10 Best BritBox Shows You Can’t Afford to Miss

British television has gifted us with some of the most celebrated shows ranging from Doctor Who to The Office. But finding these transatlantic productions became difficult once they went past their prime. Many of these shows disappear from the channels and become cult classics having a small but dedicated fan base.

BritBox is like a treasured collation of all these British television shows and films. Today we have assembled a list of the best BritBox shows, from low-profile dramas to worldwide hits, which are around to deliver you a delightful experience.

Best shows on BritBox

Here's a list of some of the top 10 best Britbox shows. Let’s look!

1. Classic Doctor Who (IMDb – 8.4/10)

The expansive collection of Classic Doctor Who can help you time travel to the show's beginning. You will meet the original Doctor, his companions, and the show's most prominent antagonists. BritBox offers an extra treat in the form of Doctor Who special episodes, which you can't miss.

The show chronicles the escapades of an eccentric time-traveling scientist hailing from a remote planet. He can be seen battling various forms of evil, like monsters, robots, and even a twisted Time Lord.

Originally, the role of Doctor was played by William Hartnell until 1966. The original series featured seven different Doctors played by other artists, with Tom Baker having the longest run from 1974-81.

2. Pride and Prejudice (IMDb – 8.8/10)

The 1995 miniseries starring Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy and Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet is the only adaptation of the famous Jane Austen novel having a massive fan following among Austenites. The show centered around the relationship between an aristocratic landowner and the daughter of a country gentleman.

The six-episode British television drama is set in early 19th-century England. The storyline of this BritBox show follows the journey of five unmarried daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet after the wealthy bachelor Mr. Bingley and his status-conscious friend Mr. Darcy move into the same neighborhood. Bingley develops a soft spot for the eldest of the Bennet daughters, while Darcy has repeated clashes with the second eldest Bennet girl Elizabeth.

3. Fawlty Towers (IMDb – 8.8/10)

The British sitcom is a cult comedy classic and one of the best shows on BritBox. The series is set in a fictional hotel, Fawlty Towers, in the seaside town of the English Rivera. The story revolves around the rude yet tense owner Basil Fawlty (played by Cleese), his bossy wife Sybil Fawlty (played by Prunella Scales), their chambermaid Polly Sherman (played by Connie Booth), and their English-challenged Spanish waiter Manuel (played by Andrew Sachs).

Over the two seasons, you will see these four characters trying to run their hotel in the face of absurd situations and eccentric guests. Over the two seasons, Basil tries raising the tone of his hotel and gets increasingly frustrated with his and his companions' different complications and mistakes, which serve as a blockade towards his goal.

4. Why Didn't They Ask Evans (IMDb – 7.1/10)

This perky and playful 1930s murder mystery is one of the best shows on BritBox 2022. It is based on Agatha Christie's novel of the same name. Will Poulter play naval officer Bobby Jones, who stumbles upon a dying man at the bottom of the cliff? He is the sole witness to the man's last words, "Why didn't they ask Evans?"

He investigates this riddle taking the help of his spunky childhood friend Frankie (played by Lucy Boynton). However, he ends up discovering more than he initially thought. This clever adaptation of Agatha Christie is a classic British mystery lover's dream. The three-part limited series is set in the post-First World War era featuring gorgeous costuming, impeccable production design, and witty dialogue delivery.

5. The Curse (IMDb – 6.6/10)

The six-part show on BritBox, set in the 1980s, follows the story of a criminal gang who carries out a robbery and gets their hands on unbelievable loot. The story is believed to be loosely based on the accidental gold and diamond heist in a Heathrow warehouse in 1983.

The series stars Allan Mustafa, Tom Davis, Steve Stamp, and Hugo Chegwin as friends who stumble upon a handsome loot. The 1980s was a decade when the rich got richer, and society saw a steep rise in armed robberies.

These were mainly enacted by the local lads who took away from the people they thought were robbing them. As the naïve gang bites off more than they can chew, they are stuck creating a plot and getting rid of the loot before getting nicked or ending up dead.

6. Downton Abbey (IMDb – 8.7/10)

The popular up-town drama centers around the noble Crawley family residing in a luxurious Yorkshire estate. It showcases the lives of the elites amidst significant changes in the world, including the outbreak of World War I, changes in the British Social Hierarchy, and the sinking of the Titanic.

The series showcases the apparent differences between the rich and the working class. The audience was compelled to see how a similar social issue plagues a high society woman and her servant differently.

The series had Hugh Bonneville as Robert Crawley, Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley, Elizabeth McGovern as Cora Crawley, Laura Carmichael as Edith Pelham, and Michelle Dockery as Mary Talbot, among others.

7. Bean (IMDb – 8.6/10)

The British sitcom was co-created by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson during the 90s and aired over 15 episodes. It showcased a poor man's attempt to deal with ordinary situations in the weirdest ways. Atkinson played the role of the adorable Mr. Bean, who is more of a child in a grown man's body.

Matilda Ziegler played the role of "the girlfriend," and Robin Driscoll was the 'Man buying ride tokens.' Throughout the show, Mr. Bean tries solving everyday tasks disrupting the process. But his resourcefulness and perseverance helped him find ingenious ways around the problems. The series received widespread acclaim during its five-year run and attracted television audiences from around the globe.

8. The Cleaner (IMDb – 7.1/10)

This surprisingly goofy British comedy follows Greg Davies in the role of Paul "Wicky" Wickstead, a state-certified cleaning technician who removes all signs of death from the crime scene. In each episode, Paul visits a new home, meets an unusual character, and has to clean a ridiculously gory mess of human remains with perfect British annoyance.

The USP of the series lies in the charm and relatability of the lead Greg Davis alongside his co-stars David Mitchell and Helena Bonham Carter. Every episode opens with Wicky entering the crime scene once the police have left with a lorry full of cleaning supplies. However, he is always confounded by either the murderer or nosy neighbors, which takes the episode to unexpected places.

9. Shetland (IMDb – 8.2/10)

Shetland offers everything you would want from a good mystery series. The gripping murder story is set in a small town called the Shetland Islands, located off the coast of Scotland. The drama series follows Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez (played by Douglas Henshall) and a small group of police staff who investigate different murder cases in a close-knit Shetland community.

Season 1 is based on the Red Bones novel and focuses on the murder of an elderly local with secret links to a World War II squad. The inhospitable and isolated environment of the island causes the team to rely on a uniquely innovative style of investigation. Seven seasons were released between 2013 and 2022, and it never displeases murder mystery lovers worldwide.

10. The Office (IMDb – 8.5/10)

Laugh your lungs out with this ultra-spooky comedy starring Ricky Gervais as David Brent. The program follows the daily lives of office employees working in a fictional Wernham Hogg paper company. The company has decided to downsize its branches; thus, the office faces closure. Amidst all this turmoil, the office manager David Brent and other staff continue their daily lives.

If you also interested in watching shows besides britbox, such as good shows on Starz, anime on Netflix, etc, head on here to get more info.

Conclusion

The biggest loophole with British TV is that there isn't good content available. The seasons are shorter than their American counterparts, leaving the audiences yearning for more. BritBox can come to your rescue with some of the most famous British imports alongside some classics falling under different genres, from murder mysteries to romantic comedies.