Britain is Great. Our humour is great and with that greatness comes a host of absolutely fantastic TV. Some of which cannot be replicated across the pond (The Inbetweeners for example).
With that, we're aiming to give you a very tip-of-the-iceberg look at 10 of the best British TV series to watch on Netflix right now.
Whether you're a foreign national visiting looking for some British culture to indulge in, home grown and new to the world of subscription ad-free TV, or somewhere in between, we are certain there's a British TV series here you will enjoy.
The Crown
As you may have guessed by the title, The Crown is a TV series encapsulating the happenings of the British royal family, specifically focussing on the life Queen Elizabeth II.
Beginning in 1947, The Crown details the life of Queen Elizabeth II, from her wedding to Philip Mountbatten - a prince of Greece and Denmark in his own right - until the early 21st century.
The Crown hosts a large British ensemble, from Golden Globe winner Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II in series one and two to Academy Award winner Olivia Colman in series three and four. You'll also find former Doctor Who lead Matt Smith cast, as well as Helena Bonham Carter (Les Miserables, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2), Vanessa Kirby (Fast and Furious - Hobbs and Shaw) and Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) to name a few.
Featuring three full series to date, with the fourth series due late in 2020 and two more commissioned, The Crown is exclusive to Netflix and well worth a free months subscription to binge the series in full to date.
Shameless
The original and best version of Shameless is set on a Manchester council estate and follows the ups and downs of the Gallagher family (no, not that Gallagher family) as they navigate their way through life, via theft, parties, booze and much much more.
Starring David Threlfall as hapless father Frank, Shameless is an authentic, if not a little eccentric, view of life in England for those living on the bread line and below.
Featuring 11 series before it concluded, Shameless employs a stellar British cast, some of whom credit the show with kick-starting their careers.
Originally broadcast on Channel 4 from start to finish, Shameless can now be found on Netflix in its entirety. Definitely worth a watch if you're interested in the more gritty aspects of British culture and not the rose-tinted view you'll see in most movies set in Great Britain.
The English Game
The English Game is a 2020 adaptation of how football as we know it today came to be.
Following the acquisition of highly-rated players Fergus Suter and fellow Glaswegian Jimmy Love from Partick by a Darwen factory owner, The English Game portrays how a tiny town in East Lancashire rose to the challenge of the southern elite.
Created and written by Julian Fellowes, known worldwide for his smash-hit Downton Abbey, The English game is not just a series about the beginnings of the beautiful game, but a look at how life in the poor, working class North West differed so much to that of the richer upper class South East and how the crossing of two paths helped change how modern football is competed today.
A Netflix Original, The English Game can only be watched on the streaming platform and is well-worth a watch if you're interested in a look at what life in the cotton mills was like, the industrial revolution and formation of modern football.
White Lines
White Lines dropped on Netflix in May and really helped a lot of us cope with the coronavirus lockdown imposed in late March.
The series is ten episodes following Zoe Walker, played by Laura Haddock (The Inbetweeners Movie, Guardians of the Galaxy) whose brother Axel is found dead on a piece of land owned by the infamous Calafat family, 20 years after going missing while working as a DJ on the Spanish island of Ibiza.
Shot primarily in Majorca, with some scenes shot in Ibiza and others in Greater Manchester, White Lines retraces the steps of Axel Walker (Tom Rhys Harries) as he leaves Manchester during the Madchester era to set up as a DJ on the island of Ibiza with friends after being repeatedly gatecrashed by police for setting up illegal raves in the city.
20-years after going missing, Walker's body is located and sister Zoe flies in to untangle the web of history surrounding her estranged brother.
A Netflix original with notably powerful performances from Nuno Lopes (Saint George) and Daniel Mays (The Bank Job, The Firm), White Lines is a real escape from reality and very fun from beginning to end. And if by the conclusion you don't love Boxer as much as I did, you need to watch it again.
Line of Duty
Cop drama created and broadcast on BBC One originally, but now available in its entirety (to date) on Netflix, Line of Duty is a bit of a twist on the usual Police dramas you see.
Following Superintendent Hastings, DS Arnott and DI Fleming of AC-12 (Anti Corruption unit 12) as they investigate corruption within their own police force.
The series opens as DS Arnott is transferred to AC12 after refusing to cover up an unlawful shooting by his own team. Arnott is partnered by DC Kate Fleming, a highly commended undercover agent and Superintendent Ted Hastings who holds a firm line and follows the book as if it was a matter of life and death.
Line of Duty currently boasts five series and has hosted a stellar cast during its run including Thandie Newton (Crash, Solo: A Star Wars Story), Daniel Mays (White Lines, 1917), Stephen Graham (Snatch, The Irishman), not to mention mainstay stars Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar.
Series one to five are viewable on Netflix right now, with a sixth series due on BBC One in the not too distant future and I would highly recommend you do catch up before series six as it's going to be absolutely bloody brilliant.
Safe
TV series based on the best selling book by Harlan Coben, Safe is set inside a fictional gated community in Great Britain.
Set in a fictional middle-class looking part of Britain, Safe follows pediatric surgeon and widowed father of two teenage daughters, Tom Delaney played by Michael C. Hall (Six Feet Under, Dexter).
Delaney often struggles to connect with his daughters as they still grieve the loss of his wife and their mother from cancer one year before.
After his 16-year-old daughter Jenny goes missing, Tom uncovers a web of secrets as he frantically searches for her.
A Netflix Original, Safe isn't new, but with the emergence of The Stranger earlier this year, Safe made a return to the trending page and if you haven't seen it yet and enjoy a mystery drama, check it out.
How to Live Mortgage Free with Sarah Beeny
A little different from the others in the list, How to live Mortgage Free with Sarah Beeny is more about real estate than drama, mystery and action.
Beeny is well-known in the property world and has been presenting TV programmes on real estate her whole career. How to Live Mortgage Free with Sarah Beeny follows the broadcaster around the UK, showing of various beautiful parts of the British Isles and meeting the weird and wonderful people who have made a life living mortgage free in some wonderful homes.
Whether you're interested in seeing parts of Britain you've not seen before or are interested in money saving tips for your own future, How to Live Mortgage Free with Sarah Benny is a really good series to enjoy that doesn't require your utmost attention at all times,.
If you love Homes under the Hammer or programmes of the ilk, then you should definitely check out this Netflix exclusive.
After Life
A masterpiece. Quite literally one of the best British TV Series you will ever watch. Love him or loathe him, Golden Globe winner Ricky Gervais is absolutely fantastic at making TV.
After Life follows Tony, whose life is struck with catastrophe when his wife dies from breast cancer.
A black comedy, After Life shows the ups and downs of Tony's life as he contemplates suicide to join his wife, whom he is lost without. However after being determined to do whatever he wants, we're taken on a journey of self-reclamation, meeting a fantastic British cast along the way including Diane Morgan (David Brent: Life on the Road, Cunk on Britain), David Bradley (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone) and Mandeep Dhillon (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) to name a few.
After Life is set in the fictional town of Tambury, where Tony works as a journalist at the local free newspaper, theTambury Gazette.
A Netflix Original and boasting two series, After Life is one of the best black comedies you will ever see. You'll laugh, you'll cry and at the end you'll be left wanting more.
Derry Girls
Derry Girls is one of the funniest, down to Earth comedies I have watched in recent memory. Classic British Humour personified during the political landscape of The Troubles of the 1990s.
Starring Saoirse-Monica Jackson as Erin, her cousin Orla (Louisa Harland), their friends Clare (Nicola Coughlan) and Michelle (Jamie-Lee O'Donnell, and Michelle's English cousin James (Dylan Llewellyn) navigate their emotionally ever-changing teens during the 90s at the end of The Troubles in Derry, where they attend a Catholic girls' secondary school.
Derry Girls originally broadcast on Channel 4 and has a third series in production, hopefully ready for a 2020 release on the same channel.
Netflix has acquired the rights to show Derry Girls' first two series to date and if you're interested in period drama (although very recent historically) intertwined with authentic British humour, this real coming of age series is for you.
The Stranger
The StrangeR is the latest in Harlan Coben's book adaptations and the second to be set in the UK and shot primarily in the beauty of Greater Manchester, from Stockport to Ramsbottom.
Akin to Safe, I don't want to say too much to avoid spoilers, but if you've seen Safe and not yet seen The Stranger - what are you waiting for?
Ten episodes of gritty drama after a young woman appears out of nowhere and reveals secrets within a community, uncovering a deep web of deceit and more.
Starring Richard Armitage (Oceans 8, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) as a father whose wife mysteriously vanishes and Hannah John-Kamen (Game of Thrones, Ant Man and The Wasp) as The Stranger, the series keeps you hooked from start to end and never gives away any of its twists and turns along the way.
A Netflix Original that will stick around a while and a series which you will want to binge from start to end once you play the first episode.
A varied selection that should get even the most difficult to please viewer interested. Some more than others. But there's definitely something there for everyone.
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