Let’s be real: there aren’t many things quite like a well-regarded British crime drama. There’s something about the fog spreading over cobblestone streets, one-bad-day-from-a-breakdown detectives, or the kind of convoluted plots that require your undivided attention that these shows get just right every time. There’s something wonderfully addictive about slow-building mystery combined with dry humor and a brooding leading man, trench-coated up.
From dozy rural villages with secrets lurking beneath the surface to vast city-state conspiracies, these are 15 of the best British crime dramas to keep you guessing—and stuck to the telly.
15. Grantchester
Think a crime-solving vicar is far-fetched? Not in Grantchester. This lovely 1950s-set mystery series stars James Norton as Sidney Chambers, a jazzy clergyman with a talent for detecting murder. Handed off to gruff inspector Geordie Keating (Robson Green), the team brings both brains and heart to the case. Part cozy period drama, part emotional character study—and all-around easy viewing for fans of gentle mysteries with real depth.
14. The Bletchley Circle
What becomes of the clever ladies of Bletchley Park when they retire their code-breaking skills after WWII? They apply their talents to crime-solving, naturally. This underappreciated gem charts the exploits of a coterie of wartime codebreaker ladies who expose trends the police are too obtuse to detect. With a robust feminist substrate and ingenious plotting, it’s an electrifying indication that intellect doesn’t punch out when the war is over.
13. Foyle’s War
For smart fans of period drama, Foyle’s War is a slow-burning masterpiece. Detective Christopher Foyle (played by Michael Kitchen) solves crimes in and after WWII, and in doing so, uncovers narratives that express the human price of war. The show pairs incisive writing, understated performances, and a morality that feels almost radical in today’s television environment.
12. The Fall
If psychological thrillers are more your speed, The Fall should be at the top of your list. Gillian Anderson stuns as Stella Gibson, a composed detective with zero patience for nonsense—and a laser focus on a serial killer hiding in plain sight. Set in Belfast, the show is a masterclass in tension and subverts expectations at every turn.
11. Shetland
Few programs do location so convincingly as Shetland. Against the sweep of the isolated Scottish islands, this gentle, introspective series tracks detective Jimmy Perez as he solves intricately layered crimes based in close-knit communities. If you enjoy the brooding atmosphere of Nordic noir but prefer something distinctly British, Shetland is your solution.
10. River
Stellan Skarsgård plays a detective tormented—literally—by the ghosts of those he’s lost, including his newly murdered partner. River starts as a generic police procedural but evolves into a beautiful exploration of loss and guilt. It’s odd, affecting, and completely entrancing due to Abi Morgan’s script and Skarsgård’s tour-de-force performance.
9. The Shadow Line
Dark, stylish, and deliberately ambiguous, The Shadow Line is one of those shows that keeps you up at night—not because it’s scary, but because you’re still trying to untangle all the layers. Following both criminals and cops after a gangland murder, the show dives into conspiracy, corruption, and the moral gray areas in between. Moody lighting, philosophical dialogue, and a top-tier cast make it a standout.
8. DCI Banks
Based on the novels of Peter Robinson, DCI Banks offers you traditional British crime—but with a darker, moody twist. Stephen Tompkinson provides subtle intensity as Banks, a Yorkshire cop who confronts both the bizarre and the heartbreaking with equal frequency. It’s good, unobtrusive, and consistently involving for those who like old-fashioned police drama with a beat.
7. Broadchurch
Few crime dramas have punched as hard—or as emotionally—as Broadchurch. When a young boy is discovered dead on a beach in a tight-knit holiday town, the whole community comes apart. Olivia Colman and David Tennant head up an exceptional cast in a tale that’s more concerned with the “why” rather than the “who.” Haunting, superbly acted, and profoundly human.
6. Happy Valley
Don’t be fooled by the title—Happy Valley is far from happy. Sarah Lancashire is compelling as Sergeant Catherine Cawood, a police woman who must deal with grief, violence, and dysfunctional systems in West Yorkshire. It’s realistic, raw, and emotionally shattering—all for the best. Creator Sally Wainwright produces something as realistic as it is engrossing.
5. Luther
Luther doesn’t merely flirt with darkness—it plunges headlong into it. Idris Elba stars as the tortured detective with charisma and fire, pursuing some of Britain’s most horrific killers on television. Sleek, graphic, and even more fascinating, this is one show that leaves you on the brink and never lets go.
4. Sherlock
Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman remake the great detective duo for a new era. With whip-brained dialogue, breakneck speed, and visual panache, Sherlock is not just a remake—it’s a pop phenomenon. From high-tech spy games to old-fashioned deduction, this show serves up twist after twist.
3. Marcella
Unpredictable and utterly engrossing, Marcella traces a retired detective (Anna Friel) back to work—and into her fractured mind. With memory lapses and hidden secrets, Marcella is both detective and enigma in one. It’s dark, gritty, and explores the messy disorder of trauma in a way more procedurals won’t venture.
2. Prime Suspect
Before women were leading crime dramas, there was Jane Tennison. Helen Mirren’s groundbreaking performance of the tough, multi-dimensional DCI set the bar high and changed the genre. Dealing with sexism, personal demons, and the dark price of justice, Prime Suspect is more than a classic—it’s a must-watch.
1. Line of Duty
At the top is Line of Duty, the benchmark for contemporary crime drama. Following an anti-corruption police team, it serves up some of the most astonishing twists and nail-biting questionings in television history. With every season diving deeper into institutional corruption and moral ambiguity, it’s addictive, compulsive, and utterly unmissable.
From ghost-ridden detectives to wartime investigations and bent coppers, British crime dramas provide a rich, diverse terrain for storytelling that grips the viewer. So whether you’re in the mood for a homely mystery or a pitch-black thriller, these programmes demonstrate one thing: no one does crime better than the Brits. And yes—by the end of it all, you could well find yourself sipping tea and solving murders in your mind. With a suspiciously posh accent.