The BBC has a reputation for producing brilliantly-crafted and memorable TV shows, and thankfully, you can watch a good range of them on Netflix in the US, the UK, and Australia. As well as big favourites like Sherlock, Netflix is home to some hidden British gems you might have missed. Here are the six best BBC shows on Netflix.
Luther
Idris Elba is pitch-perfect as the obsessive and ruthless DCI Luther – no wonder he won a Golden Globe for the part. Luther’s personal life falls apart as he battles to take down London’s most dangerous killers by any means necessary.
Unlike most crime shows, the killer is revealed early on, turning the focus away from the mystery and towards the chase. A psychological thriller with elements of horror, Luther is delightfully overdramatic and will have you hiding behind cushions, too scared to watch. A diverse cast includes The Affair’s Ruth Wilson as a genius Hannibal Lecter-esque psychopath constantly grinning with lacquered lips.
The BBC has given the go-ahead for Series 5 of Luther, which will start filming next year. Until then, you can catch up on the heart-stopping 16 episodes on Netflix in the UK, US, and Australia. Come on, it’s Idris Elba.
Call the Midwife
Following a group of midwives in the East End of London in the 1950s and 1960s, Call the Midwife is far more than a fluffy period drama. Based on the real-life memoirs of Jennifer Worth, the show is a reminder of how the lives of women have changed since those days – and how they haven’t.
Warm and relatable, Call the Midwife features an extraordinary ensemble of female characters and a talented cast including Pam Ferris, Judy Parfitt, and comedian Miranda Hart. Each episode focuses on a couple of storylines as the midwives care for women and babies in their community. Revolving around the highs and lows of pregnancy and childbirth, Call the Midwife tackles issues like poverty, abortion, domestic abuse, and disability with sensitivity and compassion. You’ll laugh and you’ll cry.
Spanning seven series and 60 episodes, there’s plenty to binge. Six seasons of the show are available on Netflix in the US and Seasons 1-5 are available on Netflix UK and Australia.
The Office
BBC’s The Office is one of the most influential sitcoms in the last 20 years, sparking a hugely popular American version and dozens of other mockumentaries. With only two series plus two Christmas specials, it’s tiny compared to the US version, which sprawled over 200 episodes in its nine-season run. But what it lacks in length, it makes up for in excruciatingly cringeworthy, and incredibly British, humour.
First airing on the BBC in 2001, The Office is still timelessly funny today. With well-observed characters, Ricky Gervais’ infamous dance, a stapler in jelly, and a slow-burn romance worthy of Austen, The Office perfectly walks the line between tragedy and comedy.
The Office, as well as the 2016 spin-off movie, David Brent: Life on the Road, are both available to watch on Netflix in the UK, US, and Australia.
Line of Duty
Like cop shows, but wish they had more red tape? Then look no further. Line of Duty follows the fictional police anti-corruption unit AC-12 as they investigate what Superintendent Ted Hastings (played wonderfully by Adrian Dunbar) calls ‘bent coppers’.
Featuring very long interviews with more police speak than you can handle, Line of Duty probably shouldn’t be as gripping as it is. But with plot twists, shock exits, and loads of drama, this tightly-wound conspiracy thriller really thrills. Underpinned by nuanced performances from the whole cast – particularly Keeley Hawes and Westworld‘s Thandie Newton – Line of Duty is one of the most electrifying shows on TV. Avoid spoilers, and watch it at home with your phone switched off. By the time the music starts kicking in towards the end of an episode, you’ll be screaming at the screen.
There are four series, and you won’t have peace until you’ve watched all of them. If you’re in the UK or Australia, then you can binge it all on Netflix now.
Planet Earth
There are nature documentaries, and then there are award-winning BBC nature documentaries narrated by David Attenborough. This is the latter.
Planet Earth originally aired on the BBC in 2006, with a follow-up series, Planet Earth II, appearing ten years later. Both were filmed over several years with the most advanced technology. Visually stunning and accompanied by beautiful soundtracks, it’s easy to get lost in this hypnotic journey through the natural world.
Equal parts inspiring, terrifying, and funny, Planet Earth will make you stop and think about our amazing planet. Watch it on Netflix now, in the highest definition you can. If you’re in the US or Australia, you can also catch the 2016 follow-up, Planet Earth II, on Netflix.
Peaky Blinders
With a stellar cast including Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, and Sam Neill, Peaky Blinders tells the incredible story of a ruthless gang who ruled the streets of Birmingham in the 1920s. The real-life peaky blinders are said to have sewn razor blades into their caps (and used them to attack anyone who crossed them) but they probably didn’t look this cool while they were doing it.
This violent gangster family epic is packed with action, double crossings, gorgeous costumes, and a haunting modern soundtrack – so you can see why reviewers called it “the British Boardwalk Empire” when it first aired.
The show’s creator has just confirmed that Peaky Blinders will come back for more series – and even a ballet version is in the works – so, catch up on the first four series now on Netflix in the US and the first three in the UK and Australia.
