The best five UK TV shows to watch on Netflix

Netflix has been an ingenious invention, like trading platforms, and has been able to bring the best shows from around the world in one place. The United Kingdom is no exception to the rule of producing some of the best shows from drama to comedy. With streaming sites already very common in the UK with channels like BBC, Channel 4 and ITV, with these great shows on Netflix it widens the audience globally.

So which shows should you be watching on Netflix to appreciate some of the best British made shows ever.

1. Peaky Blinders

The Birmingham based gangster show has captivated viewers since it first hit the BBC Two screens back in 2012. Peaky Blinders has become a phenomenon and dominated pop culture in the UK. With the final series all done and dusted, many are revisiting the show on Netflix or starting it all for the first time. 

The show was able to bring in some fantastic actors such as Cillian Murphy, Paul Anderson and Helen McCrory for recurring roles but they also featured Hollywood stars such as Adrien Brody, Tom Hardy, Anya Taylor-Joy and Sam Claflin.

With the highly anticipated movie expected sometime in the future fans will certainly keep watching the show on Netflix to get their Tommy Shelby fix. 

2. Taboo

From the same writer as Peaky Blinders, Stephen Knight, this brutal drama starring Tom Hardy captivated viewers just as much as Peaky Blinders did. Hardy plays a son who is looking to avenge his father’s death after he returns to England from Africa. It is gritty, full of superb actors (Stephen Graham being one of them) and is one of Hardy’s best performances.

Many have been left disappointed that there is only one series of the show but Netflix has seen a surge in popularity especially with Peaky Blinders ending. Taboo series 2 is in the making and after five years many fans are ready for it to return.

3. Derry Girls

A change of pace from the previous two mentions and something more lighthearted for viewers to enjoy. Derry Girls is a comedy based on a group of school girls, and one boy, who are in the midst of the tension of Northern Ireland in the 1990s. However, it focuses on their everyday life and mishaps they have while attending Catholic school.

With some great pop culture references to the 90s for all your nostalgic lovers and each character as loveable as the last Derry Girls is not one to be missed. The interaction between the gang is something that makes people want to watch the show over and over again in case they missed a quick snipe whilst laughing at the previous joke.

The third series of the award winning show is currently on Channel 4 but you can catch up on all the comedy on Netflix.

4. Peep Show

Some consider this to be the greatest British comedy of all time and it is certainly up there in the conversation. Focusing on two friends who share a flat in London and highlight even though you are friends with someone, your lives can be completely different. David Mitchell portrays the 9-5, University graduate, history buff and all round normal bloke whilst Robert Webb portrays the slacker, music lover that has more free thinking thoughts than his friend. 

It may not sound like the two are friends but they really are and the show is full of perfect comedic moments. With a lot of the filming done through POV you are in the thoughts of Mitchell and Webb’s characters a lot. Netflix has all nine seasons of the hugely popular comedy show.

5. It’s a Sin

Produced by Channel 4 this drama set in the 1980s is hard hitting, warming and upsetting all at the same time. The story follows the lives of young homosexual men during the AIDS pandemic and how life was in the capital. With many young men looking to find themselves in the capital, it shows the raucous life they led and how people had different views on the AIDS issue.

The TV show takes you on an emotional rollercoaster particularly with Olly Alexander who plays Ritchie. With big name actors such as Neil Patrick-Harris, Stephen Fry and Keeley Hawes all appearing in the Russell T Davies hit had people hooked. 

With Netflix gaining the right to keep showing the series people are still tuning in to experience the 1980s world and with talk of a sequel people will want to keep refreshing their memories.