Here's our guide to the best BBC series on Netflix to enjoy right now.
Many of these shows aren't actually currently available to watch on iPlayer, so Netflix is the place to go. All of these are available to watch on Netflix in the UK, and we've also indicated which ones are available in the US on Netflix, and if not said where you can stream them. There are some absolute crackers on the list...
Best BBC series on Netflix
The Trial of Christine Keeler
This classy drama takes a fresh look at one of the most infamous British scandals of the 20th century, which centered on 19-year-old model and dancer Christine Keeler (Sophie Cookson).
Keeler had an affair with the Secretary of State for War, John Profumo (Ben Miles), while at the same time she was having an affair with the Soviet naval attaché in London, who was a suspected spy.
Also involved in the scandal was osteopath and artist Stephen Ward (James Norton), who introduced Profumo to Keeler and later stood trial for "living off immoral earnings".
Emilia Fox stars as Profumo’s wife, Valerie, while Ellie Bamber plays Keeler’s friend Mandy-Rice Davies, who was also part of the scandal that cast a huge cloud over Harold Macmillan's Conservative government.
Not available on US Netflix, you can watch it on Max.
Collateral
Collateral is a brilliant thriller with a great cast including Carey Mulligan, Billie Piper, John Simm, Nicola Walker, and Nathaniel Martello-White.
Penned by celebrated playwright Sir David Hare, the four-parter is set over four days in London, focusing on the repercussions that follow the fatal shooting of a pizza deliveryman. Mulligan plays tough DI Kip Glaspie, who's on a mission to find out who's responsible for such a mindless piece of violence. Martello-White plays her cop partner, DS Nathan Bilk.
Simm plays politician David Mars, who becomes entangled in events, while Piper is his unpredictable ex Karen. While Walker plays a compassionate vicar. Simply a great watch.
Available also on Netflix in the US.
Bodyguard
Penned by Jed Mercurio, the creator of Line Of Duty, this tense thriller follows war veteran Sgt. David Budd (Richard Madden), who thwarts a terror attack and ends up on protection duty, guarding controversial politician Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes).
No spoilers here, but safe to say Julia finds herself in the line of fire and David comes under suspicion himself. Is he as innocent as we think? The twists and turns keep coming, so prepare for a bumpy ride! There's still hope that we might one day get Bodyguard season 2...
Available also on Netflix in the US.
The Replacement
Vicky McClure and Morven Christie star in this work rival drama. Christie plays hotshot architect Ellen Rooney, who's just landed a multi-million-pound contract for her firm in Glasgow and has finally achieved her dream of being made a senior associate.
But not long after toasting her success, Ellen discovers she's pregnant, and while her husband Ian (Outlander's Richard Rankin) is over the moon, the worried mum-to-be must help her bosses find maternity cover and hand over her dream project to her replacement. In walks the charming and competent Paula Reece (Line of Duty star McClure), who took a career break 10 years ago to have her daughter, but is ready to throw herself back into work.
Everyone loves her, but Ellen feels Paula is taking over her life, not just her job. Is Ellen paranoid, or does Paula have a sinister agenda?
Not available on US Netflix, you can watch it on BritBox.
The Serpent
When you watch this drama, starring Tahar Rahim as merciless killer Charles Sobhraj, you’ll find it hard to believe it’s based on real life. But the series tells the true story of ruthless Sobhraj, known as the Serpent, a psychopathic conman and murderer who was the chief suspect in the unsolved murders of up to 20 young backpackers who’d been travelling the famous "hippie route" across India, Thailand and Nepal in the 1970s.
The series shows how he and his glamorous girlfriend Marie-Andrée Leclerc, played by Victoria star Jenna Coleman, managed to evade capture for so long despite being wanted across three continents. We guarantee you’ll be gripped.
Available also on Netflix in the US.
Peaky Blinders
It’s the gangland crime drama that’s had viewers gripped for six seasons, and the Peaky Blinders movie is on the way.
Starring Cillian Murphy as the ruthless crime boss Tommy Shelby, the series follows a notorious gang in Birmingham in 1919. In the aftermath of World War One, Shelby is determined to climb to the top of the ladder, no matter the cost. The show also stars Helen McCrory, Tom Hardy, Sam Neill and Adrien Brody. Bear in mind, the Peaky Blinders are a gang that sews razor blades into their caps, so it's not all going to be easy watching!
Available also on Netflix in the US.
The Hour (leaving Netflix UK on June 4, 2025!)
Ben Whishaw’s marvellous 1950s set drama has largely been forgotten, but it’s a corker. Whishaw, Romola Garai and Dominic West play three journalists involved in a love triangle who launch a topical news show called The Hour in London in 1956.
Freddie [Whishaw] becomes the heart of the drama when he's asked to look into the murder of a college professor by the daughter of a House of Lords member who employed his mother. When another body turns up, Freddie appears to have been drawn into a conspiracy involving the highest members of the British government…
Not available on US Netflix, you can watch it on Acorn.
Poldark
Aidan Turner made his name as swashbuckling and thoroughly brooding Cornish miner Ross Poldark in this romantic drama set in the 18th century. The novels of Winston Graham had previously been turned into a hit drama in the 1970s starring Robin Ellis. Could the new version live up to expectations? You bet it could! Eleanor Tomlinson starred as love interest Demelza, with Jack Farthing as villain George Warleggan.
Not available on US Netflix, you can watch it on PBS.
Ripper Street
Matthew Macfadyen stars in this acclaimed crime drama set in Victorian London during the aftermath of the notorious Jack the Ripper murders. The Succession star plays Detective Inspector Edmund Reid, head of H Division, who is charged with keeping order in the chaotic streets of Whitechapel following the Ripper's terrible crimes. Jerome Flynn co-stars as Sergeant Drake alongside Adam Rothenberg as Captain Homer Jackson and MyAnna Buring as Long Susan.
The cast also included Vienna Blood’s Charlene McKenna as Rose and a young Josh O'Connor as PC Bobby Grace.
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