The Very Best British Crime Box Sets To Binge In 2026
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4 days ago
Where to get your thrill fix
Us Brits have a palpable craving for crime dramas. Think rainy northern towns, detectives with a tendency to get a little too involved in the case at hand, and some kind of scandalous sexual relationship, all while curled up on the sofa with a cuppa. Bliss.
Looking for a new series to sink your teeth into? Below, find our pick of the very best British crime dramas to watch next – plus where to find them.
The Capture (2019–present)
If there’s one British thriller with its finger on the pulse, it’s The Capture, which raises the stakes every series to keep up with the news agenda; think deepfake technology, the surveillance state, Russian spies, domineering AI, the rise of the far-right, even rogue soldiers on the Russia-Ukraine frontline. So far three seasons have plummeted DI Rachel Carey (Holliday Grainger) right in the middle of complex crimes, with their solutions pulling her deeper into the conspiracies that underpin our nation. She is joined by a new cast of characters every season, from Callum Turner to Paapa Essiedu. BBC iPlayer
Grace (2021–present)
Sometimes it can feel like the golden era of long-running British crime dramas has passed – but Grace proves how wrong these worries are. Led by John Simm as Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, joined by Richie Campbell as his partner DI Glenn Branson, the duo are charged with untangling knotty cases on Britain’s south coast, to a thrilling effect. Featuring short seasons of film-worthy episodes, and with a seventh series officially en route, it’s the ideal watch for a rainy evening in with a bag of popcorn. ITVX
Line of Duty (2012–21)
This police procedural drama turns the attention on the coppers who are supposed to be stopping crimes, not committing them. Premiering on BBC Two in 2012, the show follows the investigations of AC-12, a controversial police anti-corruption unit, as they uncover corruption within the fictional Central Police. Certainly one of the very best shows on BBC iPlayer, Line of Duty ran for six seasons, delving into an array of different serious crimes while also taking a look at the lives of our three protagonists: DS Steve Arnott (Martin Compston), DC Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar). Plus, another series is on the way… Time to catch up. BBC iPlayer
Shetland (2013–present)
For a long running crime drama breathing fresh sea air into tartan noir, take a look at Shetland, named for the northerly Scottish isles where the action takes place. Based on Ann Cleeves’s novels, audiences fell in love with DI Jimmy Perez (Douglas Henshall) when the show debuted back in 2013. He passed the baton to his sidekick DI Tosh (Alison O’Donnell) from series 8 onwards and, joined by her new policing partner DI Ruth Calder (Ashley Jensen), this new era of Shetland has been no less gripping, with the duo leading investigations into the archipelago’s shadiest crimes. BBC iPlayer
Happy Valley (2014–16 & 2023)
This crime drama recently made a comeback for a third series, seven years after series two. Taking viewers across to the Calder Valley, West Yorkshire, we follow Sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire), a police officer who is dealing with personal tragedy while investigating cases in a small town. Unusually intimate, there’s a unique focus on Cawood’s life – a fiercely protective woman grappling with a whole host of personal demons. BBC iPlayer
Strike (2017–present)
Based on Robert Galbraith’s novels of the same name (that’s a pen name for JK Rowling), the BBC detective drama Strike has the essence of a bygone era. The series orbits Cormoran Blue Strike (Tom Burke), a war veteran turned London private detective with a talent for unpicking knotty cases on the fringes of the city, aided by his assistant Robin Ellacott (Holliday Grainger). The result is a moody, gripping series that sidesteps the genre’s glossier clichés in favour of something sturdier, stranger and refreshingly old-school. And with a seventh series en route, it’s prime time for a binge watch.
Ragdoll (2021)
If you are looking for something keep-you-up-at-night twisted, look no further than Ragdoll, U&Alibi’s gripping mystery-thriller starring Henry Lloyd-Hughes and Thalissa Teixeira as complicated best friends DS Nathan Rose and DI Emily Baxter, along with Lucy Hale as the determined DC Lake Edmunds. Rose is at the centre, a cop tormented by the serial killer Mark Hooper, whose vicious killings seem to be creeping closer to his front door. U
Blue Lights (2023–present)
Over to Belfast for this crime drama, which follows three new police officers as they navigate the unique pressures and dangers of being frontline response cops in the city – from finding killers to figuring out who wants to kill them simply because of the uniform they wear. Our protagonist, Grace (Siân Brooke), leaves her stable job as a social worker in her 40s to join the police force, all the while being a mum to a teenage boy. Series creators Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson have been praised for their attention to detail, providing a nuanced overview of Belfast’s complex policing. Debuting in March 2023, with three seasons to binge and a fourth in the works, expect tension and suspense by the bucketload. BBC iPlayer
Broadchurch (2013–17)
Chris Chibnall’s Broadchurch ran for three series on ITV from 2013–2017, meaning there are 27 episodes ripe and ready for streaming. Set in Broadchurch, a fictional, close-knit town in Dorset, the series centres on Detective Inspector Alec Hardy (David Tennant) and Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) who, in the first series, are tasked with finding the killer of an 11-year-old-boy. Jodie Whittaker, Andrew Buchan, Arthur Darvill, Carolyn Pickles and Jonathan Bailey all make appearances across the series, which heightens tension and realism with documentary-style visuals, exploring the impact that suspicion has on a small town. ITVX
Peaky Blinders (2013–22)
This British period crime drama garnered critical and commercial acclaim across its nine-year run, repopularising flat caps and tweed, while shining an uber bright spotlight on the talents of Cillian Murphy. Beginning in Birmingham in 1919, in the direct aftermath of WWI, the series centres on the eponymous street gang, their exploits across robbery, violence, racketeering and illegal bookmaking, and their ambitious, cunning crime boss, Tommy Shelby (Murphy). With a reboot en route, it’s time to get bingeing. BBC iPlayer
Luther (2010–19)
A classic in the British crime genre, Idris Elba stars as the titular DCI John Luther in this thriller, a detective inspector in a Special Crimes Unit in London who has a talent for solving cases but also struggles with his own personal demons. A dark and compelling series that has been praised for its writing, acting and direction, Ruth Wilson co-stars as Alice Morgan, a psychopathic but brilliant young woman who has a complicated relationship with Luther. BBC iPlayer
Sherlock (2010–17)
Based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s world-famous detective, each episode of this modern BBC spin-off is a film in its own right. Benedict Cumberbatch leads the series as an annoyingly clever Sherlock Holmes, with Martin Freeman playing his sidekick Dr John Watson. Set in modern-day London, Doyle’s original stories experience a fresh spin, successfully attracting a brand new dedicated audience. BBC iPlayer
Bodyguard (2018)
Richard Madden delivers a stellar performance as David Budd in this thriller, which is one of the best crime box sets for politics fans. A heroic but volatile war veteran, Budd is now working as a Specialist Protection Officer for the Royalty and Specialist Protection Branch of London’s Metropolitan Police Service. After a heroic act which prevents a terrorist attack on a train, Budd is assigned to protect the Home Secretary, Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes), who is a controversial figure in politics. It’s extremely tense and thrilling, keeping viewers glued to the edge of their seats. Netflix
Fool Me Once (2024)
This star studded British drama took the UK (and the world) by storm when it launched on New Year’s Day 2024. Based on Harlan Coben’s novel of the same name (but transporting the action from New York to northern England), we follow Maya (Michelle Keegan), an ex army officer grieving the murders of both her husband and sister when, one day, she spies something disturbing on her nanny cam: her dead husband playing with her toddler daughter. What ensues is a frenzied investigation into the days leading up to her husband’s death, which leads Maya to her sister; could their murders be connected? Netflix
The Gold (2023–25)
What better crime box set than a true crime series based on one of the UK’s most notorious cases in history? Such is The Gold, which star Tom Cullen summarises like so: ‘In 1983, six masked men from South London stormed a Heathrow depot and stumbled across £26 million in gold bullion and decided to nick it. Series 1 is all about how that gold was smelted and slipped into the British economy, and the police investigation to find those responsible.’ Thus is the action of series 1, while series 2 delves into more of the impact and the continued hunt for the truth. Starring Hugh Bonneville, Jack Lowden, Charlotte Spencer and more, it’s a gripping must watch if you love a bit of dark British history. BBC iPlayer
Slow Horses (2022–present)
This Apple original drama has taken the crime-loving world by storm in recent years. We centre on a team of British intelligence agents who have all committed career-ending mistakes. As a result, they are resigned to Slough House and nicknamed the ‘slow horses’, damned to dull, paper-pushing tasks while enduring verbal abuse from their miserable boss, Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman). However, the slow horses still manage to get involved with investigating schemes that endanger Britain, and each season focuses on a different plot. Officially Apple TV’s longest-running original series, it’s primed for a binge watch. Apple TV
