video also dramatised the infamous scandal, with Ruth Wilson (The Woman In The Wall) playing Maitlis and Good Omens’ Michael Sheen as Prince Andrew. Maitlis served as executive producer on the three-part series. Read our review here.

Ludwig

Upstart Crow‘s David Mitchell stars in a genre-bending comedy detective drama for the BBC about a solitary luddite who goes on a quest to find his missing twin brother. Mitchell plays John, a man who enjoys living alone and designing puzzles for a living under the pseudonym ‘Ludwig’, but when his twin brother James – a successful DCI in major crimes – goes missing, John must assume his identity to track him down. It aired in September on BBC One and has already been renewed for a second series.

The Wives

This intriguing and twisty domestic thriller is about a family’s dramatic unravelling during a summer holiday in Malta, where three siblings mourning their recently deceased sister Annabelle discover there’s far more to her death than they could have imagined. Jo Joyner led the cast, and the series aired in September on Channel 5.

OCTOBER

The Hardacres

Channel 5 loves Yorkshire like bread loves butter, and new period drama The Hardacres is not one to buck that trend. Set in the 1890s, it’s the rags-to-riches story of a Yorkshire family who go from fishing boats to a huge country estate. It stars Claire Cooper, Julie Graham and Liam McMahon, and aired in October.

Sweetpea

This eight-part dark comedy thriller came to Sky Atlantic on October 10, written by Pure screenwriter Kirstie Swain, and based on the novel of the same name by CJ Skuse. It’s the story of Rhiannon (Ella Purnell, Yellowjackets), a girl who goes mostly unnoticed and lives an unremarkable life in an unremarkable relationship with an unremarkable job. Until that all changes, of course, when Rhiannon is forced to confront the murderous part of herself that is remarkable… The cast also features Nicôle Lecky (Mood), Calam Lynch (Bridgerton), Jeremy Swift (Ted Lasso) and Slow Horses’ Dustin Demri-Burns. Read our review here.

Curfew

A gender-based crime thriller set in a society where men are bound by a strict nightly curfew under “The Women’s Safety Act” is coming to streamer Paramount+. Starring Sarah Parish (Stay Close), Mandip Gill (Doctor Who) and Mitchell Robinson (Mayflies), this six-part original drama is the story of a woman murdered during curfew hours, perhaps as a provocation to the new rules keeping men inside between the hours of 7pm and 7am.

Cleddau (The One That Got Away)

This six-part Welsh-language crime thriller aired on S4C in Wales and landed on BBC iPlayer (with English subtitles) in England on October 13. It stars The Mallorca Files‘ Elen Rhys as DI Ffion Lloyd, a detective who has to partner with her ex DS Walters (played by Hinterland‘s Richard Harrington) to solve the murder of a nurse in a Welsh coastal town. It’s written by Doctor Who‘s Cath Tregenna and goes by the title The One That Got Away in English.

Mr Loverman

Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo’s 2013 novel Mr Loverman was adapted into an eight-part BBC One drama starring The Walking Dead and Save Me‘s Lennie James. He plays the exuberant Barrington Jedidiah Walker – Barry to his friends – a 70-year-old snappy-dressing Hackney personality whose wife of 50 years, Carmel, suspects he’s been cheating on her. As Evaristo’s exploration of Britain’s older Caribbean community uncovers, the reality is he’s been having a decades-long passionate affair with his best friend and soulmate, Morris. The series explores parenthood, regrets and social expectations about sexual orientation and love.

Rivals

Jilly Cooper’s iconic novel Rivals was adapted into an eight-part drama by Disney+ and has already been renewed for a second run – praise be, because it was ace. Set in the 1980s, the dramatic storyline focuses on a bitter upper-class battle for a TV franchise between two rivals, with Alex Hassell (The Boys) playing charismatic Tory MP Rupert Cambell-Black and Doctor Who‘s David Tennant taking on the role of the dastardly Lord Tony Baddingham. Other lead cast members include Poldark‘s Aidan Turner as TV presenter Declan O’Hara, Black Lightning‘s Nafessa Wiliams as TV exec Cameron Cook, The IT Crowd‘s Katherine Parkinson as novelist Lizzie Vereker and EastEnders star Danny Dyer as electronics millionaire Freddie Jones.

Generation Z

There’s an impressive cast behind Channel 4’s new comedy horror series from auteur Ben Wheatley, which sees a sleepy town suddenly become an apocalyptic dystopia when a chemical leak from an army convoy outside a care home causes its residents to become bloodthirsty zombies. Among the town’s elder residents is Sue Johnston (The Royle Family), Robert Lindsay (My Family) and EastEnders legend (and recent Doctor Who recruit) Anita Dobson, plus Johnny Vegas (Benidorm) and Paul Benthall (The World’s End).

Ellis

Holby and Doctor Who actor Sharon D Clarke plays DCI Ellis, a trouble-shooting police detective who’s flown in to sort out investigations that have gone off the boil. Described as “a first class murder detective with a determination for justice and a deep well of compassion for those who need it,” DCI Ellis leads this three part series also starring Andrew Gower.

NOVEMBER

Until I Kill You

Endeavour‘s Shaun Evans and Motherland‘s Anna Maxwell-Martin star in this four-part true crime drama about serial killer John Sweeney and his former partner Delia Balmer. Created by The Pembrokeshire Murders‘ Nick Stevens, and based on Balmer’s memoir about her relationship with and abuse by Sweeney, it’s a tough and intense watch, but a worthwhile one.

Day of the Jackal

On Sky Atlantic and NOW, this TV series was adapted from on Frederick Forsyth’s political thriller novel of the same name, which was memorably made into a film starring Edward Fox in 1973. The TV version stars Fantastic Beasts‘ Eddie Redmayne and Bond’s Lashana Lynch, and tells the story of a professional assassin (Redmayne) contracted to kill a major political figure. Read our review here.

The Listeners

From the producers of Normal People and adapted from Jordan Tannahill’s novel, The Listeners stars Rebecca Hall as Claire, an English teacher mystified as to why nobody around her can hear the same low humming sound she can’t escape. Eventually, Claire discovers a student, and then others, who can hear the sound and her life begins to split apart as she realigns with her new co-listeners. Dealing with conspiracy theories, a search for community in a polarised world, and more, BBC One’s The Listeners provides plenty of food for thought.

Return To Paradise

ANOTHER Death in Paradise spin-off? Okay then! After Caribbean-set crime series Death in Paradise spawned Cornwall-based spin-off Beyond Paradise last year, Return To Paradise transported us to the beachside hamlet of Dolphin Cove in Australia. There, Australian ex-pat Mackenzie Clarke reluctantly returned from London’s Met Police to her hometown to solve a murder after getting a reputation for cracking impossible cases. The six-part series arrived on BBC One and iPlayer on Friday November 22.

Get Millie Black

Created by Booker Prize-winning author Marlon James is this six-part crime noir about a police detective who moves from Scotland Yard back home to Jamaica to investigate a missing persons case that extends deep into the island’s history. Starring Mr Loverman‘s Tamara Lawrence and Showtrial series two’s Joe Dempsie, it’s a Channel 4/HBO co-production and aired in the US from November 25, though its UK air date is still to be officially announced.

DECEMBER

Black Doves

Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw and Sarah Lancashire lead the impressive cast of this new Netflix thriller from The Lazarus Project‘s creator Joe Barton. Set in London at Christmas, Black Doves centres on Helen (Knightley), a politician’s wife who begins a passionate affair that endangers her secret identity as a spy for shadowy organisation The Black Doves. When Helen’s lover Jason is assassinated, her bosses send old friend Sam (Whishaw) to protect Helen and work with her to find the killer – but he has a murky past of his own, and it’s about to catch up with him. Series two has already been announced.

Out There

Martin Clunes once again teamed up with the creatives behind the true-crime drama Manhunt (in which he starred back in 2019), this time on a new six-part series Out There, about a widowed farmer who discovers his teenage son has become involved in county lines drug dealing, an increasingly dangerous problem in the UK. The series also stars Mark Lewis Jones (Gangs of London) and Gerran Howell (1917). Filming took place in Wales, and the series arrived on ITV1 and ITVX on December 16.

The Road Trip

Based on Beth O’Leary’s bestselling novel, this six-part drama will see two sisters embark on an eventful and bumpy road trip to a Spanish wedding, forced to share a creaky campervan with one of their ex-boyfriends, his characterful best mate and a complete stranger called Rodney. Emma Appleton (The Killing Kind) and Isabella Laughland (Foundation) are sisters Addie and Deb, Laurie Davidson (Mary & George) will play Addie’s ex Dylan and David Jonsson (Rye Lane) and Angus Imrie (The Crown) play Dylan’s friend Marcus and the mysterious Rodney. Filming has taken place in Gran Canaria and Bristol and the series arrives on Paramount+ on December 26.