It’s easier than ever to be an Anglophile these days, largely thanks to streaming services like Netflix, which have brought a wider variety of titles than ever across the pond and right to our doors (and/or our living room couches, as the case may be.) Love period pieces? You can now pick your preferred timeframe — from gangsters in the 1920s (Peaky Blinders) to the British Royal family in the 1960s (The Crown) and teens in 1990s Ireland (Derry Girls). Looking for a more fast-paced thriller? Binge Bodyguard or Collateral. Want to watch something buzzy and downright weird? Well, Black Mirror and The End of the F***ing World are here for you. There are even options for the British sci-fi fan that isn’t interested in Doctor Who. (Crazyhead is an underrated gem, and we should all say so.) Here are the best British shows on Netflix.

For more recommendations, check out our list of the best shows on Netflix and best series to binge-watch on Netflix and across all platforms.

Disclaimer: These titles are available on US Netflix.

'Black Mirror' (2011 - Present)

Rotten Tomatoes: 83% | IMDb: 8.7/10

These days, it can often as though our reality is edging too close to the world presented in Charlie Brooker’s dystopian science fiction anthology series Black Mirror. (Honestly, once you watch Season 4’s “Metalhead,” you will never be able to see another one of those Boston Dynamics robot videos again without physically cringing.) But the series is impossible to look away from, showing us the best and worst of humanity — often at the same time — while asking whether we can ever coexist alongside the terrifying technology we’ve made.

Part satire, part drama, and part unintentional prophecy, Black Mirror explores issues of tech and its unanticipated effects on modern society, using everything from dating sites and social media apps, to home security systems, online gaming, and robots. The episodes are essentially standalones with big budgets and often equally big-name cast members, stunning in both their variety and generally grim outlook on humanity and the world. (Pretty sure Season 3’s “San Junipero” and Season 4’s “Hang the DJ” are the only stories that have anything approaching a happy ending, so prepare your emotions and expectations accordingly.)

Watch on Netflix

'Everything Now' (2023 - Present)

Rotten Tomatoes: 82% | IMDb: 6.7/10

Created by Ripley Parker, this British series follows the life of Sophie Wilde’s Mia, who, after spending time in hospital for anorexia nervosa, is thrust back into her normal life and has to face the difficult task of rejoining her school. Already likened to shows like Heartstopper and Sex Education, Everything Now boasts a cast just as talented as the ensembles credited in the aforementioned comparatives, with the likes of Wilde, Vivienne Acheampong, Stephen Fry, and Sam Reuben, to name just four. Bringing a mixture of lighthearted comedy and emotive drama to a condition like anorexia that is rarely talked about in mainstream media, Everything Now is a beacon of not just humor but representation. - Jake Hodges

Watch on Netflix

'Heartstopper' (2022 - Present)

Rotten Tomatoes: 98% | IMDb: 8.6/10

Created by Alice Oseman, based on her bestselling graphic novels, Heartstopper is one of the most beautifully crafted modern queer coming-of-age shows. Centering on perpetually awkward Charlie (Joe Locke), Heartstopper builds stories revolving around the importance of friendship, the blossoming of young love, and the rules of rugby. Co-starring as Charlie’s band of misfits and outcasts are Yasmin Finney, Tobie Donovan, and William Gao, with Kit Conner (His Dark Materials) playing Charlie’s love interest, Nick. With a first season focused on Charlie and Nick finding each other, season two welcomes more romance while diving into coming out narratives with an emphasis on staying true to yourself. – Yael Tygiel

Watch on Netflix

'Cunk on Earth' (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 8.1/10

Actress and comedian Diane Morgan travels the world as the hilariously harebrained investigative journalist Philomena Cunk to dig into the history of the Earth. Morgan interviews experts and manages to keep a straight face as she asks the most inane questions to some of the world’s leading historians. This mockumentary has a clever biting wit that’s delivered through a dry and wry character, which makes every running gag and immensely patient scholar glitter like gold in a format that is typically reserved for simply laying out dull facts. You’ll get this after you watch, but by the end, this show will really make you want to pump up the jam.

Watch on Netflix

'The Stranger' (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes: 83% | IMDb: 7.3/10

The Stranger is a mysterious crime drama based on the novel by Harlan Coben. Starring Richard Armitage (Ocean’s Eight), The Stranger follows a family from the English suburbs as a stranger (Hannah John-Kamen) inserts herself into their lives, revealing their secrets and upending their way of life. With unexpected discoveries over the course of eight episodes, The Stranger is an intensely thrilling story, captivating as each lie in the web is untangled. John-Kamen’s portrayal of the intriguing stranger who knows too much is riveting, especially when facing established heavy hitters like Armitage, Anthony Head (Ted Lasso), and Jennifer Saunders. The Stranger is a suspenseful puzzle with unexpected twists at every turn. – Yael Tygiel

Watch on Netflix

'Peaky Blinders' (2013 - 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes: 93% | IMDb: 8.8/10

This endlessly addictive gangster period drama is set in the West Midlands industrial town of Birmingham in the 1920s, and follows the story of the series’ titular gang, the Peaky Blinders, who earned their names thanks to the razor blades hidden in the brims of their caps. Cillian Murphy stars as Tommy Shelby, a World War I veteran turned gangland crime boss, who’s determined to make his family one to be reckoned with, both financially and otherwise.

The result is five seasons (so far) of murder, betrayal, drug deals, blackmail, street fights, barroom brawls and shifting loyalties that’s a thrilling rollercoaster ride from start to finish. Murphy’s mercurial Tommy gets the lion’s share of the limelight, battling everything from greed to ghosts to PTSD, but it’s Helen McCrory’s brassy Aunt Polly — a woman who’s every inch as terrifying and capable as any of the gang’s men — who repeatedly steals the show.

Watch on Netflix

'The Great British Baking Show' (2010 - Present)

Rotten Tomatoes: 87% | IMDb: 8.6/10

The most comforting and cozy reality TV series in existence, The Great British Baking Show will appeal to you even if your idea of baking is throwing some Betty Crocker brownie mix in a bowl. A cozy quest to find Britain’s best baker, this is a series that’s labeled as a competition, but is really just about everyone being super nice and supportive toward each other while making seriously amazing looking treats.

Known on the other side of the Atlantic as The Great British Bake-Off, this show feels like a breath of fresh air next to typical American cooking competitions like Top Chef, Chopped, or anything on which Gordon Ramsay appears. There’s no backbiting, no sabotage, and its contestants are genuinely happy for and appreciative of their fellow bakers in the tent. Even the judges and hosts are kind, seeking to uplift and talk their charges through their various culinary crises, rather than mine the moments for tears. Occasionally, Mary Berry will pronounce something underbaked, or Paul Hollywood will side-eye a finished project before mentioning he’d like more or less of a certain flavor, but these low-stakes crises are exactly what we could all probably use more of right now.

Watch on Netflix

'The Crown' (2016 - 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes: 81% | IMDb: 8.6/10

Lavish historical drama The Crown is one of the most expensive Netflix series ever made — and certainly looks worth every penny. The story of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, each season corresponds with roughly a decade of her time on the throne, and it has everything you could possibly want in a story of British royals — scandals, triumphs, intrigue and drama abound.

The series’ rotating cast swaps out every two seasons to allow all the major players to age naturally, giving us fresh takes on both Her Majesty the Queen and all those around her. Claire Foy is a wonder as a young Elizabeth navigating the difficulties of coming to her throne, but her performance is more than equaled by Olivia Colman’s turn as a middle-aged queen wondering if she’s still a person beyond the crown she wears. (Imelda Staunton will debut as Elizabeth when the series reaches Season 5.) Though some of its historical moments aren’t as accurate as they could be, the show’s deft and honest presentation of both the weight and privilege the royal family entire is asked to carry will keep you coming back for more.

Watch on Netflix

'Derry Girls' (2018 - 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes: 99% | IMDb: 8.5/10

This loud, messy, heartfelt comedy follows the misadventures of six schoolgirls in Northern Ireland during the final days of the Troubles and is a sincere joy from start to finish. The potentially dark cloud of IRA bombings remains a constant presence in the background — see the episode in which an innocuous lie about a suitcase full of vodka brings in the bomb squad — but the series’ late 1990s setting is as often conveyed as much by its excellent pop soundtrack as it is by terrorist threats.

Though this is probably a show you’ll need to watch with the subtitles on – these accents are no joke – its relatable teen problems of unrequited crushes and unaffordable school trips are universal. The lead quartet of teens is wonderful, both individually and together - and whether brash Michelle, wistful Erin, goody-two-shoes Clare or weird Orla ends up being your ultimate favorite, you’ll still love the awkward comradery between them all. Derry Girls is a story set in extraordinary times, but its very ordinariness is what makes it great.

Watch on Netflix

'Call the Midwife' (2012 - Present)

IMDb: 8.6/10

This heartwarming, emotional drama has been on the air for nine seasons so far and seems fairly set to run forever because there’s always (I hope) going to be a space for stories about women helping other women. A period drama that began in the 1950s and has already reached the Swinging Sixties with no end in sight, Call the Midwife follows the story of the nuns and midwives of Nonnatus House, who serve the working-class families and immigrants of London’s East End.

The series’ rotating cast means a regular influx of fresh faces arriving on the scene, with a variety of backgrounds and stories of their own. (Miranda Hart’s Chummy, a regular presence in the show’s earlier seasons is a special delight.) Its utterly fearless attitude toward addressing the widest possible variety of heartbreaking physical and societal ailments means that the show tackles everything from abortion laws and poverty to miscarriages and thalidomide births. But though the show wholeheartedly celebrates life, death and tragedy are always lurking nearby, so keep a stack of Kleenex handy.

Watch on Netflix

'Bodyguard' (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes: 93% | IMDb: 8.1/10

Everyone’s favorite King in the North Richard Madden stars in this fast-paced, utterly relentless thriller from the creator of Line of Duty. Madden plays David Budd, a former Army veteran who’s assigned to the protection detail of the U.K.’s controversial Home Secretary after successfully thwarting a bombing attack.

What probably should be a paint-by-numbers story turns out to be a layered exploration of paranoia, politics, and deeply messy people, as an unstable Budd wrestles with his lingering PTSD and growing guilt over protecting a woman busy agitating to send more men like him to war. And Keeley Hawes makes Madden an admirable scene partner in the deliciously ambitious Julia Montague, a woman who’s more than happy to trample on things like privacy and her countrymen’s peace of mind for her own power. A series that’s perfectly designed for a weekend binge in almost every way.

Watch on Netflix

'The End of the F***ing World' (2017 - 2019)

Rotten Tomatoes: 94% | IMDb: 8.0/10

This dark teen comedy-drama is probably like nothing you’ve ever seen before, in all the best ways. Adapted from the Charles Forsman graphic novel of the same name, The End of the F***ing World follows the story of a seventeen-year-old boy named James, who believes he’s a psychopath and plans to take his inner dark side to the next level by killing his rebellious classmate, Alyssa. For her part, Alyssa just wants to run away from home, and when she suggests they embark on an outlandish adventure together, James plans to use their trip to commit a little homicide along the way.

Look, The End of the F***ing World is weird. It’s dark, and it’s creepy. But it’s also strangely sweet and romantic at the same time, an angsty teen drama done up in thoroughly adult trappings, like a My Chemical Romance song given human form. The relationship that ultimately develops between James and Alyssa is certainly an unconventional one, but you’ll find yourself rooting for this literal definition of “those crazy kids!” anyway.

Watch on Netflix

'Crazyhead' (2016)

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 7.2/10

A perfect blend of Buffy the Vampire Slayer-style supernatural fun and Misfits-level teenage superhero irrelevance, Crazyhead is a gem of a series that far too many viewers slept on when it was first released. The series follows the story of Amy, a bowling alley employee who discovers she can see demons. When she’s rescued by the baseball-bat wielding Raquel outside a nightclub, a supernatural fighting partnership – and tentative friendship – is born.

Like many teen supernatural shows, Crazyhead uses its demon-fighting as a metaphor for larger real-world problems including sexism and the patriarchy. The story often veers into the patently ridiculous – one of Amy’s friends becomes possessed and the girls must perform an exorcism, a boy Raquel goes on a date with turns out to be a demon, that kind of thing. But the friendship that develops between our two but-kicking demon hunters firmly grounds the series in a relationship that feels both real and necessary, as well as a ton of fun.

Watch on Netflix

'Lovesick' (2014 - 2018)

IMDb: 8.0/10

This irreverent comedy was originally known as Scrotal Recall, which is a pretty on-the-nose explanation of its premise. Redubbed Lovesick by Netflix the summer before its second season, the series follows the story of Dylan, a young man who is quite literally sick as a result of love. Because Dylan has contracted chlamydia, and over the course of the show he must retrace his sexual history to tell all his former lovers about his unfortunate diagnosis.

The show jumps back and forth in time, exploring Dylan’s previous relationships — or hook-ups as the case may be — and introducing us to his roommates Evie and Luke and their lives in Glasgow. Up and coming It Guy Johnny Flynn is both charming and likable as Dylan and the show’s take on relationships generally — especially those of the sort that generally tend to occur in your twenties specifically — is spot-on.

Watch on Netflix

'Sex Education' (2019 - 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes: 94% | IMDb: 8.3/10

No one does uncomfortable sex comedy like the Brits, and Sex Education is no different. Asa Butterfield stars in this charmingly awkward dramedy about the son of a sex therapist who inadvertently becomes something of a sex counselor among the local teens at school. After accidentally curing a school bully of his sexual anxiety, Otis and his BFF Maeve start their own business out of an abandoned school levorotary and things go about the way you’d expect.

Don’t be fooled by the seemingly lightweight premise and occasionally raunchy vibe though. The writing is surprisingly rich and the show tackles complex and emotional topics from sexually transmitted diseases to assault with nuance and care. Butterfield is surrounded by an appealing group of young actors with all get the chance to grow and develop over the course of the series. And though you’ve probably already seen the GIFs of Gillian Anderson as Otis’ wildly uninhibited sex expert mother, she’s pitch-perfect in every scene she’s in. (And reason enough to watch on her own.)

Watch on Netflix

'Crashing' (2017 - 2019)

Rotten Tomatoes: 83% | IMDb: 7.6/10

No, Fleabag isn’t available to stream on Netflix, but a lesser-known Phoebe Waller-Bridge gem is. Crashing is a light-hearted comedy focused on a group of twentysomethings serving as “property guardians” at an abandoned hospital. (This means that as long as they keep the place safe against squatters and follow a strict set of rules, they get cheaper rent.) It’s as compelling and crass as you might expect any Waller-Bridge series to be, and just as eminently bingeable, clocking in at a perfectly sized six 30-minute episodes.

Unlike Fleabag, however, Crashing is much more of an ensemble piece, a romantic comedy, and bohemian millennial fantasy. Our main characters are financially poor, but live rich and full lives brimming with drama, connection, and meaning. Unfortunately, the show ends rather abruptly and without anything that might charitably be called closure. Waller-Bridge has indicated that the show is meant to be a standalone series, but it’s difficult not to watch it and wonder about where it might have gone.

Watch on Netflix

'Collateral' (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes: 79% | IMDb: 6.8/10

The first original series for television from award-winning playwright David Hare, Collateral is a police procedural that’s much more complex than your average cop drama. Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan delivers an exceptional performance as Kip Glaspie, a detective inspector assigned to investigate the murder of a pizza delivery driver who is shot in a London suburb. The victim turns out to be a Syrian refugee, and the ensuing mystery rapidly becomes political, implicating all manner of contemporary British institutions from the military to the Church of England.

Though the story can often feel unnecessarily complex, its unexpected twists and narrative connections make for a wildly entertaining binge, and its dynamic female characters are the sort that are still too rare in this genre. The supporting cast is predictably brilliant all around, though Billie Piper does particularly good work as the troubled ex-wife of a member of Parliament.

Watch on Netflix

'Marcella' (2016 - 2021)

Rotten Tomatoes: 70% | IMDb: 7.4/10

A noir-style police drama, Marcella stars Anna Friel as Marcella Backland, a brilliant former detective who returns to work when her husband of fifteen years announces that he’s leaving her. She resumes an investigation into a trio of unsolved murders when it appears as though the serial killer responsible has become active again. So far, so standard British procedural, right? Not exactly,

Because it turns out that Marcella also suffers from dissociative fugues that leave her with memory loss, and her own history is much tangled and darker than viewers originally suspected. By the time the series reaches its third season, the show has evolved into something completely different than it was when it started. The plot of Marcella frequently takes some off the rails-style twists, but it’s compulsively watchable and genuinely surprising.

Watch on Netflix

'Dracula' (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes: 71% | IMDb: 6.8/10

Sherlock co-creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss attempt to retell another story from classic literature with Dracula. At just three feature-length episodes, this series makes for a quick binge, but viewers will likely find themselves divided over its controversial mix of period and modern-day storytelling. The series has a distinctly dark vibe, full of claustrophobic locations and the sorts of skulls, rotting corpses, and other imagery sure to delight horror fans.

Star Claes Bang plays an aggressively handsome Dracula that’s part unrepentant killer, part romantic lead, and part quippy one-liner machine who loves terrible puns for some reason. But it’s Dot and Em star Dolly Wells who completely steals the show here as Sister Agatha, an atheist nun with a waspish, can-do attitude and a surprising connection to Dracula himself. Fair warning, the ending of this series is pretty much bonkers insane, and something that honestly has to be seen to be believed, even if your mileage may vary on whether you find it satisfying.

Watch on Netflix