As always, British TV has kicked off the year with a swathe of excellent TV shows that have destroyed us, lifted us up, made us cackle, and provoked cultural conversation. We'd love to go outside, truly, but with the streaming schedule we've had, it's just not on the cards.
From the year's most ambitious, timely, and devastating Netflix show to the return of a beloved BBC teen comedy, here's the 10 best British TV shows of 2025 (so far).
And while some are only streaming in the UK, you can always watch them with a VPN.
10. Black Mirror, Season 7
Charlie Brooker's sci-fi anthology series can be patchy, but when the show hits, it really hits. Opening with one of the all-time most devastating episodes (one that may be better not to watch first, in fact), Black Mirror Season 7 is a mixed bag with some very high highs (or lows, if you're talking from an existential dread perspective) and plenty of its trademark, technology-based terror. Fans of the U.S.S. Callister will be happy (there's a sequel), as will anyone who likes their futuristic fear with a side of moving nostalgia (hello Eulogy).* — Sam Haysom, Deputy UK Editor
Starring: Will Poulter, Awkwafina, Peter Capaldi, Paul Giamatti, Rashida Jones, Tracee Ellis Ross, Cristin Milioti, Chris O'Dowd, Emma Corrin, Jimmi Simpson, and Issa Rae
How to watch: Black Mirror Season 7 is streaming now on Netflix.
9. Miss Austen
Ever wonder how we know so much about Jane Austen's life? Well, you can thank her elder sister, Cassandra Austen, who safeguarded the letters she sent and received from the novelist and, in doing so, provided the foundation for academics to study her life.
Adapted from Gill Hornby’s book of the same name by Andrea Gibb, Miss Austen begins in the period following Jane's death, a time during which Cassandra (Keeley Hawes) is secretly gathering up the letters her sister Jane (Patsy Ferran) sent people in their lives. As Cassandra reads these letters, we see flashbacks of the period of Jane's life where she is only beginning to gain recognition. We see glimpses of the Austen sisters' early adulthood, courtships, friendships, and family dramas. Directed by Aisling Walsh, Miss Austen is tender, moving, and an absolute delight from start to finish. — Rachel Thompson, Features Editor
How to watch: Miss Austen is streaming now on BBC iPlayer in the UK, U.S. streaming date TBC.
8. Boarders Season 2
After an exceptional first season, Daniel Lawrence Taylor's Boarders returned for another glorious term. Season 2 sees the lauded series' five protagonists — Jaheim (Supacell's Josh Tedeku), Leah (Jodie Campbell), Omar (Myles Kamwendo), Femi (Aruna Jalloh), and Toby (Sekou Diaby) — back in class at predominantly white boarding school St. Gilbert's, where systemic racism, white saviour complexes, and classist snobbery underpins the hormonal chaos of adolescence. But this term, with the appointment of horrendous acting head Carol (Niky Wardley), the crew's scholarships are under threat.
For yet another season, Boarders writers Taylor, Yemi Oyefuwa, Jeffrey Aidoo, and Racheal Ofori expertly weave sharp cultural commentary with teen comedy highs and moving moments of drama, bringing in some mighty cameos this season too. And in the hands of this magnetic core cast? A++. — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor
Starring: Josh Tedeku, Jodie Campbell, Myles Kamwendo, Aruna Jalloh, Sekou Diaby
How to watch: Boarders Season 2 is now streaming on BBC iPlayer in the UK, U.S. streaming date TBC.
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7. Amandaland
A spinoff like no other, Amandaland is technically a sequel to British sitcom Motherland, which explored middle-class motherhood in London. Amanda (Lucy Punch) is the Motherland character everyone loves to hate. In the original series, Amanda looks like she has it all (on the surface at least) — handsome and rich husband, massive house in a desirable postcode, popularity, beauty, and an enviable wardrobe full of designer clothes, not to mention a posse of mum-friends who are obsessed with her to an unhealthy degree. But, in Amandaland, things could not be more different. Oh how the mighty are fallen!
Now Amanda is a recently divorced mum of two teens, who's been forced to downsize and move to a new (and less desirable) area and pull her two kids out of private school (heaven forbid!) due to the change in circumstances. Amanda is handling it like a champ, though! She's turning her hand to being an Instagram influencer, rebranding her (much-needed) part-time job as a "collab," and making new friends (less successfully) at her kids' new school — including famous chef Della Fry, played by Derry Girls' Siobhán McSweeney. The iconic Joanna Lumley of Absolutely Fabulous fame plays Amanda's mother, and if that's not enough of a reason for you to get watching, I'm not sure I can help you. — R.T.
How to watch: Amandaland is now streaming on BBC iPlayer in the UK, U.S. streaming date TBC.
6. Dept. Q
The Queen's Gambit creator Scott Frank and Chandni Lakhani strike mystery gold in Dept. Q, adapted from Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen's series of the same name. The show centers on Detective Carl Morck (Matthew Goode), an English cop in Scotland who's disliked by practically everyone he comes into contact with. As Carl recovers from a traumatic gunshot wound, he's put in charge of a new department, one tasked with solving cold cases. It's a publicity stunt dressed up as a public service, but with the help of some unlikely assistants, Carl may just be able to turn this department into a powerhouse. Their first case? The disappearance of prosecutor Merritt Lingard (Chloe Pirrie), whose current plight is nothing short of a claustrophobic nightmare.
Dept. Q toggles between taut mystery and intriguing character study, delving deep into Carl's growth towards someone who's maybe slightly pleasant, as well as the journeys of Carl's fellow detectives Akram (Alexej Manvelov), Rose (Leah Byrne), and Hardy (Jamie Sives). Together, they create a lovable squad with the potential for a long run of case-cracking on Netflix. The streaming gods demand it! — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter
Starring: Matthew Goode, Kelly Macdonald, Chloe Pirrie, Kate Dickie, Alexej Manvelov, Jamie Sives, and Leah Byrne
How to watch: Dept. Q is now streaming on Netflix.
5. Toxic Town
The first of two limited series from writer Jack Thorne on this list, Toxic Town tells a fictionalised version of a real life story. Following a group of mothers who've given birth to children with limb differences, Thorne's drama follows their legal battle against the local council as they attempt to get to the bottom of whether or not they were poisoned due to negligence and corruption at the nearby steelworks. It's an emotional and frustrating story that's brought to life by a strong script and incredible performances across the board, especially from Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who) and Aimee Lou Wood (The White Lotus), who star as two of the real life mothers leading the fight. — S.H.
Starring: Jodie Whittaker, Aimee Lou Wood, Rory Kinnear, Brendan Coyle, Robert Carlyle, Joe Dempsie, Claudia Jessie, Ben Batt, Stephen McMillan, Lauren Lyle, Michael Socha, Karla Crome, and Matthew Durkan
How to watch: Toxic Town is streaming now on Netflix.
4. A Thousand Blows
Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight returned this year with a knockout show inspired by real figures of 1880s London. Talented boxer Hezekiah (Black Mirror's Malachi Kirby) and his best friend Alec (Small Axe's Francis Lovehall) emigrate to England from Jamaica, the former drawing the attention of the best bare-knuckled fighter on the Thames, Sugar Goodson (Adolescence's Stephen Graham). Beyond their ring rivalry, however, an all-women gang of thieves run by the charismatic Mary Carr (Adolescence's Erin Doherty), pilfer the prized possessions of the upper classes. With impeccable performances and detailed production design, A Thousand Blows is compelling tale of survival, of class warfare, and above all, making a name for yourself against all social odds. — S.C.
Starring: Malachi Kirby, Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty, Francis Lovehall, Ziggy Heath, and Jason Tobin
How to watch: A Thousand Blows is now streaming on Disney+ in the UK and Hulu in the U.S.
3. Reunion
A revenge thriller with a difference, Reunion follows Daniel Brennan (Matthew Gurney), a deaf man trying to reckon with his troubled past and the crime he's committed after being released from prison. William Mager's four-part BBC miniseries tells a revenge story that's not unfamiliar, but what makes it unique is the light it casts on the way deaf people are often left behind — or outright mistreated — by our various systems. A large number of the cast and crew in revenge use British Sign Language, and a big chunk of the show is in BSL with subtitles. — S.H.
Starring: Matthew Gurney, Anne-Marie Duff, Lara Peake, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Eddie Marsan, Olive Gray, Joe Sims
How to watch: Reunion is streaming on BBC iPlayer in the UK, U.S. streaming date TBC.
2. What It Feels Like For a Girl
One of the most fearless, raw, and impeccable shows of the year, What It Feels Like for a Girl premiered at SXSW London to well-earned hype. Journalist Paris Lees adapted her memoir of the same name into an eight-episode coming-of-age series that refuses to be anything but authentic, whether joyful, resentful, lost, or ecstatic. Set in the Y2K era of the early '00s (and all the Sugababes, Ultra Nate, Rui da Silva, and All Saints that came with it), the series follows trans 15-year-old Byron (Ellis Howard) who navigates sex, drugs, gender identity, first loves, friendship fallouts, dangerous relationships, and forms of abuse, through an extraordinary performance by Howard.
Byron is determined to get out of their small town of Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, socially isolated and craving release from the strained relationship with their parents, while supported by their beloved Mommar Joe (Hannah Walters). They discover cottaging and sex work, and meet The Fallen Divas, Byron's wondrous found family of trans and queer friends including Lady Die (Laquarn Lewis), Sasha (Hannah Jones), Sticky Nikki (Alex Thomas-Smith), and Dirty Damian (Adam Ali). Despite their new support, Byron grows up fast, spirals into self-destruction, and tries to find their way. Channelling Lee's brazen, personal script, Howard's performance is at once vulnerable and fierce, assured and tentative, supported by the superb Lewis and Jones. By no means a light watch, but an authentic and powerful story of identity and loneliness, What It Feels Like For a Girl comes at a timely moment for the UK, where the rights of trans people are under unbridled attack. — S.C.
Starring: Ellis Howard, Laquarn Lewis, Hannah Jones, Jake Dunn, Adam Ali, Alex Thomas-Smith, Michael Socha, Hannah Walters, Laura Haddock
How to watch: What It Feels Like for a Girl is now streaming on BBC iPlayer in the UK, U.S. streaming date TBC.
1. Adolescence
Likely to be the most harrowing viewing experience you'll have this year, Adolescence traps you in a nightmare over the course of its four episodes, each filmed in one take. Co-created by Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne, and directed by Boiling Point's Philip Barantini, Netflix's much buzzed-about miniseries examines the aftermath of a chilling murder committed by 13-year-old Jamie (newcomer Owen Cooper). Each episode focuses on a different perspective around the case, from a detective (Ashley Walters) investigating Jamie's school to Jamie's family reckoning with his actions.
These vignettes, coupled with Barantini's one-take technique, create an unflinching portrait of a crime that feels all too rooted in reality. As UK Deputy Editor Sam Haysom wrote in his review, "Adolescence's story isn't a crime mystery so much as a psychological study — it's an exploration of the manosphere culture that's having a real world affect on teenagers, and the societal and familial triggers that might lead to a seemingly ordinary 13-year-old doing something unthinkable. On this level, and on almost all others, the show is chillingly effective." — B.E.
Starring: Stephen Graham, Ashley Walters, Erin Doherty, Owen Cooper, Faye Marsay, Christine Tremarco, and Amelie Pease
How to watch: Adolescence is now streaming on Netflix.
() denotes a blurb has come from a prior list.
