The 12 best British TV shows to stream on Netflix

Now that people are streaming more and more hours of TV, it’s crucial we have as many recommendations as possible at our fingertips.

And while you may well have cranked through Netflix’s biggest originals, its most addictive reality shows, and even its most underrated shows, we’re willing to bet there are a few avenues you’ve yet to explore.

British TV shows, for instance. From crude comedy to coastal crime, there’s a whole host of UK shows ready to stream on Netflix, whether you’re more interested in the Royal Family or the Shelby Family.

We’ve handpicked the best of Netflix’s British offerings, in no particular order, for your next streaming session. Tea and biscuits at the ready…

What’s it about?

Despite his own lack of experience, the son of a sex therapist inadvertently becomes a source of advice for his college peers.

Why should you watch it?

Like Lovesick, which also features in this list, Sex Education is a show that wildly surpasses its slightly silly-sounding premise. This is largely down to creator Laurie Nunn’s complex characters and strong writing combined with an excellent cast (which includes Gillian Anderson absolutely nailing her role as the aforementioned therapist, and a slew of A+ performances from the show’s younger stars led by Asa Butterfield, Emma Mackey, and Ncuti Gatwa). Ultimately, the show has all the kind of things you look for in a comedy/drama about high-school age teens: plenty of awkwardness, plenty of gloriously ridiculous situations (as well as very serious ones) and a poignant emotional core. – Sam Haysom, Deputy UK Editor

What’s it about?

The British Royals are a family that’s had more drama and dilemmas than you’ve had hot dinners. The Crown kicks off right before Queen Elizabeth II ascends to the throne and follows her trajectory from princess to queen, and the trials and tribulations that cropped up throughout her reign. 

Why should you watch it?

The drama! The intrigue! The suspense! But in all seriousness, you don’t have to be a Royalist to be completely gripped by this show. There’s a kind of unflinching, warts-and-all quality to this dramatisation of the real-life events that went on behind the scenes at Buck House. In the first two seasons, Claire Foy plays a young Queen Elizabeth getting to grips with her role as sovereign. In Season 3, the regal baton is passed to Olivia Colman, who plays a middle-aged Queen grappling with other challenges. If anything, watch for the standout performance from Helena Bonham-Carter as an imperious and troubled Princess Margaret, struggling to come to terms with life outside of the limelight. After watching, you won’t look at the Royals in the same way again. – Rachel Thompson, Senior UK Culture Reporter

What’s it about?

All the dark and difficult places our rapidly advancing technology might lead us to.

Why should you watch it?

Charlie Brooker’s anthology sci-fi drama is absolutely bursting with ideas. That’s one of the great things about it — even if you’re not a huge fan of the topic explored in one episode, chances are you might well enjoy the next. Robots, social media, video games and the future are grief are just some of the subjects that get touched upon in Black Mirror, and each exploration is as disturbing as it is thought-provoking. Possibly not a show to watch if you’re in an anxious mood, but perfect if you want to embrace some good ol’ existential terror. – SH

What’s it about?

The messy lives of sixth form students in the UK city of Bristol.

Why should you watch it?

That’s right, another show about sixth form students! Unlike The Inbetweeners, though, this one isn’t just an out-and-out comedy – it also contains a fair bit of drama and darkness. One of the interesting things about Skins is its structure — every two seasons we get a new group of characters, following them on their two-year journey through college and injecting the show with a batch of fresh faces. The same issues and themes crop up throughout, though, with the show refusing to shy away from topics like bereavement, mental illness and suicide. Does it get slightly far-fetched every now and then? Yes. But at its best (as it is in the first two seasons), it’s an engaging and poignant study of complex characters navigating a difficult chapter in life. – SH

What is it?

A reality TV series in which contestants compete through the delicious medium of bakery.

Why should you watch it?

At the risk of making a fairly terrible pun, Bake Off has all the right ingredients — tension, humour, and (perhaps most critically of all) a healthy handful of baked goods. It’s one of those shows that’s a glorious mixture of tense and relaxing. You can feel the nerves sweating off the contestants as they desperately will their doughy creations to rise in time, but it’s all okay because you’re watching from the comfort and safety of your own sofa. Hey, you may even be inspired to get the baking tray out yourself. – SH

What’s it about?

After discovering he has chlamydia, a 20-something garden designer has to contact all of his previous sexual partners to inform them.

Why should you watch it?

If you think the plot summary of Lovesick sounds ridiculous, just wait until you hear what the show was originally titled: Scrotal Recall. Yep. When the comedy/drama moved from Channel 4 to Netflix, though, it was (thankfully) renamed. “I mean, technically the name made sense in a funny way, but actually it completely mis-sold it in terms of tone and what we were trying to do,” actor Antonia Thomas, who plays central character Evie, told Paste Magazine. That pretty much hits the nail on the head, too — Lovesick isn’t just a silly comedy. It’s a smart, often poignant portrayal of tangled friendships and relationships. – SH

What’s it about?

Four awkward teenage friends navigating the social hierarchies of sixth form (for anyone reading in the U.S., sixth form is the UK equivalent of high school).

Why should you watch it?

When The Inbetweeners came out back in 2008, it tapped into a wonderfully crude, awkwardly teenage, and very British type of humour that felt sort of unique. And over a decade later, it still does. The show is absolutely unapologetic in its portrayal of the kind of things 17-year-old boys joke about, and it’s all the better for it. It’s also unapologetically cringey — over the course of its three-season run, the characters manage to embarrass themselves in pretty much all of the worst ways you can imagine. You might watch some of it through a gap in your fingers, but you’ll be laughing while you do it. – SH

What’s it about?
The Peaky Blinders are a local gang and family business quietly running Birmingham, England after World War I. They’re led by the formidable and captivating Tommy (Cillian Murphy), whose demons only seem to grow. 

Why should you watch it?
It feels blasphemous to call Peaky Blinders a gangster show or a crime drama, because none of those storylines, while they may provide visceral fight scenes set to rock music, come anywhere near the gripping heartbeat of Tommy and the Shelby family. Murphy has put nothing but his best foot forward since day one, backed up by a solid cast of supporting players (most notably Helen McCrory as the endlessly alluring Aunt Polly). The production and cinematography are nothing short of arresting, immersing us so fully in the harshness of this world that it’s jarring to leave. – Proma Khosla, Entertainment Reporter

What’s it about?

A new member of staff (Katherine Parkinson) becomes manager of the world’s quirkiest IT department.

Why should you watch it?

Back before Chris O’Dowd and Richard Ayoade were tearing it up in Hollywood (you may recognise the former from the likes of Bridesmaids, while the latter directed Jess Eisenberg in The Double) they were tearing it up as a pair of gloriously inept IT experts in this silly sitcom. This one’s a bit of a noughties classic in Britain — the characters are larger-than-life, the situations are ridiculous, but somehow it all sort of works. Perfect if you’ve got 25 minutes to kill and you don’t want anything too taxing. – SH

Image: BBC 

What’s it about?

An eccentric (but brilliant) detective solving crimes in England’s capital.

Why should you watch it?

When you think of onscreen performances of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved detective Sherlock Holmes, does anyone but Benedict Cumberbatch come to mind? Truly wiping the cold slab clean with his version of the frustratingly brilliant crime-solver and self-described sociopath, Cumberbatch is reason enough to watch the BBC’s beloved series of Sherlock, created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. 

Lucky for you, there’s also long-suffering sidekick John Watson played with exasperated relatability by Martin Freeman, and machiavellian archenemy Jim Moriarty played by a chillingly playful Andrew Scott. Each episode, loosely based on Conan Doyle’s stories, offers up a new case for Sherlock and Watson to solve, with the tiniest of clues always changing the game by the final reveal. — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor

What’s it about?

In a quiet seaside community on England’s south coast, a little boy turns up dead at the base of the cliff. As two detectives dig into the case, the town unravels around them.

Why should you watch it?

We could write a whole article about how great Broadchurch is — and actually, back in 2017, we did! Our opinions haven’t changed a bit since. If you like moody crime shows and watching Olivia Colman’s brilliant acting (who doesn’t?), then this is one for you. The entire cast is amazing, in fact, and the writing (from current Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall) is on point throughout. Fair warning, the show isn’t exactly light viewing, but if you’re in the mood for some gritty whodunnit drama, you’ll be right at home. – SH

What’s it about?

A former Army veteran with PTSD takes on the role of principal protection officer for the UK’s Home Secretary.

Why should you watch it?

If you think actor Richard Madden looks familiar in this show, it’s probably because you last saw him getting pasted into oblivion at everyone’s least favourite Game of Thrones wedding. Poor old Madden doesn’t have a much easier time of it in Bodyguard, either — although we’d be lying if we said his struggles don’t make for some addictive viewing. Jed Mercurio’s pacey series is everything you’d expect from a police thriller, with twists, tension and explosions aplenty. But what makes it even better is how well drawn the characters are. – SH