The greatest 100 TV shows ever made REVEALED (and number 1 will come as no surprise!)… but does YOUR favourite make the list?

Dear readers, drum roll please… the Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine has reached yet another magnificent milestone – this month we turn 30!

To celebrate our anniversary, we asked you to send us your top ten TV shows so that we could compile the definitive list of the 100 Greatest TV Shows – as voted for by you.

And how you rose to the challenge. We were inundated with entries covering all manner of shows (yes, we even got votes for The Partridge Family and DIY SOS), and having spent days sifting through them they’ve finally been counted and verified.

So here then, you’ll find the best TV shows ever made, and details of how you can watch them if you missed them first time around, or simply want to see them again.

There are plenty of surprises among the dependables. Of course, Morse and Strictly are in the Top Ten, but the only American show up there is Friends.

While The Wire and The Sopranos make the Top 100, there’s no room for Better Call Saul – regarded by some as even better than related series Breaking Bad, which is on the list.

Frasier is there, Seinfeld isn’t. Minder makes the cut, The Sweeney does not.

I, Claudius, packed with major stars, is forgotten despite its recent repeat on BBC4 – yet you still remember Tenko and Brideshead Revisited with deserved affection.

When it comes to comedy, it appears we don’t make ’em like we used to. 

Vintage sitcoms Only Fools And Horses, Dad’s Army, Fawlty Towers and Porridge all make the Top 20, but more modern classics such as Gavin & Stacey and Fleabag only came in at 64 and 77 respectively. 

I’m a little saddened that Steptoe And Son, the template for all great sitcoms, has just missed out… especially when ‘Allo ‘Allo!, which is amusing but shallow, merits inclusion. 

But perhaps that’s because the shows we love most are those we watched as children, the ones that bring a nostalgic rush – which explains our everlasting affection for Blue Peter, Thunderbirds and The Simpsons.

Since our very first issue back in 1993, with Loose Woman and consumer queen Gloria Hunniford on the cover, we’ve been meeting the superstars of the small screen week in week out.

By far Britain’s most popular weekly TV guide – comprehensive, easy to follow and always entertaining – we’ve been steering you through each week’s viewing to make sure you never miss a minute. 

And we’ve helped you navigate the ever-changing TV landscape, as catch-up and streaming services have muscled in on traditional terrestrial output, by cherry-picking the very best of the thousands of programmes now available digitally.

That’s why your favourite programmes’ actors and creators are happy to spill their secrets to Weekend. And what stories they’ve told us over the past 30 years! 

The Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine has reached yet another magnificent milestone – this month we turn 30! 

Because we love your No 1 show Only Fools And Horses as much as you obviously do, we never miss a chance to chat to Sir David Jason, aka Del Boy. ‘If I went to the Moon, a chap would pop up from behind a crater and say, ‘Lovely jubbly!’ he told us in 2008.

‘Once I was relieving myself in the gents’ and a bloke said, ‘Can I have your autograph? I didn’t want to embarrass you out there.’ So he waited till I was mid-flow in the toilets. Unbelievable! But it didn’t occur to us that the show could go on like it did and still be held in such affection. It never entered our minds.’

And his co-star Nicholas Lyndhurst, or Rodders (now starring opposite Kelsey Grammer in the Frasier reboot), told us he was accosted in the street daily with ‘Oi, Rodders!’. ‘But the papers loved it,’ he recalled. ‘They could say ‘plonker’ now!’

Kevin Whately, who played Sergeant Lewis on Inspector Morse before taking the lead in its spin-off Lewis, revealed, ‘Morse’s maroon Jag was an old stunt car that John Thaw himself had written off more than once in The Sweeney. You could see the road through the floor. It was hell on wheels.’ 

Morse and Endeavour are both on the list, though good old Lewis isn’t.

And Martin Compston, whose Line Of Duty character DS Steve Arnott is known for his natty waistcoats, revealed the terrible cost of lockdown over-indulgence. 

But Line Of Duty, starring Martin Compston (centre), Adrian Dunbar (left) and Vicky McClure (right), was equally outstanding for its police interviews, which could take 30 minutes to build to an explosive climax

Before the final series began filming, he’d been starring in a thriller called The Nest which included several scenes with his shirt off, so naturally he’d made sure he was in great shape.

When the Line Of Duty wardrobe department measured him for his clothes he was a 30in waist. Then came six months indoors… and when shooting started he could no longer squeeze into his trademark three-piece. 

‘It was horrible – I’d totally changed shape,’ he told us. He then hit the gym, a worthwhile investment of energy because Line Of Duty has come in at No 2.

Weekend loves royalty, both showbiz and the real thing, and Dame Maggie Smith certainly qualifies as the former. 

She makes our Top Five playing the Dowager Countess in Downton Abbey, the greatest of all costume dramas, which gave her such acerbic lines as, ‘I wonder your halo doesn’t grow heavy, it must be like wearing a tiara round the clock.’ 

And perplexed by a piece of new-fangled slang, she once queried, ‘What is a weekend?’

Of course, everyone knows the answer to that – it’s Britain’s best weekly television magazine, and it’s free with your Daily Mail every Saturday!

Drum roll… it’s the Trotters who have been crowned YOUR all-time TV favourite

1. ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES (1981-2003) BritBox, Sky/Now 

As a young West End actor, David Jason used to walk down Oxford Street from his digs, stopping to listen to the patter of the market traders. ‘Come round a bit closer, would yer? At these prices, I can’t afford to deliver.’ 

He loved weaving lines like that into his performance as Del Boy, but admitted, ‘I could never get my head round our viewing figures… nearly 17 million.’ Only Fools And Horses has earned its place at the very top of our poll, by distilling the essence of our national character and bottling it – like Trotter’s Peckham spring water, straight from the tap. 

Del and his brother Rodney (Nicholas Lyndhurst) bicker but always defend each other against the rest of the world. Their fine disregard for authority is combined with a strong sense of fair play. 

And they respect their elders… however annoying Grandad and Uncle Albert might get. This unbeatable sitcom represents Britain on three wheels. 

3. HAPPY VALLEY (2014-2023) BBC iPlayer 

Writer Sally Wainwright admits that her heroine Sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) is everything she most admires in a woman: forthright, compassionate, motherly, independent and nobody’s fool. There’s a flavour of the Wild West to this brilliantly conceived crime drama set in West Yorkshire… and the Sarge is our modern-day sheriff. 

2. LINE OF DUTY (2012-2021) BBC iPlayer

The sensational plot twists in this fast-moving police serial kept us in suspense during every moment. Major stars, including Jessica Raine, Jason Watkins and Daniel Mays, were killed off without a second’s warning. 

And as for Keeley Hawes… we’re still reeling. But Line Of Duty, starring Martin Compston, Adrian Dunbar and Vicky McClure, was equally outstanding for its police interviews, which could take 30 minutes to build to an explosive climax. 

The tension as we waited for a suspect to crack could be exhausting – but so addictive that fans binged whole series obsessively. On top of all that, there were the catchphrases… Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the wee donkey, what a show!

4. DOWNTON ABBEY (2010-2015) Netflix, ITVX Premium, BritBox, Amazon Prime Video

If ever a TV show deserves to be preserved by the National Trust, it’s this splendid family drama, set in a grand country house in the early 20th century. The dynasty’s future hung on the stormy love affair between Lady Mary and her cousin Matthew, but the broken hearts below stairs mattered just as much.

5. FAWLTY TOWERS (1975-1979) DVD

Fawlty Towers stars Prunella Scales as Sybil (right), the wife whose nerves have been sandpapered down to raw stumps by her manic, bullying husband Basil (John Cleese, centre), with the hilarious Andrew Sachs as poor Manuel (bottom centre), the waiter caught in the middle of their rows

Sheer joy in just a dozen episodes. Set in a Torquay hotel, Fawlty Towers stars Prunella Scales as Sybil, the wife whose nerves have been sandpapered down to raw stumps by her manic, bullying husband Basil (John Cleese), with the hilarious Andrew Sachs as poor Manuel, the waiter caught in the middle of their rows. 

Cleese is threatening to make another series, half a century on – please, please don’t. It’s just too perfect as it is.

6. STRICTLY COME DANCING (2004-) BBC1, BBC iPlayer

Last year’s glitterball champion Hamza Yassin with his partner Jowita Przystal

After two TV bigwigs pitched the idea of reviving Come Dancing, the BBC launched this sensation, now in its 21st series. 

Viewers just love seeing celebs learning to cha-cha – last year’s glitterball champion Hamza Yassin was bottom of the leaderboard in the final but the public adored him and his partner Jowita Przystal, and gave them the win. 

Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly were a winning combo as hosts and Claudia Winkleman has been a quirky successor to Brucie.

7. INSPECTOR MORSE (1987-2000) ITVX

You’d never have seen The Sweeney’s Regan discussing cryptic crosswords or Wagner, possibly one reason why John Thaw agreed to play another, very different, detective. 

Oxford’s cerebral, unlucky-in-love Morse was based on the character in the books by Colin Dexter – who had cameos in all but three of the 33 episodes. 

Morse was partnered with Lewis (Kevin Whately) and their chemistry, along with impeccable writing, direction and music, meant 18m tuned in at the show’s peak.

8. FRIENDS (1994-2004) Netflix 

There are few shows that never go out of style but this is one. Friends was the comedy of the 1990s, even sparking the ‘Rachel cut’ hairstyle trend, when every girl wanted to look like Jennifer Aniston’s character.

The show’s 2004 finale was the most watched TV episode of the 2000s. 

When the rights to the show, about the lives of six New York friends, were bought by Netflix in 2018, dissenters stuck the boot in saying it lacked diversity and was sexist, but none of that has had an impact on its enduring popularity. 

From left: Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buff 

9. DAD’S ARMY (1968-1977) BritBox, Sky/Now

Based on the Home Guard experiences of writer Jimmy Perry, who created the show with David Croft, the show was beloved from the start, and it’s remained in viewers’ hearts ever since.

Telling the little-known stories of the volunteers who were not eligible to fight in WWII, the series set the template for a particular type of British comedy about over-confident incompetents, later seen in everything from Fawlty Towers to The Office. Ratings regularly topped 18 million.

Based on the Home Guard experiences of writer Jimmy Perry, who created the show with David Croft, Dad’s Army was beloved from the start, and it’s remained in viewers’ hearts ever since

10. POLDARK (1975-77, 2015-19) Original series buy on Amazon Prime Video, reboot Netflix or BBC iPlayer from Thursday

Although critic Clive James dismissed the original series by pointing out it was an anagram of ‘Old Krap’, viewers disagreed. 

The nation went into a collective swoon over the saga of a dashing 18th-century Cornish army hero played by Robin Ellis, and most of your votes came in for his version. 

Lightning struck twice when Irish actor Aidan Turner went once more into the breeches for a revamp, which made a great feature of his bare chest.

Lightning struck twice when Irish actor Aidan Turner (pictured) went once more into the breeches for a revamp, which made a great feature of his bare chest

11. GAME OF THRONES (2011-2019) Sky/Now

Few TV series have become such a cultural phenomenon as the adaptation of George RR Martin’s fantasy novels, recipient of 59 Primetime Emmy Awards. 

Its creators went all out to make Martin’s world authentic: Northern Ireland, Croatia and Iceland formed its backdrop. 

And the actors played their part too: Kit Harington trained for two hours a day and ate 5,000 calories to bulk up as Jon Snow, and Charles Dance learned how to skin a deer as Tywin Lannister.

Kit Harington trained for two hours a day and ate 5,000 calories to bulk up as Jon Snow (pictured)

12. THE SOPRANOS (1999-2007) Sky/Now

David Chase’s modern Mafia show set a new standard for TV drama.

For starters it broke the sacred rule that violent characters must pay for their murderous ways. These mobsters? Fuhgedda-boudit. 

Inspiration for the tale of New Jersey capo Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) came from Chase’s suburban childhood – his family had distant Mafia connections. The Sopranos hinges on Gandolfini’s masterful portrayal, but it could have been so different: Gandolfini walked out of his first audition over insecurity about his performance.

It’s not an ultimate TV show list if The Sopranos isn’t on it…

13. THE MORECAMBE & WISE SHOW (1968-1983) Buy on Amazon Prime Video

Still regarded as Britain’s greatest comedy duo, they were particularly loved for their Christmas specials, which they used to spend a year planning. Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise first became a double act in 1940 when they were teens, at the suggestion of Eric’s mother Sadie. 

After the war they began touring the variety circuit, honing their skills until taken up first by radio and then television. Their first show was a flop but it made the pair even more determined. 

The ‘third member’ of the team was Eddie Braben, who wrote many of their shows.

Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise (pictured) first became a double act in 1940 when they were teens, at the suggestion of Eric’s mother Sadie

14. ENDEAVOUR (2012-2023) ITVX

A spin-off from ITV’s Inspector Morse, this cleverly crafted crime thriller featuring a younger version of John Thaw’s character ran for nine series but never forgot the debt it owed to Colin Dexter’s brilliant original. 

Thaw’s real-life daughter Abigail was a series regular as journalist Dorothea Frazil, and the final episode ended with a never-to-be-forgotten scene in which the younger Morse (Shaun Evans) drove his stylish black Jaguar past the famous red Jaguar driven by Morse. 

A ghostly but familiar face in the rear-view mirror confirmed the identity of the vehicle’s owner…

15. PORRIDGE (1974-1977) Sky/Now

Writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais struck gold by mining comedy from a group of disparate inmates, led by Ronnie Barker’s Norman Stanley Fletcher, at fictional HMP Slade. 

They initially struggled to figure out how to make a show about prison lags funny until they were introduced to an ex-con who told them that during prison stretches he’d strive for ‘little victories’ to buoy him, so the writers made Fletcher’s modus operandi to outsmart the system daily. 

Barker frequently offered his own jokes, which helped the sitcom to become a classic.

16. PLANET EARTH I, II & III (2006, 2016, 2023) BBC1, BBC iPlayer

It’s David Attenborough’s peerless narration that makes this epic nature show – which paints a sumptuous picture of our planet and its inhabitants and highlights their struggles with man’s increasing impact on their environments – stand out from the crowd. 

Attenborough, 97, writes his own scripts but edits himself ruthlessly. ‘You mustn’t be too wordy,’ he says. ‘The one key is that a picture is more powerful than a spoken word.’

17. FRASIER (1993-2004, 2023-) Original series Channel 4, revival Paramount+

Guest stars in the original included Robbie Coltrane, Elvis Costello and The White Lotus’s Jennifer Coolidge but the main attraction of this witty comedy was always Kelsey Grammer, who played Seattle-based psychiatrist and radio host Frasier Crane. 

Grammer has inhabited Crane since 1984, originally in sitcom Cheers (see No 78) and now in a revival of Frasier on Paramount+.

18. DOCTOR WHO (1963-89, 2005-) Classic episodes BritBox, 2005- episodes BBC iPlayer 

A sci-fi show with a seemingly indestructible time-travelling hero who has outwitted deadly foes such as the Daleks, Cybermen and The Silence since first appearing on screen in 1963. 

As head of BBC1, Michael Grade did what the Doctor’s enemies had failed to do when he axed the series in 1989, only for a slick reboot to arrive in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston then David Tennant in the lead role. 

Appropriately, it’s the Scotsman who will be back as the 14th incarnation of the Doctor to celebrate the programme’s 60th birthday with a three-part anniversary special on BBC1 later this month. 

A slick reboot arrived in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston then David Tennant (pictured) in the lead role

19. BLACKADDER (1983-1989) BBC iPlayer

This comedy about a conniving assistant (creator and star Rowan Atkinson) to a dimwitted aristocrat at various periods in history was almost consigned to the bin after its pricey and not very successful first series. 

It took three years to persuade the BBC to sign off on series two, and they only did when co-creator Richard Curtis and his new writing partner Ben Elton agreed to slash the budget – and make it funnier.

20. THE GOOD LIFE (1975-1978) BritBox, Sky/Now

The adventures of Tom and Barbara Good and their neighbours the Leadbetters were so popular that the final episode in 1978 was filmed live in front of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. 

But anyone in search of the house where the Goods lived in Surbiton, south-west London, will be out of luck. 

The exterior is actually in Northwood, north London. The owners allowed programme-makers to dig up their garden as long as they returned it to normal after filming.

The adventures of Tom and Barbara Good (pictured) and their neighbours the Leadbetters were so popular that the final episode in 1978 was filmed live in front of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh

21. DALLAS (1978-1991) Buy on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+

At its peak, 20 million British viewers were hooked on the saga of the Texan super-rich and the bitter battle between former business partners JR Ewing and Digger Barnes and their families. 

Larry Hagman’s ace schemer JR undoubtedly became the most memorable character, and the legendary Who Shot JR? storyline inspired EastEnders and The Simpsons’ quests to find out who shot their own characters, Phil Mitchell and Mr Burns respectively. 

Was bringing Bobby back from the dead in that shower crazy? Hell, yeah. Did we care? No!

At its peak, 20 million British viewers were hooked on the saga of the Texan super-rich

22. CORONATION STREET (1960-) ITV1, ITVX

Eric Spear’s theme tune might be called Lancashire Blues, but there’s nowt sad about Corrie. Tony Warren’s kitchen sink drama set on a Salford back street was commissioned for just 13 episodes, but in 2010 became the world’s longest-running TV soap, with memorable characters such as barmaid Bet (Julie Goodyear). 

Russell Harty once said, ‘There was life before Coronation Street, but it didn’t add up to much.’ By ‘eck he were right!

In 2010 Corrie became the world’s longest-running TV soap, with memorable characters such as barmaid Bet (Julie Goodyear)

23. BREAKING BAD (2008-2013) Netflix

A terminal cancer diagnosis was crushing for hard-up chemistry teacher Walter White until he teamed up with former student Jesse (Aaron Paul) to reinvent himself as king of the crystal meth business. The show gave sitcom star Bryan Cranston the role of a lifetime and viewers a new TV addiction. 

While fans were bereft when it ended (it was named the most acclaimed show ever by Guinness World Records), another fix was on the way – thanks to spin-off Better Call Saul based on Walter’s shady lawyer.

24. THE TWO RONNIES (1971-1987) Sky/Now

Ronnies Corbett and Barker first met at a London club in 1963 where out-of-work actor Corbett was serving drinks. They hit it off immediately and worked memorably together in shows such as The Frost Report, but this smash hit was their big break. 

A brilliant collection of sketches, running jokes and comedy songs, it boasted work written by an incredible selection of funny men ranging from Barry Cryer and Spike Milligan to most of the Monty Python gang. 

Barker himself wrote many of the show’s best moments – he submitted his scripts under the pseudonym Gerald Wiley, though, so that they’d be judged on their merits rather than his status as one of the show’s stars.

Ronnies Corbett and Barker first met at a London club in 1963 where out-of-work actor Corbett was serving drinks

26. CALL THE MIDWIFE (2012-) BBC iPlayer, Netflix 

Writer Heidi Thomas – wife of Midwife star Stephen McGann – came up with a gem adapting the memoirs of former nurse Jennifer Worth and giving grateful TV viewers this cast of nuns and nurses. 

It regularly tops ratings on Christmas Day, but storylines like the death of midwife Barbara from septicaemia prove it’s far more than cosy Sunday fare.

25. SUCCESSION (2018-2023) Sky/Now

Peep Show (see No 53) co-creator Jesse Armstrong conceived Succession as a film about the Murdoch empire.

 Instead, with a nod to King Lear, it became the story of Scottish-Canadian media mogul Logan Roy (Brian Cox) and his children Connor, Kendall, Shiv and Roman’s tussle to take over Waystar RoyCo from their ailing father. 

Who’d be the chosen one? Or could shady Tom Wambsgans and his bumbling ally Greg triumph? 

Critics and viewers relished the impeccable acting and crisp dialogue. And what of the inspirational Murdochs? 

When Jerry Hall and Rupert divorced, she was allegedly banned from contacting Succession producers with storyline ideas. Not that they needed them…

27. MAD MEN (2007-2015) UKTV Play, Amazon Prime Video

How’s a show about cynical ad men going to catch on? 

By dramatising the hollowness of the American Dream’s how. Jon Hamm’s dry-ice-cool Don Draper is the best-paid creative around – and he’s also an utter phoney.

Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss), Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and Joan Harris (Christina Hendricks) in Mad Men

28. DETECTORISTS (2014-2022) BBC iPlayer

Mackenzie Crook’s script won him a BAFTA for its charming story about two middle-aged Essex mates obsessed with metal-detecting. 

Crook, who starred opposite Toby Jones, was inspired to write it after watching Time Team.

29. ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL (1978-1990, 2020-) Original series BritBox, Sky, reboot My5

James Herriot’s books have created animal magic on TV twice. 

Christopher Timothy starred as the vet in the 70s and 80s and Ch5’s reboot is a hit. In Christopher’s day he had to put his hand up real cows’ backsides – now they use prosthetic animals.

30. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (1995) UKTV Play

The sight of Colin Firth in a wet shirt prompted a global meltdown in this Austen adaptation and sparked a sexing-up of period dramas.

 ‘Man steps out of lake, world changes,’ said our TV critic Kathryn Flett. Interestingly, fears of Firth contracting Weil’s disease prevented him actually diving into the lake: a stuntman did it.

The sight of Colin Firth in a wet shirt prompted a global meltdown in this Austen adaptation

31. ER (1994-2009) Channel 4 

Classy actors including Anthony Edwards, Alex Kingston and Maura Tierney all did shifts in Michael Crichton’s exceptional Chicago-based medical drama, the second-longest-running in US history after Grey’s Anatomy. 

But the breakout star was George Clooney as dishy Doug Ross, with Clooney playing up to his heartthrob status in a Friends cameo with ER co-star Noah Wyle. 

George Clooney as Dr. Doug Ross in 1995 in Season 2 of ER

32. THE WEST WING (1999-2006) Channel 4

Aaron Sorkin’s drama about senior staff at the White House starred Martin Sheen as the principled Democrat President and Rob Lowe as his spin doctor. 

Filming had to be pushed back a year after Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky came to light.

33. STAR TREK (1966-1969) Paramount+, Netflix

The space opera that spawned nearly as many spin-offs as there are stars in the galaxy almost failed to get off the launch pad. US TV bosses gave a thumbs down to Gene Roddenberry’s pilot episode starring Jeffrey Hunter, and William Shatner was then asked to audition as Captain Kirk. ‘I added a little lightness to the role,’ said Shatner.

34. THE BRIDGE (2011-2018) Buy on Amazon Prime Video

This atmospheric Nordic Noir saw charismatic but mismatched Scandi cops Saga Noren (Sofia Helin), a Swede, and Dane Martin Rohde (Kim Bodnia) forced to collaborate to solve murders. To research her portrayal of on-the-spectrum Saga, Helin would go shopping in character but struggle as people recoiled from her lack of social grace.

35. UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS (1971-1975, 2010-2012) Original on ITVX, reboot buy on Apple TV+

It was created by actress pals Eileen Atkins and Jean Marsh, who played parlourmaid Rose (pictured), reprising the role in a 2010 BBC reboot

Downton Abbey was inspired by Belgravia’s posh Bellamys and their servants in LWT’s Edwardian period treat of the 70s. It was created by actress pals Eileen Atkins and Jean Marsh, who played parlourmaid Rose, reprising the role in a 2010 BBC reboot.

36. THE FORSYTE SAGA (1967, 2002-2003) Original on DVD, reboot ITVX

John Galsworthy’s saga about an uppercrust family before, during and after WWI was adapted into a benchmark 1960s series starring Kenneth More, followed by a slick reboot with Damian Lewis. It was another inspiration for Julian Fellowes to write Downton Abbey.

37. MONTY PYTHON’S FLYING CIRCUS (1969-1974) Netflix

The comedy troupe’s sketch series, with 45 legendary episodes, became one of the most influential comedies ever

The comedy troupe’s sketch series, with 45 legendary episodes, became one of the most influential comedies ever, but BBC bosses nearly axed it after the first episode in 1969 after finding its humour ‘disgusting’.

38. CHERNOBYL (2019) Sky/Now

Before The Last Of Us, writer/director Craig Mazin stunned everyone with the multi-award winning Chernobyl – it won acclaim worldwide, including in Russia.

The bleak but enthralling drama about the 1986 nuclear plant explosion starred Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgard and Emily Watson.

39. THE WIRE (2002-2008) Sky/Now

Idris Elba in The Wire

Now feted as a classic, the Baltimore-based drama that examined social issues through the lens of a crime show and starred Dominic West and Idris Elba was not an immediate hit. 

After watching the first two episodes actor Wendell Pierce told his co-stars ‘we are getting cancelled’.

40. THE ROYLE FAMILY (1998-2012) BBC iPlayer

Written by the late Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash, this slice of working-class life became must-see TV, with its hilariously mundane chat between a family of misfits as they watched telly. Three series and five specials won four BAFTAs and 2009’s biggest Christmas Day audience.

Written by the late Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash, this slice of working-class life became must-see TV

41. TOP OF THE POPS (1964-2006) BBC iPlayer

Thursday nights used to be the highlight of the week for millions of youngsters as DJs counted down the singles chart. The first show, hosted by disgraced sex fiend Jimmy Savile, featured The Rolling Stones with I Wanna Be Your Man and the Beatles single I Want To Hold Your Hand.

42. SPOOKS (2002-2011) BBC iPlayer 

The spy drama originally starring Matthew Macfadyen delivered pulse-pounding action sequences and terminated main characters in shocking fashion – remember Helen (Lisa Faulkner) and the deep-fat fryer? Intended as a glossy US-style show, the Spooks agents ended up saving the world for ten series. 

43. LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE (1973-2010) UKTV Play 

The sitcom about a trio of mischievous Yorkshire pensioners remains the world’s longest-running comedy

The sitcom about a trio of mischievous Yorkshire pensioners remains the world’s longest-running comedy.

 The beating heart of the series was Bill Owen’s gleeful tramp-like Compo, although creator Roy Clarke rejected Owen initially, insisting he was too ‘London’. The star, who died in 1999, is buried next to his co-star Peter Sallis in Holmfirth, where the show was filmed.

45. THE REPAIR SHOP (2017-) BBC iPlayer 

A smashed ostrich egg, a penny farthing in desperate need of some TLC… nothing is beyond the restorative skills of the talented craftspeople in the Court Barn, led by foreman Jay Blades. 

The series moved to primetime BBC1 when its brilliant restorations proved a huge ratings hit 

44. POIROT (1989-2013) ITVX, Sky 

Of the many incarnations of Agatha Christie’s Belgian detective, for most David Suchet’s is the best. 

He revealed that to get Poirot’s distinctive gait he borrowed a trick from Laurence Olivier – sticking a penny between his buttocks! 

His accent was a distinctive blend of French, Flemish and French dialect Walloon. The love poured into it made Poirot one of the most popular sleuths in television history. 

46. FATHER TED (1995-1998) Channel 4 

Three Catholic priests and their housekeeper are exiled on an island in this surreal Irish sitcom. There’s the much put-upon title character, dim Father Dougal, drunken Father Jack and tea enthusiast Mrs Doyle. The second series featured the annoying Father Noel, played by a young Graham Norton. 

47. PARKINSON (1971-1982, 1998-2004) BBC iPlayer 

There’ll never be another interviewer like the late ‘Parky’, who reckoned he chatted to 2,000 celebrities across his years at the BBC (and more on ITV), with boxer Muhammad Ali a favourite. Billy Connolly appeared 15 times, though Parkinson famously failed to bond with Meg Ryan and always regretted that his most-repeated clip was the 1976 encounter with Rod Hull’s Emu. 

48. PEAKY BLINDERS (2013-2022) BBC iPlayer 

Cillian Murphy’s performance as Tommy Shelby, a charismatic mix of war hero, gangster and politician, was key to the success of a drama that inspired a craze for flat caps and close-cropped haircuts. 

Shelby was fictional, but the Peaky Blinders were real – criminals who operated in Birmingham before World War I. 

Shelby was fictional, but the Peaky Blinders were real – criminals who operated in Birmingham before World War I

49. HEARTBEAT (1992-2010) ITVX 

When heartthrob Nick Berry quit EastEnders in 1990 he took his star power with him. His next big role as a 1960s London copper who transfers to Yorkshire made this cosy drama a ratings blockbuster, pulling in more than 15 million viewers a week. He even had a pop hit singing the theme tune. 

50. SHERLOCK (2010- 2017) BBC iPlayer 

51. THE WORLD AT WAR (1973-1974) UKTV Play 

The most expensive docu-series ever made – costing £880,000 at the time, equivalent to roughly £13 million today – tells the story of WWII.

Narrated by Sir Laurence Olivier, it has interviews with Vera Lynn and Nazi Karl Doenitz, who briefly took over after Hitler’s death 

The combined talents of Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) and Martin Freeman (Dr Watson) made this show such a hit. Co-creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat said, ‘We’ve accidentally cast the two hottest actors on the planet!’ 

52. KILLING EVE (2018- 2022) BBC iPlayer 

The drama series about ruthless assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer) and Security Service agent Eve (Sandra Oh) who’s tracking her was a must-watch sensation. 

It won acclaim for its performances, Villanelle’s killer designer outfits and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s brilliant dialogue, as well as the way it subverted the thriller genre. 

53. PEEP SHOW (2003-2015) Channel 4, Netflix 

A young Olivia Colman sprinkled stardust on a sitcom centred on office worker Mark (David Mitchell) and his idle flatmate Jez (Robert Webb) as Mark’s mercurial love interest Sophie. Unique in its style – the dialogue would often be the inner thoughts of the characters with the action seen from a camera attached to an actor’s shoulder – the show won two of its 12 BAFTA nominations. 

The drama series about ruthless assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer) and Security Service agent Eve (Sandra Oh) who’s tracking her was a must-watch sensation

54. FOYLE’S WAR (2002-2015) Acorn TV 

Brilliant detective Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen) set great store by attention to detail. This show’s set primarily during World War II, and creator Anthony Horowitz was also a stickler for historical accuracy as a mark of respect to those who fought. It gave early acting breaks to James McAvoy, Peter Capaldi, Rosamund Pike and Emily Blunt. 

55. OPEN ALL HOURS (1976-1985) Sky/Now 

In 1973 Ronnie Barker starred in a series of one-off comedy TV plays entitled Seven Of One, and inspired two of the best-loved Brit sitcoms of all time. The episode about a curmudgeonly shopkeeper became the brilliant Open All Hours, which spawned sequel Still Open All Hours. The other sitcom that grew out of it? A little show about prison life called Porridge (see No 15)… 

The episode about a curmudgeonly shopkeeper became the brilliant Open All Hours, which spawned sequel Still Open All Hours

56. SEX AND THE CITY (1998-2004) Sky/Now 

NYC’s Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte became the new Fab Four when they sashayed onto our screens – wearing Manolos and clutching Fendi bags – in the witty show. Sarah Jessica Parker is the star, but Kim Cattrall’s shameless PR stole the show. The sequel And Just Like That… misses her spark. 

NYC’s Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte became the new Fab Four when they sashayed onto our screens

57. TRUE DETECTIVE SERIES ONE (2014) Sky/Now 

Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson worked 100 days straight as detectives chasing a serial killer in Louisiana. Director Cary Fukunaga thought it would show them the intensity of a real police manhunt. The result was multiple awards for a powerful crime drama. 

60. THE GOOD WIFE (2010-2016) Channel 4, Paramount+ 

Classy American drama starring Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick, who returns to work as a lawyer after her politician husband (Chris Noth) has a sex scandal. 

There was also drama behind the scenes, with rumours of a rift between Margulies and her co-star Archie Panjabi. 

58. CASUALTY (1986-) BBC1, BBC iPlayer 

Is there an A-list British actor alive – from Kate Winslet to Christopher Eccleston – who hasn’t appeared in the world’s longest-running medical drama? There have been more than 1,200 episodes on BBC1 since 1986. While sister show Holby City ended last year it appears we will never tire of this A&E department’s drama. 

59. CIVILISATION (1969) DVD 

The 60s had been swinging and mini-skirts had taken over the world so it’s no surprise a show featuring bookish Kenneth Clark discussing architecture and art was expected to bomb. Instead, Civilisation became one of the most respected BBC shows and created a generation of art lovers here and in the USA. 

61. MINDER (1979-1994) ITVX 

If it’s low-life humour you want, Minder – which was conceived as a drama for Dennis Waterman but became a comic turn for George Cole as Arthur Daley – is a masterpiece. All scams and scuffles and seedy London streets, its dialogue is Shakespeare-meets-Dickens. 

Minder was conceived as a drama for Dennis Waterman but became a comic turn for George Cole as Arthur Daley

62. DINNERLADIES (1998-2000) BBC iPlayer 

Victoria Wood’s canteen comedy owes a lot to the US hit Friends. Because that show’s writers revised scenes that didn’t work on the first performance, Wood insisted each episode of dinnerladies be filmed twice in front of an audience so she could hone it. And boy did it pay off.

63. DOC MARTIN (2004-2022) ITVX 

Few would have diagnosed longterm success for the medic with a blood phobia when he first appeared as a character in 2000 movie Saving Grace. But Martin Clunes was simply superb as the emotionally challenged Doc in the TV spin-off, helping to pull in audiences of more than ten million. 

64. GAVIN & STACEY (2007-2019) BBC iPlayer 

Creators Ruth Jones and James Corden originally pitched it to the BBC as an hour-long play but were persuaded to expand. (L-R) Mathew Horne as Gavin, Joanna Page as Stacey, James Corden as Smithy and Ruth Jones as Nessa

This lush comedy found its humour in the long-distance affair between two lovebirds played by Mathew Horne and Joanna Page.

Creators Ruth Jones and James Corden originally pitched it to the BBC as an hour-long play but were persuaded to expand it. 

65. GREY’S ANATOMY (2005-) Disney+ 

It’s no wonder – the longest-running US primetime medical drama ever has been scrupulous about mixing medical procedure in with its soapy drama

In 2011 a Wisconsin woman was saved when her daughter did CPR on her, which she’d learned from Grey’s Anatomy. 

It’s no wonder – the longest-running US primetime medical drama ever has been scrupulous about mixing medical procedure in with its soapy drama. 

66. MISS MARPLE (1984-2013) BritBox, ITVX 

Joan Hickson was followed by Geraldine McEwan and Julia McKenzie as Agatha Christie’s genteel sleuth across 30 years. And her spirit survives – Lucy Worsley says she tries to channel Miss Marple’s ‘intelligence, learning and excellence with a friendly face’ while hosting Ch5 quiz Puzzling. 

67. THE SIMPSONS (1989-) Channel 4, Disney+ 

‘D’oh!’ Homer Simpson’s catchphrase has become part of everyday conversation and the cartoon comedy about a dysfunctional American family has been racking up awards since it launched in 1987 as a segment in Tracey Ullman’s US sketch show. 

68. BLUE PETER (1958-) CBBC, BBC iPlayer 

A vintage enamel Blue Peter badge from the 1970s and 1980s

When presenter Anthea Turner made Tracy Island from Thunderbirds on the BBC’s flagship children’s show in 1993, 100,000 contacted them wanting to know how they could create it too. Ambitious craft projects have been a hallmark of a show which has run for 65 years. 

69. YES MINISTER (1980- 1982) BBC iPlayer 

This sitcom set at the heart of government featured one of TV’s greatest creations – brilliantly manipulative civil servant Sir Humphrey Appleby, played by Nigel Hawthorne, who stole the show in this and the spin-off Yes, Prime Minister (1986-87). 

70. THE AVENGERS (1961-1969) ITVX 

Forget silly cybernauts. The Avengers won an army of fans with Patrick Macnee’s impeccable tailoring (made to his designs), Honor Blackman’s kinky boots and Diana Rigg’s catsuit.

72. MATCH OF THE DAY (1964-) BBC1, BBC iPlayer

 ‘We’re in Beatleville for this Liverpool versus Arsenal match,’ said Kenneth Wolstenholme as he launched the football highlights show that remains a firm favourite among fans almost 60 years on.

71. EASTENDERS (1985-) BBC1, BBC iPlayer 

TV bosses were worried Northerners wouldn’t take to a soap that was set down south until research proved otherwise – cue Dirty Den and co. 

73. THE CROWN (2016-) Netflix 

For all its rewriting of history, this account of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign gets at the truth – that our late monarch (Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton) had the wisdom of old age even when young. Sentimental but never saccharine, the series could make royalists out of republicans. 

74. THE YOUNG ONES (1982-1984) BBC iPlayer 

The design team on this comedy about four students in a crumbling house must have known they were working on a show like no other when they saw the props required: a giant eclair and a fully functioning but lightweight wrecking ball. 

75. ‘ALLO ‘ALLO! (1982-1992) BritBox, Sky 

A comedy set in Nazi-occupied France with a string of sexist innuendos wouldn’t get past TV bosses today. 

But viewers still chuckle at catchphrases including ‘Good moaning’ and ‘Listen very carefully, I shall say zis only once’.

76. TENKO (1981-1985) UKTV Play 

One of the first major shows with an almost all-female cast, Tenko dealt with the experiences of women captured by the Japanese after the Fall of Singapore and held in a fictional internment camp. It was based on the story of nursing corps officer Margot Turner. 

77. FLEABAG (2016-2019) BBC iPlayer 

Based on a onewoman show by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (pictured), Fleabag tells the story of a free-spirited but troubled young woman

They say the best things come in small packages and Fleabag – at just 12 episodes – is pint-sized perfection. Based on a onewoman show by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, it tells the story of a free-spirited but troubled young woman. 

It made stars of its cast, including WallerBridge and Sian Clifford, who played her sister Claire. It also introduced the phrase ‘Hot Priest’ after Andrew Scott’s scintillating performance. 

78 CHEERS (1983-1993) Channel 4 

‘The closest I’ve ever got to saying no to a woman is, ‘Not now, we’re landing.’ Every one of this bar-room sitcom’s 273 episodes has lines that good. Stir in batty waitresses, a cheeky barman (Ted Danson) and multiple romantic mix-ups and you have a killer comic cocktail. 

79. EMMERDALE (1972-) ITV1, ITVX 

It all changed when Emmerdale dropped the ‘Farm’ in 1989, brought in the wealthy Tates and sexed up the rural Yorkshire soap. 

Brookside creator Phil Redmond shocked fans by dropping a plane on Beckindale in 1993, and these days epic stunts are a regular fixture, along with scandals, scheming and bed-hopping. 

80. HOWARDS’ WAY (1985-1990) UKTV Play 

Brits may never have managed to outdo the Americans when it comes to soapy TV glamour but Howards’ Way, or ‘Dallas on Sea’, made a pretty good fist of it. The BBC1 show, based on the wealthy shipbuilding Howard family, epitomised the aspirational Thatcher years. 

81. M*A*S*H (1973-1983) Buy on Amazon Prime Video 

It’s little wonder that 40 years after it ended, M*A*S*H is still revered as top-drawer comedy. Merging the pathos and horror faced by a team of medics, including Alan Alda’s Hawkeye, in the Korean War, its dark humour made the show a huge hit around the world. 

82. MIAMI VICE (1984-1990) Freevee via Amazon Prime Video 

It is a rare show that makes as much of a cultural impact as Miami Vice did. The stylish crime series, which focuses on two undercover Miami cops, changed the style of the 80s as suddenly men everywhere wanted to replicate the look of a T-shirt under an Armani suit. 

83. BRIDESHEAD REVISITED (1981) ITVX 

Evelyn Waugh’s elegy for aristocratic Britain might have seemed an impossible choice for a TV adaptation. But John Mortimer (script) and Charles Sturridge (direction) pulled it off – with help from Laurence Olivier and a comic turn from John Gielgud. Meanwhile, Jeremy Irons’s honeyed drawl makes for the greatest of voice-overs. 

Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews in Brideshead Revisited

84. MIDSOMER MURDERS (1997-) ITVX 

This cosy crime classic is screened in 200 countries and fans never seem to tire of its bizarre murders, which include a victim crushed by a wheel of cheese, another stabbed while dressed as Jane Austen and a chambermaid who ends up in a tumble dryer. Now in its 23rd series. 

85. THUNDERBIRDS (1965-1966) ITVX 

Thunderbirds makes you nostalgic not just for the days when you dreamed of piloting an armourplated rocket, but for a time when technology inspired faith rather than fear. Then again, it does get harder to suspend disbelief about the threads holding up Gerry Anderson’s puppets.

Thunderbirds makes you nostalgic not just for the days when you dreamed of piloting an armourplated rocket, but for a time when technology inspired faith rather than fear

86. I’M A CELEBRITY… Get Me Out Of Here! (2002-) ITVX 

Since 2002, viewers have delighted in seeing stars bicker over beans and eat animals’ unmentionables. And for most, the career boost has outweighed the hardship – in 2010 Gillian McKeith was mocked for allegedly faking a faint, but still signed up for this year’s spin-off. 

87. THE X-FILES (1993-2018) Channel 4, Disney+ 

What came first, the Americans’ love of conspiracy theories or The X-Files? This series about two paranormal investigators had it all – aliens, cover-ups, murder and a romantic subplot. 

David Duchovny (L) as Agent Fox Mulder and Gillian Anderson (R) as Agent Dana Scully

88. LAST TANGO IN HALIFAX (2012-2020) BBC iPlayer 

Summarising Sally Wainwright’s masterpiece about oldsters finding new love in West Yorks, it sounds like a sitcom or a soap. But thanks to the emotional grandeur of the performances from Sarah Lancashire, Anne Reid, Derek Jacobi and Nicola Walker, it plays like a modern-day Wuthering Heights. Magnificent, in other words. 

Caroline (SARAH LANCASHIRE), Celia (ANNE REID), Alan (DEREK JACOBI), Gillian (NICOLA WALKER) 

89. SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE PALLADIUM (1955-1974, 2014-2017) Not currently available 

Clocking up audiences of 10 million, Sunday Night At The Palladium was a TV juggernaut that could make or break an act. The Beatles’ former press officer said it was an appearance on a 1963 edition of the variety show that properly sparked Beatlemania.

90. TWIN PEAKS (1990-1991, 2017) Paramount+ 

David Lynch’s quirky mystery saw FBI agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) investigate Laura Palmer’s murder, meet a menacing dwarf and The Log Lady, and enjoy the diner’s damn fine cherry pie. The show brought fame for Sherilyn Fenn and Lara Flynn Boyle and became a cult classic. 

91. DYNASTY (1981-1989, 2017-2022) Original series buy on Amazon Prime Video, reboot Netflix 

The soapy saga of the ultra-rich Carrington oil family was sputtering rather than going full-throttle before Joan Collins joined the cast as evil diva Alexis in season two. ‘She made it work,’ said producer Aaron Spelling. 

The soapy saga of the ultra-rich Carrington oil family was sputtering rather than going full-throttle before Joan Collins (pictured) joined the cast as evil diva Alexis in season two

92. HOUSE OF CARDS (1990, 2013-2018) Original series BBC iPlayer, reboot Netflix 

Ian Richardson plays Francis Urquhart, Tory Chief Whip and chief troublemaker, who won’t be happy until he’s got the top job. It’s pure Machiavellian mischief – a comic quality lacking in the US reboot starring Kevin Spacey. 

94. KNIGHT RIDER (1982-1986) Buy on Amazon Prime Video 

Who knew that once we got talking, self-driving cars, they’d simply be telling us to put our seatbelts on and helping us parallel park? American show Knight Rider, which features crime fighter Michael Knight and his artificially intelligent talking car KITT, was a huge hit around the world and made a star of David Hasselhoff. 

93. WOULD I LIE TO YOU? (2007-) BBC iPlayer, UKTV Play 

First broadcast in 2007 with Angus Deayton as presenter, the show didn’t really hit its stride until Rob Brydon took over in 2009. Bob Mortimer has racked up a record 11 surreally hilarious appearances on the truth-or-lie panel show (did Chris Rea really run him a hot bath, then poach an egg in it?). 

95. LIFE ON MARS (2006-2007) BBC iPlayer, BritBox 

Cool, slick and nostalgic, this brilliant 1970s-set show has time-travelling copper Sam Tyler (John Simm) as the main character. But it’s macho, unPC detective Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister) who steals the show. No wonder Hunt beat both Doctor Who’s Time Lord and 24’s Jack Bauer to the title of the UK’s favourite TV character in 2008 and earned himself a sequel series, Ashes To Ashes. 

96. OUR FRIENDS IN THE NORTH (1996) BritBox 

There have been some cracking political dramas, and Peter Flannery’s series following a bunch of Geordie pals from Harold Wilson’s era to the eve of Blairism is as funny as it is furious. It also made stars of Daniel Craig, Mark Strong and Christopher Eccleston. 

97. THE PRISONER (1967-1968) ITVX 

First broadcast four months after the release of Sgt Pepper, The Prisoner is no less representative of late-60s Britain than the Beatles in their pomp. Written by and starring Patrick McGoohan, it’s a weirdo mish-mash of espionage and surreal psychedelia – and a crucial inspiration for… Monty Python.

98. TO THE MANOR BORN (1979-1981, 2007) Sky 

The Good Life earned Penelope Keith the plum role of snooty Audrey fforbes-Hamilton, a widow forced to sell her country estate to nouveau riche Richard DeVere (Peter Bowles). Their love-hate relationship struck gold, with the series one finale pulling in almost 24 million viewers. 

99. BRIDGERTON (2020-) Netflix 

Packed with bodice-ripping passion, gossip and intrigue among a racially diverse high society, this Regency saga (above) saw Phoebe Dynevor (daughter of Corrie’s Sally) and Regé-Jean Page find fame as lovers Daphne and Simon. It spawned spinoff Queen Charlotte, and seasons three and four are on the way 

100. GOGGLEBOX (2013-) Channel 4 

Watching people watching TV shouldn’t work, but this does thanks to brilliant casting. Regulars such as the Malones, Siddiquis and Giles and Mary – with their ‘Oh, Nutty!’ pet names – have become stars in their own right. Narration from The Royle Family’s couch potatoes Craig Cash and the late Caroline Aherne adds to the simple-but-brilliant formula. 

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