Hi everyone! We are back with another blog post and I’m asking you all ANOTHER question. I know, the cheek of me! The audacity :O!

No, but guys this is an important discussion - vital, if you will. 

What are the best British Crime Dramas? We all know the British have an absolute talent for creating a gripping crime drama series, but which ones are the best? Well gather around and let’s discuss! 

And for my people that aren’t well versed, let me put you on.

Whether it's MI5, Scotland Yard, or Yorkshire Police, watching the plight of those tasked with keeping the country safe is so fun and engaging.

Line of Duty (BBC iPlayer)

If I didn’t start with the people’s favourite I fear I would lose you all before I even started. LINE. OF. DUTY. What a show. 6 seasons of iconic, nail-biting scenes. 

Line of Duty started in 2012 and season 6 its seemingly final season aired in 2021. Honestly, the journey this show took its fans on is like none other in the UK. Wait a second, I literally just lied. It reminds me of the journey Luther fans were taken on. Although that TV show is much much darker… Anyway, we’ll get into that later. 

The show follows AC-12, an anti-corruption police force created to effectively ‘police the police’. Each season is focused on a specific case but as you watch you find that they may not all be isolated separate incidents. You learn about OCG’s (organized crime groups) and their connection to ‘bent coppers’ (corrupt police officers). Many of the storylines in the show are loosely based on true stories such as the 2005 bombings and the Saville scandal. 

Now the reason Line of Duty is so impressive is the level of detail in the plot and storyline. The show’s creator stated that he already had future storylines thought of from the beginning which gave him toom to re-craft things if he needed to. He also intentionally kills off key characters to keep the audience engaged which is something I love because nothing is worse than watching a show you can predict. Like yes, leave me shocked, confused, and rattled!

 

There’s not much more I can say about the show before I start dishing out spoilers and that’s just NOT what we do here. So take it from your trusted TV show advisor, go and watch Line of Duty. And if you don’t trust me yet (ouch) ask anyone you know, I can guarantee they’ve watched it and absolutely love it. 

There have been countless rumours of a seventh season and I really don’t know how I feel about it. I mean yeah I would love to see some of my favourite characters back at it again but sometimes it’s good for things to end at the natural time they should. It also gives space for new British crime dramas to develop and try to reach the heights of Line of Duty. Similar to how Ronaldo should retire and let someone else break through the Portuguese national team. Oh…maybe that was too niche…you guys get what I’m saying tho hahaha (I hope). 

Bodyguard (Netflix)

This show only required 6 episodes to make the list. 6 episodes. That should tell you something. 

Bodyguard is a limited series and the storyline is very unpredictable. If you’ve seen that video of a van speeding towards a primary school and then blowing up - it’s from here. Yes. I know. Crazy. 

It is a political AND crime drama based on David Budd a war veteran who served in Afghanistan and is now working for the Metropolitan police in the Royalty and Specialist protection brand. So, as the title states - a bodyguard. The story focuses on Budd’s physical and psychological scars from the war while following a series of terror attacks in England. 

Okay but why is it on the list you ask? Well, I’ll start with the plot. It is a complex show meaning it consists of many different parts and components, it isn’t simple. But the way they connect each dot and the way everything has meaning is very cool and interesting. It just adds to the viewer’s experience. I feel as though the complexity of the show is a reflection of the main character’s state of mind - but maybe I’m doing too much. I don’t know you guys let me know!

The show isn’t black and white with a ‘goody’ and a ‘baddie’, it’s a show about terrorism, politics, and the police. How much more grey can it get? Another thing I’ll add is that it’s clear to see how the plot could have been used for a film, as many films follow a similar plot but the limited series format allows for the development of each idea and side story. It didn’t feel rushed and it didn’t feel like it was going on for too long. The creators got the timing just right. The story had a clear beginning, middle, and end, it introduced and got rid of characters well and everything had an explanation. There were no plot holes, loose ends, or lingering questions. (as far as I am aware). 

 

 

Earlier I said that I felt like the complexity of the show is a reflection of the main character's state of mind. Well, this is what I mean (word to Stormzy). 

In the show, David Budd finds himself wrestling with PTSD, dealing with family issues as well as protecting a political figure whose politics he hates. In the show, you can see the war in his mind and how it’s reflected in his actions. He’s very volatile, and unpredictable and he does things that make you wonder if he’s a fool or a genius. 

Being an avid TV watcher has left me with incredibly high expectations for protagonists. I can’t deal with stupid characters who make decisions with no foresight. I need you to be relentless like Catherine Cawood (Happy Valley), smart like John Luther (Luther), or able to connect dots like Steve Arnott (Line of Duty). David Budd did not disappoint me and that’s all I’ll say! He was a really good character to watch because I couldn’t guess what he was going to do next or easily understand who he was and it was due to the multidimensionality of his personality. He wasn’t a one-dimensional character which was refreshing because it reflects reality. We aren’t one-dimensional people. 

The acting was incredibly gripping and convincing but I didn't expect anything less from the actor who played Robb Stark in Game of Thrones (Richard Madden). If you know you know! The North remembers. 

Criminal Record (Apple TV)

I’m going to be so so honest with you all, I watched this show on a whim. When I saw Tom Moutchi (previously known as Tommy Xpensive) was starring I thought ‘Oh might as well give this a spin’. I had no idea what I was about to watch. I can say I was pleasantly surprised. 

The plot follows 2 detectives, one quite early into her career and the other a seasoned veteran who is very well-connected. They clash on an old seemingly ‘solved’ murder case after an anonymous 999 call draws them to it. I need to make something very clear, the plot development in this show is so strong. It was very robust and the way everything connected and linked together had me saying ‘no way!!’ many times. It was very #unpredictable and will have you trying to work out the mystery alongside the detectives. It’s a mystery that gets more intriguing as it develops. The show slightly reminds me of Line of Duty so take from that what you will. 

There are some interesting conversations on race throughout the show as 1 of the main characters is a mixed-race woman, and the man accused of murder is black. It explored racial bias, institutional racism, and micro-aggressions and we were able to see how these themes were dealt with and discussed in the construct of inter-racial relationships. 

 

 

The performances throughout the show are honestly amazing and I think both Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo deserve awards for it. Capaldi is incredibly cold, calculated, and cutthroat and it directly juxtaposes Jumbo’s thirst for justice and the truth. It’s quite gratifying seeing them go head to head. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this British crime thriller and I believe you will too. There’s currently only 1 season but it has been confirmed that season 2 is in the works. 

Happy Valley (BBC iPlayer)

When it comes to this next show I need you alllll to open your ears and listen to me when I say it is EASILY one of the best shows on this list. It’s probably one of the best shows I’ve watched in recent years. 

Catherine Cawood my cappo, my boss, my literal president. One of the greatest main characters I’ve ever experienced. I truly miss watching her on my screen. 

The show started in 2014 and ran until 2023 giving us 3 seasons in that time. ‘3 seasons in 9 years? Surely it can’t be that great then’ is what you're probably thinking. But the reason there was a real lifetime jump of 7 years between seasons 2 and 3 is because the show’s creator wanted one of the characters to be older in the next season and refrained from recasting because the emotional impact wouldn’t be the same. Wow. That is true dedication to the art of TV. I love IT. 

This show is nothing less than amazing. It follows the life of Catherine Cawood, a divorced police sergeant in West Yorkshire trying to recover from her daughter’s suicide that occurred 8 years ago and raising her grandson that was born as a result of her daughter being raped. I know. It’s a lot. Catherine’s intelligence, determination, and grit amidst the trauma she has endured (and endures in the show) are some of the reasons she’s an excellent character to watch. But also, the actress who plays her (Sarah Lancashire) is a phenomenal actress and somewhat of a national treasure with her acting career spanning over 40 years, in theatre and on-screen. 

The believability level of these characters is off the charts. It’s because the writing shows how deeply flawed they all are and the lengths they’d go to for either their loved ones, for justice, or purely for self-preservation. It shows a normal person can have the ugliest attributes pulled out of them, depending on the circumstances. 

I also liked the fact that the show is based in West Yorkshire instead of London, it just mixes things up a bit and it also had my sister and me speaking in Yorkshire accents for a while ahahaha. It’s just one of those shows that everyone loves. 

Slow Horses (Apple TV)

Slow Horses is my most recent watch and I LOVE IT. I have been binging it in the last couple of days and I’m having a great time. Guys don’t sleep on Apple TV, they have a lot of good shows on there even though they barely advertise. 

Slow Horses is a British crime thriller based on a set of novels called Slough House. In Slow Horses, Slough House is basically where all the rejects from the MI5 go who have messed up but haven’t been sacked. It’s supposed to just be an office where the employees do boring admin tasks instead of exciting spy stuff. It’s pretty much a punishment for messing up at some point in your career. However, the rejects of the MI5 still somehow find themselves in and amongst the action and may prove as vital members of the service.

When I first started watching it I was hooked from the first scene although it’s not exactly what it seems. When you watch it you’ll fully understand what I’m alluding to. I’m going to be honest and confess there’s one character that I truly do not like (£10 to anyone that can guess) and what makes it bad is I don’t think I’m supposed to dislike them to this extent. The person isn’t a villain they just get on my last nerve and there’s a serious lack of character development. The show is still in production with season 4 dropping in September, so this person still has an opportunity to grow. 

The way the show is kind of reminds me of a magic trick, it’s all smoke and mirrors because they push a certain narrative but then it turns out it’s something completely different. This is cool because it's their way of making the show unpredictable rather than having a complex storyline. It’s a good watch and very gripping. The show’s creator is another person who kills off any character to keep the audience on their toes. I believe the days of the main characters not dying are starting to come to an end (thank GOODNESS). 

I can’t go without shouting out 2 more British Crime dramas that I think are legendary for different reasons. The 1st is Luther. Idris Elba in this role is truly phenomenal and the story is very dark and gritty and explores the difficulty in separating your personal and professional lives. Luther is a psychological British crime thriller and is one of the earlier British Crime dramas as it came out in 2010. So it’s kind of the ‘godfather’ of the shows on this list. The show was incredibly popular and went on for 5 seasons between 2010 and 2019. Idris Elba reprised his role as John Luther in a Netflix film called ‘Luther: The Fallen Sun’ in 2023 which is a continuation of the last season of Luther. The 2nd show I have to quickly mention also is The Capture which is a British Crime Thriller based on the use of AI and deep-fakes and the conspiracies around it. This show came out in 2019 and has two seasons and I’m hoping there will be a season 3. Both of these shows can be found on BBC iPlayer.

Well there you have it folks, do you think these are the best British Crime Dramas? Let us know!

I hope you enjoyed the post and have a good day

-MNIA