First up, we have to talk about the heavy hitters. Shows like Sherlock took a dusty old character and gave him a smartphone and a fast-talking attitude. Benedict Cumberbatch made being a genius look both cool and incredibly exhausting, didn’t he?
Then there’s Doctor Who—the ultimate shape-shifter. It’s a show that’s been around longer than most of us have been alive, and it still feels fresh. How does a show about a time-traveling alien in a blue box stay so relevant? It’s a bit like a classic rock band that keeps reinventing its sound—familiar, but always surprising you.
And we can’t forget Killing Eve, which turned the spy genre on its head. It wasn’t just about the chase; it was about the obsession between two women. Jodie Comer’s Villanelle was terrifying, stylish, and oddly hilarious, making you root for the villain. That’s a magic trick right there.
Comedy Gold: The Art of Being Awkward
If drama is the main course, BBC comedy is the weird, delicious dessert you didn’t know you needed. The Office (UK) is the perfect example. Ricky Gervais’s David Brent is so painfully awkward you have to watch through your fingers. It invented that cringe-comedy style that everyone tries to copy now, but nobody does better. Why do we love watching people fail so much? Because it makes us feel better about our own office lives, probably.
Then you have Fleabag, which is basically a masterclass in being a hot mess. Phoebe Waller-Bridge broke the fourth wall to talk directly to us, the audience, as if we were her only friend. It’s raw, it’s rude, and it’s incredibly tender. It’s like having a coffee with that one friend who tells you every dark, funny secret.
And for pure, silly joy, there’s Monty Python’s Flying Circus. It’s chaos. It’s dead parrots and Spanish Inquisitions. It’s proof that sometimes the best comedy is just nonsense done with absolute confidence. You either get it, or you don’t—and that’s part of the fun.
The 20 best ever shows on the BBC, from Strictly and Fawlty Towers to
Nature and History: The Grand Spectacle
Let’s not forget the BBC’s superpower: making the natural world look like a sci-fi movie. Planet Earth II is basically a blockbuster film, but with real snakes chasing real iguanas. David Attenborough’s voice is like a warm blanket that makes everything feel important. You watch a snow leopard and suddenly care about its life more than your own to-do list.
On the historical side, classics like I, Claudius feel like the blueprint for every modern political drama. It’s Game of Thrones without the dragons, but with ten times the backstabbing. The acting is so intense you’ll forget they’re just people in togas. It’s proof that old TV can still pack a punch.
