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15 best British TV crime dramas of all time (so far)

By Alexandria Ingham

From left: Martin Compston, Adrian Dunbar, Vicky McClure from Line of Duty. Photo Credit: Des Willie/Courtesy of Acorn TV.
From left: Martin Compston, Adrian Dunbar, Vicky McClure from Line of Duty. Photo Credit: Des Willie/Courtesy of Acorn TV. /
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The Fall Season 2 — Photographer: Helen Sloan — Courtesy of BritBox
The Fall Season 2 — Photographer: Helen Sloan — Courtesy of BritBox /

6. The Fall

Number of seasons: 3 seasons

Created by: Allan Cubitt

Starring: Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan

What it’s about: Gillian Anderson plays Stella Gibson, a senior officer in London who is tasked to find a serial killer in Belfast. That serial killer is Paul Spector, played by Jamie Dornan. We enter a long cat and mouse game, as Paul becomes Stella’s focus until she is able to catch him.

Why it’s the best The Fall wasn’t afraid to not give us a happy ending at the end of the first season. It helps that the seasons are short, which means time for development on one case and when you binge-watch, it doesn’t feel like it’s taking too long to get to the end.

Well-written, the show offers some excellent character development. It’s dark and gritty, and we get to see some excellent actors in roles you’d never imagine. The biggest surprise for many will be Jamie Dornan, who most remember from Fifty Shades of Grey!

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5. Sherlock

Number of seasons: 4 seasons (and there probably won’t be any more)

Created by: Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Rupert Graves, Una Stubbs, Mark Gatiss, Louise Brealey, Andrew Scott, and Amanda Abbington

What it’s about: Based on the novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock brings the characters into the modern-day. It allows for a few new elements thrown in, especially when it comes to detective work, but still keeps the essence of all the characters. Each season focuses on its own case.

Why it’s the best Sherlock became an instant hit among British TV crime dramas, and that possibly is linked to the fact that it brought the characters into the modern day. At the same time, it offered a dark series, some extremely quirky characters, and cases that would leave us working out the clues, mesmerized by Sherlock’s abilities.

The filming methods certainly helped. It would draw us into parts and allow us to see the way Sherlock’s mind works. And we can’t deny that the cat and mouse game between Sherlock and Moriarty was thrilling and exciting.

The show also opted for something different in terms of episodes, sticking to three episodes per season but each episode was 90 minutes long.

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