Best New British TV We Can’t Wait To See In 2026
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2 hours ago
All the new shows to know, starring (and made by) homegrown talent
You’ve chomped through all the best 2025 box sets and practically inhaled the Christmas TV guide – but don’t worry, there’s still plenty of newness on the horizon. British telly is some of the world’s best, so we always make sure to keep an eye on the new releases making their way to the small screen in the future. Here are 18 British TV shows to have on your radar in 2026.
Best British TV Coming In 2026
BBC/Big Talk Studios/Alistair Heap
Can You Keep A Secret?
Dawn French stars in new BBC sitcom Can You Keep A Secret?, the story of an oddball family trying to pull off a life insurance scam. Penned by Simon Mayhew-Archer (writer of This Country), it sees French playing ‘widow’ Debbie Fendon, who must confess to her son Harry (Craig Roberts) that his father is not, in fact, dead, but hiding in the house as part of an extravagant fraud scheme. Harry is torn between a life-changing amount of money and doing the right thing – and the fact his wife (Doctor Who’s Mandip Gill) is a police officer inevitably makes things trickier. Silly, hilarious and the perfect antidote to gloomy January evenings. 7 January, 9.30pm on BBC One and available to stream on iPlayer
DI Thomas Lynley (LEO SUTER) & DS Barbara Havers (Sofia BARCLAY) in Lynley, coming soon to BBC One and BBC iPlayer. (© BBC/Playground TV)
Lynley
The BBC is breathing new life into Elizabeth George’s classic Inspector Lynley novels, with Leo Suter stepping into Nathaniel Parker’s silk-lined shoes to play the aristocratic detective Tommy Lynley, alongside Sofia Barclay as Barbara Havers. If you were a fan of the original 00s series, don’t fret: this isn’t a like for like adaptation and instead delves into some of George’s work we are yet to see on screen. 5 January, BBC One & iPlayer
Ruth Jones & James Nesbitt in Run Away. (Netflix)
Run Away
It’s an annual tradition: a new Harlan Coben drama drops on Netflix on New Year’s Day. We’ve had Fool Me Once and Missing You, and now it’s time for Run Away which we think could be the best yet. Led by James Nesbitt and based on Coben’s 2019 novel of the same name, we follow a father desperate to bring his run-away daughter back home. Here’s exactly what to expect. 1 January 2026, Netflix
Josh Finan as Dan in Waiting For The Out. (BBC/Sister Pictures/Jessica Sansom)
Waiting For The Out
Another fresh drama coming to the BBC in early January is Waiting for the Out, led by rising star Josh Finan in his first leading role. Based on Andy West’s bestselling memoir The Life Inside and adapted by Dennis Kelly, Finan stars as Dan, a philosopher who begins teaching a class of men in prison, with topics like dominance, freedom and luck gaining new weight when filtered through the prisoners’ eyes. 3 January, BBC One & iPlayer
Patience Evans (Ella Maisy Purvis) in Patience. (Channel 4)
Patience Series 2
Patience launched with a bang last year, shining a new spotlight on neurodivergent crime solving and the city of York. Series 2 will whisk us back to the City of York Police station, where titular character Patience (Ella Maisy Purvis) works in the criminal records department. But with a new boss at the station – DI Frankie Monroe (Jessica Hynes) – there’s a new dynamic to get to grips with. 7 January, Channel 4
Myha’la as Harper Stern in Industry season 4, premiering in January 2026. (BBC/Bad Wolf Productions/HBO/Simon Ridgway)
Industry Season 4
All eyes on Industry, which returns for season 4 in January with a slew of new characters in tow. They are: Kiernan Shipka, Jack Farthing, Toheeb Jimoh, Amy James-Kelly, Max Minghella and Stranger Things‘ Charlie Heaton. And there’s plenty in store to boot, straddling both sides of the Atlantic as our young professionals fight to stay afloat in their cut-throat world of investment banking. 11 January, BBC One & iPlayer
Mia McKenna Bruce & Nabhaan Rizwan in Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials. (© Netflix)
Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials
The queen of crime is back on the small screen in January, with a new adaptation of one of Agatha Christie’s lesser-known tales landing on Netflix. Led by Mia McKenna-Bruce, Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials opens in 1925 and centres on amateur sleuth Lady Eileen Brent who is drawn into a fatal mystery that begins as a practical joke. Helena Bonham-Carter and Martin Freeman also star. 15 January, Netflix
(© Steffan Hill/HBO)
A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms
While we impatiently await House of the Dragon season 3, Game of Thrones fans can enjoy a new spin-off centred on the adventures of hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall (aka Dunk; played by Peter Claffey) and his squire Prince Aegon Targaryen (aka Egg; played by Dexter Sol Ansell). Filmed in Belfast with a cast chock-full of Brits, we think this just about counts as a new British release. Find out more here. 19 January 2026, Now TV
Yerin Ha as Sophie Beckett & Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton in episode 401 of Bridgerton. (Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2025)
Bridgerton Season 4
The highly anticipated fourth season of Bridgerton turns its attention to bohemian son Benedict (Luke Thompson) who falls in love with his mysterious Lady in Silver (Yerin Ha) at a masquerade ball. Find out more here. 29 January 2026, Netflix
Sinead Keenan as Robyn Winters, Caoilfhionn Dunne as Dara Friel & Roisin Gallagher as Saoirse Shaw. (Christopher Barr/Netflix)
How To Get To Heaven From Belfast
A new Irish comedy is on its way to our screens from the creator and writer of Derry Girls Lisa McGee. She brings a stellar cast with her: Roísín Gallagher, Sinéad Keenan, Caoilfhionn Dunne, Michelle Fairley, Josh Finan and Emmett J. Scanlan will all star in the black comedy, which sees three tight-knit childhood friends come together in their 30s to solve the murder of the estranged fourth member of their gang. February, Netflix
First look: Rachel Carey (HOLLIDAY GRAINGER) in The Capture season 3. (© BBC/Heyday Television Ltd/Laurence Cendrowicz)
The Capture Series 3
The BBC’s gripping surveillance drama The Capture is set to return this spring, with Holliday Grainger returning to her leading role as DI Rachel Carey. But this time she is acting head of SO15 and has two new battles to fight. The first will be regaining the public’s trust in surveillance technology after the explosive events of series 2. The second concerns a sophisticated act of terror, which blows the British establishment wide open. Spring, BBC One & iPlayer
Bella Maclean as Taggie & Alex Hassell as Rupert Campbell-Black in Rivals season 2, coming to Disney+ in 2026.
Rivals Season 2
It already feels we’ve been waiting far too long, but Disney assures us Rivals season 2 will land in 2026, starring David Tennant, Alex Hassell, Aidan Turner, Nafessa Williams, Bella Maclean and the whole brood reprising their roles, plus Hayley Atwell and Rupert Everett taking on new roles. Expect sex, puns, countryside views, and even more scandal. TBC, Disney+
Niall (JAMIE BELL) & Ruben (RICHARD GADD) in Half Man. (© BBC/Mam Tor Productions/Anne Binckebanck)
Half Man
Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd makes his much awaited return to the small screen with Half Man in 2026, in which he stars opposite Jamie Bell. The two play childhood friends and estranged adults Niall and Ruben who come together at Niall’s wedding when Ruben unexpectedly shows up. Directed by Alexandra Brodski and Eshref Reybrouck, we will trace 40 years of the boys’ friendship, from meeting as teenagers, falling out as adults and reuniting in the present day. Here’s everything we know. TBC, BBC One & iPlayer
Kristin Scott Thomas and Sir Gary Oldman in “Slow Horses,” premiering 24 September 2025 on Apple TV+.
Slow Horses Season 6
Apple TV has religiously pumped out a new season of Slow Horses every autumn for four years now, and we expect the same to be true in 2026. Led by Gary Oldman, Slow Horses season 6 was revealed to be in the works way back in October 2024, based on two of Mick Herron’s bestselling novels, Joe Country and Slough House. This time the spies are on the run as Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas) seeks revenge. Autumn, Apple TV
Anna (Keeley Hawes) and David (Paapa Essiedu) in Falling. (Channel 4)
Falling
An intriguing new romance is set to land on Channel 4 in 2026, starring Keeley Hawes as Anna, a nun who falls in love with priest David (Paapa Essiedu). Both are committed to the church and their community, so their new feelings push them to grapple with their vows, their relationship with God and the whole concept of love. Penned by Adolescence creator Jack Thorne (who says he ‘never thought [he’d] write a love story’), we’re expecting something positively heart-wrenching from Falling. Here’s what we know so far. TBC, Channel 4
Maddie Close as Jane, Poppy Gilbert as Lizzie, Ella Bruccoleri as Mary, Molly Wright as Kitty & Grace Hogg-Robinson as Lydia Bennet in The Other Bennet Sister, coming to BBC One in 2026. (BBC/Bad Wolf)
The Other Bennet Sister
Austen lovers were treated to Miss Austen last year, and in 2026 the BBC is continuing the trend with a new Pride and Prejudice spin-off, titled The Other Bennet Sister. Focusing on the middle Bennet sister Mary (Ella Bruccoleri), we can expect more Regency goings on, delightful costumes and a positively stacked cast (Richard E. Grant, Ruth Jones and Indira Varma will all star). Find out everything we know so far here. TBC, BBC One & iPlayer
Alan Cumming and David Morrissey. (Channel 4)
Tip Toe
Russell T Davies makes his return to Channel 4 in 2026 with Tip Toe, a new LGBTQ+ suburban thriller delving into the toxic prejudices creeping back into our lives. Alan Cumming and David Morrissey lead as neighbours Leo and Clive, who have lived harmoniously side by side for 15 years, find their behaviour modelled by the changing world around them. TBC, Channel 4
Harry Kane (WILL ANTENBRING) & Gareth Southgate (JOSEPH FIENNES) in Dear England. (© BBC/Left Bank)
Dear England
The National Theatre’s beloved Olivier-winning football play Dear England has been reimagined for the small screen thanks to the BBC. Stage star Joseph Fiennes will reprise his role as Gareth Southgate, with the series delving into the England men’s football team’s trials and tribulations under his management. Here are all the details. TBC, BBC One & iPlayer
Robin Ellacott (HOLLIDAY GRAINGER) & Cormoran Strike (TOM BURKE) in Strike: The Running Grave. (BBC/Bronte Film & TV/Justin Downing)
Strike: The Running Grave
The seventh instalment of the BBC’s beloved Strike crime drama will air in 2026 – though no news just yet on when. Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger will return to their leading roles as Cormoran Blue Strike and Robin Ellacott as they are faced with a knotty new crime. This time, two parents visit Strike’s London office, desperate to reunite with their estranged adult son Will (Fabian McCallum) who has joined a religious cult and is squandering his inheritance. Here’s what to expect. TBC, BBC One & iPlayer
