BBC One Shows
60 of the most popular shows made for BBC One, most watched first. Only shows that have started airing are listed, and talk, news and reality formats are left out.
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60 titles · updated 3rd October 2026
1.Doctor Who(2005)
7.6Action & AdventureDramaSci-Fi & Fantasy
The Doctor is a Time Lord: a 900 year old alien with 2 hearts, part of a gifted civilization who mastered time travel. The Doctor saves planets for a living—more of a hobby actually, and the Doctor's very, very good at it.
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2.Doctor Who(1963)
7.9DramaAction & AdventureSci-Fi & Fantasy
The adventures of The Doctor, a time-traveling humanoid alien known as a Time Lord. He explores the universe in his TARDIS, a sentient time-traveling spaceship. Its exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a common sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. Along with a succession of…
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3.Death in Paradise(2011)
7.4ComedyCrimeDrama
A brilliant but idiosyncratic British detective and his resourceful local team solve baffling murder mysteries on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie.
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4.Peaky Blinders(2013)
8.5DramaCrime
A gangster family epic set in 1919 Birmingham, England and centered on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby, who means to move up in the world.
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5.Silent Witness(1996)
7.6CrimeDrama
A team of exceptional forensic pathologists and scientists investigate heinous crimes and use their skills to catch the people responsible.
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6.Call the Midwife(2012)
7.6Drama
Drama following the lives of a group of midwives working in the poverty-stricken East End of London during the 1950s, based on the best-selling memoirs of Jennifer Worth.
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7.Jane Eyre(2006)
7.7Drama
Charlotte Bronte's classic about an orphan girl who grows up to become a governess in a gloomy manor in Yorkshire, where she falls in love with the mysterious Edward Rochester.
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8.Father Brown(2013)
7.7DramaCrimeMystery
Father Brown is based on G. K. Chesterton's detective stories about a Catholic priest who doubles as an amateur detective in order to try and solve mysteries.
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9.Shetland(2013)
7.5CrimeDramaMystery
Created from the novels by award winning crime writer Ann Cleeves, Shetland follows DI Jimmy Perez and his team as they investigate crime within the close knit island community. In this isolated and sometimes inhospitable environment, the team have to rely on a uniquely resourceful style of policing.
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10.Spooks(2002)
7.7DramaAction & AdventureCrime
Tense drama series about the different challenges faced by the British Security Service as they work against the clock to safeguard the nation. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, and the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a highly…
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11.Sherlock(2010)
8.5CrimeDramaMystery
A modern update finds the famous sleuth and his doctor partner solving crime in 21st century London.
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12.Last of the Summer Wine(1973)
7.2Comedy
Unencumbered by wives, jobs or any other responsibilities, three senior citizens who've never really grown up explore their world in the Yorkshire Dales. They spend their days speculating about their fellow townsfolk and thinking up adventures not usually favored by the elderly. Last of the Summer Wine premiered as…
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13.Merlin(2008)
7.8Action & AdventureDramaSci-Fi & Fantasy
The unlikely friendship between Merlin, a young man gifted with extraordinary magical powers, and Prince Arthur, heir to the crown of Camelot.
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14.Waterloo Road(2006)
7.1Drama
Waterloo Road is a British television drama series set in a comprehensive school of the same name, first broadcast on BBC One on 9 March 2006, and concluding its original run on 9 March 2015. It was recommissioned in 2021, and resumed starting 9 January 2023. At the failing comprehensive school, and later academy of…
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15.Grange Hill(1978)
6.7Drama
Children's drama series following the lives of students and teachers at Grange Hill comprehensive school.
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16.Waking the Dead(2001)
7.2CrimeMysteryDrama
A detective team apply new techniques to old crimes as they solve cold cases.
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17.New Tricks(2004)
7.3DramaComedy
New Tricks is a British comedy-drama that follows the work of the fictional Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad of the Metropolitan Police Service. Originally led by Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman, it is made up of retired police officers who have been recruited to reinvestigate unsolved crimes.
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18.Would I Lie to You?(2007)
7.8Comedy
A comedic panel show featuring team captains Lee Mack and David Mitchell plus two guests per side, hosted by Rob Brydon (formerly Angus Deayton). Each person must reveal embarrassing facts and outrageous lies during a series of different rounds including "Home Truths", "This Is My..." and "Quickfire Lies". It is up…
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19.Hustle(2004)
7.7ComedyCrimeDrama
A motley group of London con artists pull of a series of daring and intricate stings.
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20.Ludwig(2024)
7.8MysteryCrimeDrama
John Taylor lives in quiet solitude, designing puzzles for a living, under the nom-de-plume of 'Ludwig'. When his identical twin, James, disappears off the face of the earth, John takes over his brother's identity in a quest to discover his whereabouts.
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21.Torchwood(2006)
7.3Sci-Fi & FantasyAction & AdventureDrama
The exploits of a team of people whose job is to investigate the unusual, the strange and the extraterrestrial.
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22.Bob the Builder(1999)
5.9AnimationKids
Bob the Builder and his machine team are ready to tackle any project. Bob and the Can-Do Crew demonstrate the power of positive thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, and follow-through. The team always shows that “The Fun Is In Getting It Done!”
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23.Bergerac(1981)
7.0Drama
Jim Bergerac is a detective sergeant in The Foreigners Office who likes to do things his own way. While dealing with his own personal demons Bergerac has a knack of finding trouble, and sometimes causing it.
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24.Line of Duty(2012)
8.2CrimeDramaMystery
A drama about the investigations of AC-12, a controversial police anticorruption unit.
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25.Not Going Out(2006)
7.5Comedy
Lee is a childish northerner who lives in a fancy penthouse apartment in London who goes through a variety of jobs such as a janitor and ice cream man, as well as attempting relationships with female flatmates. His best mate, Daily Mail reading, middle-class citizen Tim is always there to stop Lee from getting in…
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26.His Dark Materials(2019)
7.8Sci-Fi & FantasyDramaAction & Adventure
Lyra is an orphan who lives in a parallel universe in which science, theology and magic are entwined. Her search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children and turns into a quest to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust. She is later joined on her journey by Will, a boy who…
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27.The Singing Detective(1986)
7.5DramaMystery
Tormented and bedridden by a debilitating disease, a mystery writer relives his detective stories through his imagination and hallucinations.
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28.Dalziel and Pascoe(1996)
6.4MysteryCrimeDrama
In the fictional Yorkshire town of Wetherton, the unlikely duo of politically incorrect elephant-in-a-China-shop-copper DS Andrew Dalziel (pronounced Dee-ell) and his more sensitive and university educated sidekick DS, later DI, Peter Pascoe is always on hand to solve the classic murder mystery, while maintaining…
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29.Shakespeare & Hathaway - Private Investigators(2018)
7.2ComedyDramaMystery
Frank Hathaway, a hardboiled private investigator, and his rookie sidekick Lu Shakespeare form the unlikeliest of partnerships as they investigate the secrets of rural Warwickshire's residents.
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30.Doctor Who(2024)
6.4Action & AdventureDramaSci-Fi & Fantasy
The Doctor and his companion travel across time and space encountering incredible friends and foes.
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31.Birds of a Feather(1989)
6.4ComedyDrama
Birds of a Feather is a British sitcom that was broadcast on BBC One from 1989 until 1998 and on ITV from 2013. Starring Pauline Quirke, Linda Robson and Lesley Joseph, it was created by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, who also wrote some of the episodes along with many other writers. The first episode sees sisters…
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32.All Creatures Great and Small(1978)
7.8ComedyDrama
The trials and misadventures of the staff at a country veterinary office in Yorkshire. James Herriot, a young animal surgeon, moves to a small Yorkshire town to begin his first job.
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33.Shaun the Sheep(2007)
7.7KidsAnimationFamily
Shaun the Sheep thinks and acts like a person in a barnyard, which usually gets him into trouble. The farmer's sheepdog, Bitzer, tries to keep Shaun and his friends out of trouble. The farmer is oblivious to the humanlike features of his flock, who are like one big, happy family.
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34.Ripper Street(2012)
7.4DramaMysteryCrime
A drama set in the East End of London in 1889, during the aftermath of the "Ripper" murders. The action centres around the notorious H Division – the police precinct from hell – which is charged with keeping order in the chaotic streets of Whitechapel. Ripper Street explores the lives of characters trying to recover…
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35.Blue Lights(2023)
7.6CrimeDrama
Follows rookie police officers working in Belfast, a city in which being a frontline response cop comes with unique pressures and dangers.
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36.Luther(2010)
7.9CrimeDramaMystery
A dark psychological crime drama starring Idris Elba as Luther, a man struggling with his own terrible demons, who might be as dangerous as the depraved murderers he hunts.
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37.The Capture(2019)
7.6CrimeDramaMystery
When soldier Shaun Emery's conviction for a murder in Afghanistan is overturned due to flawed video evidence, he returns to life as a free man with his young daughter. But when damning CCTV footage from a night out in London comes to light, Shaun's life takes a shocking turn and he must soon fight for his freedom…
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38.The Musketeers(2014)
7.1DramaAction & Adventure
Set in 17th century Paris, musketeers Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D'Artagnan are members of an elite band of soldiers who fight for what is just. They are heroes in the truest and most abiding sense – men that can be trusted and believed in to do the right thing, regardless of personal risk.
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39.Blackadder(1983)
8.0Comedy
Blackadder traces the deeply cynical and self-serving lineage of various Edmund Blackadders throughout British history, from the muck of the Middle Ages to the frontline of The Great War.
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40.Poldark(2015)
7.8Drama
Britain is in the grip of a chilling recession... falling wages, rising prices, civil unrest - only the bankers are smiling. It's 1783 and Ross Poldark returns from the American War of Independence to his beloved Cornwall to find his world in ruins: his father dead, the family mine long since closed, his house…
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41.Who Do You Think You Are?(2004)
7.0DocumentaryFamily
A British genealogy documentary series in which celebrities trace their ancestry, discovering secrets and surprises from their past.
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42.Absolutely Fabulous(1992)
7.6Comedy
Set in the world of fashion and PR, immature fun-loving mother Edina Monsoon and her best friend Patsy drive Eddie's sensible daughter, Saffron, up the wall with their constant drug abuse and outrageous selfishness. Numerous in-jokes and heavy doses of cruel humour have made this series a cult hit in the UK and abroad.
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43.Antiques Roadshow(1979)
6.7DocumentaryFamily
Antiques Roadshow is a British television show in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom to appraise antiques brought in by local people. It has been running since 1979. There are also international versions of the programme.
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44.The Night Manager(2016)
7.7DramaMysteryCrime
Former British soldier Jonathan Pine navigates the shadowy recesses of Whitehall and Washington where an unholy alliance operates between the intelligence community and the secret arms trade. To infiltrate the inner circle of lethal arms dealer Richard Onslow Roper, Pine must himself become a criminal.
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45.Fleabag(2016)
8.3ComedyDrama
A portrait into the mind of a dry-witted, sexual, angry, porn-watching, grief-riddled woman, trying to make sense of the world. As she hurls herself headlong at modern living, Fleabag is thrown roughly up against the walls of contemporary London, with all its frenetic energy, late nights, and bright lights.
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46.Jonathan Creek(1997)
7.6MysteryComedyDrama
Working from his home in a converted windmill, Jonathan Creek is a magician with a natural ability for solving puzzles. He soon puts this ability to the use of solving impossible crimes and mysterious murders.
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47.Monarch of the Glen(2000)
7.3DramaComedy
Archie MacDonald, a young restaurateur is called back to his childhood home of Glenbogle where he is told he is the new Laird of Glenbogle.
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48.The Sarah Jane Adventures(2007)
7.1Action & AdventureDramaSci-Fi & Fantasy
Sarah Jane Smith is a truly remarkable woman who inhabits a world of mystery, danger and wonder; a world where aliens are commonplace and the Earth is under constant threat. A world that Maria Jackson, a seemingly ordinary girl, can only dream of – until she moves in next door. Nothing will ever be ordinary again.
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49.Lovejoy(1986)
7.4ComedyDramaMystery
The adventures of the eponymous Lovejoy, a likeable but roguish antiques dealer based in East Anglia. Within the trade, he has a reputation as a “divvie”, a person with an almost supernatural powers for recognising exceptional items as well as distinguishing genuine antique from clever fakes or forgeries.
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50.Ghosts(2019)
7.9ComedySci-Fi & Fantasy
A cash-strapped young couple inherits a grand country house, only to find it is both falling apart and teeming with the ghosts of former inhabitants.
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51.'Allo 'Allo!(1984)
7.8ComedyWar & Politics
The misadventures of hapless cafe owner René Artois and his escapades with the Resistance in occupied France.
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52.Lady Chatterley(1993)
6.3Drama
After a crippling injury leaves her husband impotent, Lady Chatterly is torn between her love for her husband and her physical desires. With her husband's consent, she seeks out other means of fulfilling her needs.
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53.Beyond Paradise(2023)
7.1DramaCrime
After leaving paradise and seeking a quieter life, Humphrey has taken a job as Detective Inspector in his fiancée Martha's hometown. But with the high crime rate, maybe things will be louder than expected.
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54.Vigil(2021)
7.2DramaCrime
The mysterious disappearance of a Scottish fishing trawler and a death on-board the submarine HMS Vigil bring the police into conflict with the Navy and British security services. DCI Amy Silva and DS Kirsten Longacre lead an investigation on land and at sea into a conspiracy that goes to the very heart of Britain’s…
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55.Strike(2017)
7.3CrimeDramaMystery
A war veteran turned private detective operates out of a tiny office in London’s Denmark Street. Although wounded both physically and psychologically, his unique insight and background as a military police investigator prove crucial in solving complex crimes that have baffled the police. Based on the bestselling…
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56.Robin Hood(2006)
6.9DramaAction & AdventureComedy
Robin of Loxley returns to England after 5 years of fighting in the crusades alongside King Richard. After losing his estates and being branded an outlaw, he takes on the title of Robin Hood and assembles a ragtag band of outlaw companions. Together they steal from the rich and give to the poor - all the while…
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57.Blake's 7(1978)
7.3DramaSci-Fi & Fantasy
A group of convicts and outcasts fight a guerrilla war against the totalitarian Terran Federation from a highly advanced alien spaceship.
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58.Little Britain(2003)
7.1Comedy
A zany comedy show with Matt Lucas and David Walliams, featuring characters from all over Little Britain.
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59.Great Expectations(2011)
7.3Drama
Orphan Pip discovers through lawyer Mr. Jaggers that a mysterious benefactor wishes to ensure that he becomes a gentleman. Reunited with his childhood patron, Miss Havisham, and his first love, the beautiful but emotionally cold Estella, he discovers that the elderly spinster has gone mad from having been left at the…
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60.Silk(2011)
7.5Drama
Passionate defence barrister Martha Costello faces challenging cases and surprising clients, which test her faith in the criminal justice system. Gifted colleague Clive Reader is called to the bar with her. They work hard with pupils, Nick Slade and Niamh Cranitch, but ultimately only one can eventually be taken on…
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