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2.2k voters

The Best BBC Television TV Shows

Updated February 3, 2021 11.6k votes 2.2k voters 96.5k views147 items

List RulesVote up the best original TV shows that have ever debuted on the BBC.

The best BBC shows range from mysteries and dramas to documentaries. This list of popular BBC TV shows is ranked from best to worst thanks to your votes. This list of the top current and canceled BBC Television series includes the date when each show first aired, as well as which actors starred in the show. The best BBC Television TV programs of all time include the most viewed shows on BBC Television, as this list covers shows on BBC channels including BBC One, BBC Two, and BBC Four.

The list of top BBC shows below includes favorite detective dramas like Dirk Gently and Sherlock, comedies like The Office, and other BBC favorites such as The Great British Bake Off and Top Gear.

Although people in different locations grew up with BBC shows on different channels (especially those of us in the states), most of us got the same shows, so don't let your favorite BBC TV shows sink to the bottom of the list! Vote up the best BBC shows and use this list to build a whole new one just like it, then re-rank it to fit your opinion.

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  • 1
    765
    273

    Sherlock

    Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman

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  • 2
    267
    101

    Line of Duty

    Keeley Hawes, Lennie James

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    #71 of 97 The Best Serial Cop Dramas of All Time#25 of 61 The Best Crime Drama Series Airing Now

  • 3
    296
    127

    Top Gear

    Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson

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    #103 of 285 The Best TV Shows Returning In 2021#1 of 62 The Best Car TV Shows

  • 4
    248
    100

    Fleabag

    Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Hugh Skinner

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    The Best Characters On 'Fleabag'#28 of 102 The Best Dramedy TV Series

  • 5
    491
    247

    Doctor Who

    Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant

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    The Most Messed Up Things the Doctor Has Done on Doctor Who#47 of 249 The Best BBC One Shows

  • 6
    219
    83

    Blackadder

    Rowan Atkinson, Brian Blessed

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    #30 of 33 20+ 1980s Sitcoms That Will Still Make You Laugh#129 of 142 The Funniest Shows To Watch When You're Stoned

  • 7
    400
    194

    Merlin

    Colin Morgan, Angel Coulby

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    #2 of 59 The Best Teen Sci-Fi And Fantasy TV Series#68 of 538 TV Shows Canceled Before Their Time

  • 8
    292
    134

    Faulty Towers

    John Cleese, Prunella Scales

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    #73 of 184 The Most Important TV Sitcoms#65 of 149 The All-Time Greatest TV Pilots

  • 9
    182
    66

    Monty Python's Flying Circus

    Graham Chapman, John Cleese

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    #55 of 201 The TV Shows with the Best Writing#30 of 270 The Best Cult TV Shows of All Time

  • 10
    315
    153

    Luther

    Idris Elba, Warren Brown

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    #11 of 33 The Best Current TV Shows No One Is Watching#293 of 340 The Best TV Shows of The Last 20 Years

  • 11
    173
    76

    The Office

    Ricky Gervais, Martin Freeman

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    #216 of 277 The Most Overrated TV Shows Of All Time#8 of 253 The Best TV Shows Streaming On Hulu

  • 12
    168
    79

    The Fall

    Gillian Anderson, Jamie Dornan

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    #256 of 631 The Best TV Shows To Binge Watch#9 of 62 The Best Psychological Thriller TV Shows

  • 13
    162
    75

    The Great British Bake Off

    Sue Perkins, Mel Giedroyc

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    The Best Great British Bake Off Winners, Ranked#8 of 28 Current TV Shows That Basic Bitches LOVE

  • 14
    116
    42

    Only Fools and Horses

    David Jason, Roger Lloyd-Pack

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    #1 of 29 The Best British Sitcoms Of The '80s#44 of 51 The Greatest TV Shows About Brothers

  • 15
    99
    42

    Keeping Up Appearances

    Patricia Routledge, Geoffrey Hughes

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    #317 of 397 The Best TV Shows to Rewatch#128 of 292 The Best Female-Led TV Shows

  • 16
    133
    71

    Death in Paradise

    Kris Marshall, Danny John-Jules

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    #101 of 121 The Best Shows Currently On The Air#18 of 41 The Very Best British Procedurals, Ranked

  • 17
    147
    86

    Torchwood

    John Barrowman, Eve Myles

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    #41 of 94 TV Shows You Wish You Were A Character On#4 of 40 The Very Best British Sci Fi Shows, Ranked

  • 18
    98
    48

    Red Dwarf

    Chris Barrie, Craig Charles

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    #224 of 291 The Greatest Sitcoms in Television History#248 of 508 The Best TV Theme Songs of All Time

  • 19
    98
    49

    The Vicar of Dibley

    Dawn French, Liz Smith

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    #7 of 37 The Best British Sitcoms Of The '90s#19 of 45 The Best TV Shows With Religious Themes

  • 20
    115
    65

    Father Brown

    Mark Williams

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    #7 of 58 The Greatest Period TV Shows Set in the '50s#9 of 116 The Best Costume Drama TV Shows

  • 21
    72
    35

    Shetland

    Douglas Henshall, Alison O'Donnell

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    #9 of 45 The Very Best British Crime Dramas, Ranked#4 of 77 The Best British Detective Series, Ranked

  • 22
    79
    43

    Yes, Prime Minister

    Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne
  • 23
    85
    50

    Spooks

    Richard Armitage, David Oyelowo

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    #6 of 107 The Best Espionage TV Shows#14 of 56 The Best Ever Spy TV Shows

  • 24
    77
    54

    The Sarah Jane Adventures

    Elisabeth Sladen, Daniel Anthony

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    #96 of 149 The Best TV Spinoffs#31 of 34 The Best Sci-Fi & Fantasy Shows On HBO Max

  • 25
    54
    32

    'Allo 'Allo!

    Gorden Kaye, Carmen Silvera

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    #121 of 124 TV Shows with the Hottest Casts#1278 of 1,313 The Best Guilty Pleasure TV Shows

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