Over the last decade, television viewers have been spoiled for choice. From gripping dramas and crime shows that leave them breathless with their cliffhangers, to binge-worthy comedies that give off "comfort TV" vibes, British television has produced some genuinely unforgettable shows that have become international hits in a range of genres. Fans have turned the weekly watch into an all-night binge thanks to the surge in popularity of online streaming platforms, and now with social media, TV fans can share their thoughts on the series they love and obsess over globally. Throughout the 2010s, television provided numerous opportunities to expand cultural influence and generate revenue. In 2012, sales of British television to the United States were mostly thanks to the love for ITV's quintessentially British Downton Abbey and BBC's Sherlock.
However, television lovers around the world were no strangers to U.K.-grown series like Ricky Gervais' The Office in the early 2000s, thanks to the brilliant American adaptation it spawned and the fact that it's since been remade in eight other countries. That import (and the bevy of reality shows America has taken from the country) created immense attention toward British television, but there have been many other excellent British shows over the last decade that also deserve worldwide recognition. By now, it's safe to assume that most people enjoy a good binge, so here's a list of the top British television shows from the 2010s that had (and continue to keep) viewers obsessed.
Updated on August 20th, 2023 by Valerie Parker: This article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.
15 Downton Abbey
Downton Abbey, created by Academy Award winner Julian Fellowes, is one of the most popular period dramas of the last decade, airing between 2010-2016 and followed by two movies in 2019 and 2022. The show, set between 1912 and 1926, followed the lives of Abbey's aristocratic family, the Crawleys, and their servants, navigating how they find their way through the quickly changing post-Edwardian world.
Along the way, the characters cope with some of the most momentous historical events of the twentieth century, including the sinking of the Titanic, World War I, and the Spanish influenza outbreak. Fans adored the romanticized "Britishness," class systems, and historic traditions, and by the time the final episode of season one aired in 2010, it had a U.K. audience of ten million viewers. For period drama enthusiasts, it is a must-watch for the romance, storyline and, of course, its typically British vibes.
14 The Crown
The Crown, a sweeping Netflix drama written by Peter Morgan that follows Queen Elizabeth II's reign, has been a hugely successful series throughout the last decade. Following the death of her father, King George VI, the drama opens with the Queen's ascent to the throne. The show is an intimate dramatization of the Windsors' private life and public struggles, as well as significant historical events, making it one of the best historical television shows in recent years.
When the show first aired in 2016, fans were ecstatic to get a glimpse into the life of a royal and all the goings-on of the Queen, who was brilliantly portrayed by Claire Foy in seasons one and two, Olivia Colman in seasons three and four, and Imelda Staunton in season five and the forthcoming sixth and final season. The series has won numerous Emmy and Golden Globe Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series, Best Actress for both Foy and Coleman and supporting actor/actress awards for Tobias Menzies as Prince Phillip and the great Gillian Anderson (in one of her several excellent British TV roles). The show earned praise from critics and fans alike, and it became one of the most binge-worthy programs of recent years.
13 Line of Duty
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Line of Duty first aired in 2012 and very quickly became one of the country's best-performing drama series with 4.1 million views, and is now considered the UK's highest-rated TV drama in thirteen years, taking over Doctor Who and Downton Abbey. The police crime procedural is created by Jed Mercurio, who won a Broadcasting Press Guild Award for best writer here and is also known as the writer of another hit series, Bodyguard.
With its dramatic, gasp-inducing cliffhangers, the series enthralled crime lovers across the country as one of the most compelling thrillers of the decade. It follows the investigations within AC-12, a controversial police anti-corruption unit, as its team explores the police's deep ties to organized crime. British television was treated to several shocking deaths and mind-boggling conspiracy twists here that have had them trying to piece it all together since the start.
12 Sherlock
This adaptation of the always-popular Sherlock Holmes book series was a phenomenon from almost the moment it premiered. From veteran British writers Steven Moffat (Doctor Who, Coupling) and Mark Gatiss (Doctor Who), the series brought the wit and intelligence of the most famous literary detective to the streets of modern London, updating famous stories such as The Hound of the Baskervilles and A Study in Scarlet.
The series kept the bones of the stories but adapted them to fit a modern landscape replete with modern technology, questions of pollution and its impacts, and scientific experimentation. The series propelled its stars, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman into superstardom across the globe, as their on-screen chemistry made them an iconic duo that it was difficult to look away from. This only increases the rewatchable nature of the show, with multiple viewings revealing new clues to the audience that were in plain sight all along.
11 Peaky Blinders
Inspired by the true story of a notorious Birmingham gang, Peaky Blinders hit BBC screens in 2013. Creator and award-winner Steven Knight also found inspiration for the show from his father, telling the story of his uncle's family (the Sheldons) who were part of the heritage of the Peaky Blinders. Fans were loving period dramas in the 2010s, and this one, set in the 1920s, immediately became one of the most exciting, action-packed gangster dramas on television.
The series surged in popularity, becoming one of the biggest word-of-mouth campaigns on television. Tommy Shelby, the gang's leader, is played by Cillian Murphy, who also stars alongside real-life brothers Joe and Finn Cole, as well as the late great Helen McRory as the brilliant Aunt Polly. The Shelby family is a must-watch, their characters being violently lovable with their three-piece tweed suits, occasional outright gang warfare, and a razor blade in their caps.
10 Call the Midwife
Set in Poplar, a poor section of London, during the 1950s and 1960s, Call the Midwife is a series about the midwives who work with the poorest members of British society during a tumultuous and transformational period in British History. Based originally on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, a woman who worked with an Anglican religious order as a midwife in the 1950s, the series has expanded beyond its original source material to continue to tackle historical social issues facing these women and their families.
From the rise of social healthcare and the expanded opportunities it brought to a poor populace still struggling with the impacts of decades of war, to birth issues such as unwanted pregnancies and illegal abortion, birth control, birth defects, female genital mutilation, prejudice, same-sex relationships, prostitution, and incest, the series has addressed complicated and controversial subjects while treating the characters and their struggles with care and consideration. Though much of the cast has changed over the years, the heart remains, and Call the Midwife is currently filming its 2023 Christmas Special as well as the 13th season of the series.
9 Black Mirror
Black Mirror, a 2011 anthology series by Charlie Brooker, is one of the best and most disturbing shows of the previous decade. The Netflix series is a brilliant blend of science fiction and horror (and occasionally touching drama), perfectly portraying the idea of human contact deteriorating as technology advances. Even the show's title has a technological meaning-- the "Black Mirror" alludes to a switched-off phone or television, where we see ourselves reflected in the terrifying black screen, a representation of our reality and even darker future. Each episode confronts dark and serious topics of humanity's deterioration and collapsing future to identify the changes in society due to digital technology.
Season three's "Nosedive" is a great example, where "likes" and ratings on social media affect a person's work, housing, lifestyle, and chances in a dystopian society. It tells the narrative of a woman whose life falls apart as her social media ratings decrease. Each episode taps into the audience's fear of a true dystopian future and shows some frighteningly realistic scenarios of where technology becomes terrifying and literally controls life itself, and Brooker doesn't miss a trick when it came to incorporating a dark meaning into every episode. Black Mirror has been appreciated by a wide range of audiences and has received high ratings and reviews, and now multiple of its episodes have been nominated for awards and even received eight Emmy Awards.
8 Endeavour
Endeavour was a prequel to the popular 1980s and 1990s detective series Inspector Morse, starring John Thaw. Set in the 1960s and 1970s, Endeavour gave audiences a glimpse into the early years of Endeavour Morse (Shaun Evans), who left his studies at Oxford University to pursue a position in law enforcement. His unique experience gave him the ability to bridge the divide between the infamous Oxford "town and gown" divide. Often at odds with his superiors because of his high intelligence and skills as a detective coupled with a sometimes patronizing and supercilious manner, Morse often struggled to advance in his chosen career.
Endeavour had the unique challenge of attempting to tell a compelling story where the audience already knows how the story must end. With popular Endeavour characters like Morse's direct supervisor and mentor, DI Fred Thursday (Roger Allam), his daughter Joan Thursday (Sara Vickers) who became the main love interest for Morse in Endeavour, as well as DCI Reginal Bright (Anton Lesser) being original Endeavour characters who are completely absent from the Inspector Morse series one was left constantly wondering how their stories would end, and why Morse would never mention them again. After 9 seasons, Endeavour came to a satisfying conclusion earlier this year, that bridged the gap between the end of this prequel and it's predecessor.
7 Our Girl
BBC's drama Our Girl launched in 2013 and follows the experiences of a female medic in the British Army. Michelle Keegan, well known for her appearance on Coronation Street, plays Lance Corporal Georgie Lane. The show melted hearts and drew a consolidated audience of 6.3 million, earning a nomination at the Royal Television Society Awards for Best Single Drama, with Michelle Keegan winning a well-deserved TV Choice Awards for Best Actress.
The show is a gritty, realistic, and emotional tale of ordinary people doing extraordinary work, which truly pulled at the viewers' heartstrings. It perfectly conveys the very real struggles that service personnel suffer when returning to normal life and does very well to not glorify war; it has even become more urgently necessary during the recent years of heroic first responders in the COVID pandemic.
6 Luther
Award-winning actor Idris Elba stars in BBC's 2010 psychological crime drama Luther, which became the most-watched show on New Year's Day in 2019; the season five finale also proved itself to be a huge success, attracting 4.6 million views. The show is instantly gripping and follows the life of DCI John Luther, a dedicated police officer working in London's SCU (serious crime unit) who often bends the rules and risks it all to find ways of convicting criminals, but still has his own battles to fight as he must stop the crimes he deals with from consuming him.
Although Luther is an honorable, decent man with good intentions, he is also a self-destructive loose cannon and, frankly, a disaster waiting to happen. His dark personal inner demons wreak havoc among his friends, family, and even ex-wife. Elba's performance as the tortured detective earned him a Golden Globe, a Critic's Choice Television Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor.
5 Broadchurch
Who killed Danny Latimer? That's the question at the heart of the first season of Broadchurch, a British crime drama from Chris Chibnall (Doctor Who, Torchwood), starring David Tennant (Doctor Who, Jessica Jones) and Olivia Colman (Secret Invasion, The Favourite). This question gripped the nation from the moment the first episode dropped, with the British public following closely the 8-episode series to discover which character could have committed the heinous murder of an 11-year-old boy in this small and remote coastal village. Phenomenal performances from Tennant and Colman made the drama real and raw, and when the culprit was finally revealed, audiences felt like they had struggled along with the characters they'd grown to love.
Broadchurch had two further seasons with other mysteries to keep the audience enthralled, but until the end the story of the Latimer family remained the heart of the story as season two focused on bringing Danny's killer to justice, and season 3 continued the story of the Latimer family as they struggled to decide what a normal life would look like for them in the aftermath of Danny's death. Broadchurch was critically acclaimed, with scores above 84% for all three seasons on Rotten Tomatoes, and the series won multiple British television awards, including a BAFTA for Best Drama series in 2014.
4 Killing Eve
Sandra Oh made history in 2018 as the first Asian actress to be nominated for an Emmy for Best Actress in a Drama for Killing Eve, which was followed by a well-deserved Golden Globe. The cat-and-mouse spy drama follows the developing tense (but ultimately romantic) connection between MI6 spy Eve and the glamorous Russian assassin, Villanelle (played by Jodie Comer, who fans are going crazy for).
Eve (Sandra Oh), an American agent working for British intelligence, becomes obsessed with finding a killer after piecing together a sequence of random murders. Villanelle, as charming as she is psychopathic, recognizes that she is being hunted, and so she hunts right back in return. The chemistry of the actresses is excellently conveyed on-screen, and the story of these enemies (but almost lovers) is chilling, enticing, and cut-with-a-knife tense.
3 The Detectorists
The Detectorists is a charming comedy about a pair of metal detectorists in the middle of England, whose dream is to find some piece of British history that will bring them gold and glory, and put them into the history books as having discovered some priceless artifact. The series was created, written, and directed by co-star Mackenie Crook (Pirates of the Caribbean), who took his love for the subject seriously and was often seen between shooting scenes scouring the landscape with his own metal detector.
Crook stars alongside Toby Jones as Andy and Lance, members of the fictional Danebury Metal Detecting Club. The heartwarming comedy follows the pair beyond their hobby, and into their private lives, exploring ideas of greed, betrayal, and redemption, as well as family and friendship. The Detectorists was critically acclaimed, and was nominated for multiple awards, winning the Best Scripted Comedy BAFTA in 2015. The series is a fairly quick binge, with only three-six episode series, and two Christmas specials.
2 The Fall
Everyone enjoys a good murder mystery, and The Fall, released in 2013, introduced viewers to an evil Belfast version of Jamie Dornan, who, amongst the ladies, is best known for his role as Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey. Dornan plays Paul Spector, a handsome husband, and great father by day and a merciless killer of women by night. For lovers of crime series, this was a breathless, edge-of-your-seat series that made viewers uncomfortable to be alone but enamored with the show nonetheless.
Of course, where there is a murderer, there is a cop, and the brilliant Gillian Anderson, also known for her work in Netflix's Sex Education (and, of course, The X-Files) shows up as DI Stella Gibson, to solve the case. When the show first aired on BBC, fans were obsessed with the psychological thriller and all the plot twists thrown at them. The Fall elicited a chilling reaction from fans who were struggling to sleep after watching it, with one saying, "It's traumatizing me but at the same time I can't stop watching it." In true psychological thriller style, it had everyone completely hooked.
1 Fleabag
Phoebe Waller-Bridge is an actress, screenwriter, and playwright who is both brilliant and hilarious. She is most known for creating and starring in the sitcom Fleabag, as well as writing the first season of the television series Killing Eve, and her recent co-starring role in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Waller-Bridge plays a free-spirited and confused young woman who frequently breaks the fourth wall to offer the audience a running commentary and internal monologues. Fleabag received eleven Emmy nominations and Waller-Bridge herself won a British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance.
Despite the fact that Fleabag deals with a lot of serious topics, it has a brilliant and witty feel to it and is still a comedy at heart, which makes it a great binge. The exploration of grief was something that fans absolutely loved over the course of the series; Fleabag deals with grieving following her mother's death and her best friend's suicide, and while it is undeniably dramatic and sincere, the show's light-hearted wittiness and dark comedy provide a fantastic contrast. Years after it has ended, fans continue to rave about the show, making it one of the greatest British TV series of the last decade.