# What is the best British TV show of all time?

> Gritty crime dramas, sharp political satires, beloved comedies, and genre-defining sci-fi — Britain's TV tradition is remarkably diverse. Cast your vote for the greatest!

*By YPB Team · Published May 11, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-british-tv-show-of-all-time*

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## Current results (0 votes)

1. **Fawlty Towers**
   John Cleese's 1975-79 sitcom about a hapless hotel owner in Torquay, considered one of the greatest comedies ever made.
2. **Doctor Who**
   The BBC's long-running sci-fi series begun in 1963 following a time-traveling alien exploring the universe in a police box.
3. **Sherlock**
   Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss's 2010-17 modern reimagining of Sherlock Holmes, starring Benedict Cumberbatch in a contemporary London.
4. **Fleabag**
   Phoebe Waller-Bridge's award-winning 2016-19 dark comedy about a messy, sharp-witted woman navigating grief and family dysfunction in London.
5. **Peaky Blinders**
   Steven Knight's acclaimed 2013-22 crime drama following the brutal Shelby crime family in post-WWI Birmingham.
6. **Black Mirror**
   Charlie Brooker's anthology series exploring the dark side of modern technology, debuting in 2011 and becoming a global sensation.
7. **The Crown**
   Peter Morgan's lavish Netflix drama chronicling the reign of Queen Elizabeth II across multiple decades and cast generations.
8. **Downton Abbey**
   Julian Fellowes' beloved 2010-15 period drama set in an Edwardian country estate navigating class, war, and changing times.
9. **The Office (UK)**
   Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's 2001-03 cringe mockumentary about a deluded middle manager and his painfully ordinary Slough office.
10. **Monty Python's Flying Circus**
   The Pythons' groundbreaking 1969-74 sketch series that permanently rewired British comedy and influenced generations of writers.
11. **The Thick of It**
   Armando Iannucci's 2005-12 razor-sharp political satire following spin doctors and ministers in a chaotic Westminster government.
12. **Happy Valley**
   Sally Wainwright's tense 2014-23 Yorkshire crime thriller following a tenacious police sergeant tracking down a psychopathic ex-convict.
13. **Killing Eve**
   The 2018-22 spy-thriller cat-and-mouse series pairing Villanelle, a glamorous assassin, with the obsessive MI5 officer pursuing her.
14. **Line of Duty**
   Jed Mercurio's 2012-21 police procedural following a ruthless anti-corruption unit investigating bent officers in a fictional UK force.
15. **Broadchurch**
   Chris Chibnall's 2013-17 gripping murder mystery set in a small seaside town where a child's death tears apart an entire community.
16. **Luther**
   Neil Cross's 2010-19 psychological crime drama starring Idris Elba as a brilliant but tormented London murder detective.
17. **Spaced**
   Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright's cult 1999-2001 sitcom about two strangers who fake being a couple to rent a flat in London.

Tags: tv shows, comedy, british