The best detective dramas of all time
A list of British TV's finest crime drama.
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- StarsDavid SuchetHugh FraserPhilip JacksonHercule Poirot, a famous Belgian detective, who has an impeccable knack for getting embroiled in a mystery, solves crimes along with Captain Hastings and Scotland Yard Chief Inspector James Japp.Wonderfully lavish period drama, based on Agatha Christie's bestselling books. David Suchet simply *is* Poirot.
- StarsDerek JacobiMichael CulverJulian FirthThe medieval era cases of a Crusader-turned-Monk who investigates mysteries in the Norman English town of Shrewsbury.Derek Jacobi is marvellous in this series of medieval murder mysteries.
- CreatorJohn HawkesworthStarsPeter DavisonBrian GloverAndrew BurtIn 1930s England, a man from an aristocratic family takes up the pseudonym Albert Campion and, with the help of his ex-burglar manservant, solves mysteries.These charming adaptations of Margery Allingham's wonderful novels are brought to life by the excellent Peter Davison as eccentric sleuth Albert Campion.
- StarsJohn ThawKevin WhatelyJames GroutChief Inspector Morse has an ear for Western classical music, a taste for beer, and a nose for crime. He and Detective Sergeant Robert Lewis solve intriguing cases in and around the Oxford area.This is the greatest of them all: clever plots, wonderful scenery, and an amazing performance by John Thaw as the protagonist. This series has never lost its power and ability to wow.
- StarsAlan DaviesCaroline QuentinStuart MilliganJonathan Creek, a magician with a natural ability for solving puzzles, works from his home in a converted windmill. He uses his abilities to solve impossible crimes and mysterious murders.Brilliant, funny, clever series of 'locked-room' mysteries. Although some of the acting leaves a lot to be desired, the stories are so good that one forgets this!
- StarsKevin WhatelyLaurence FoxClare HolmanDI Robert Lewis and DS James Hathaway solve the tough cases that the learned inhabitants of Oxford throw at them.Spin-off from Inspector Morse, this series is just as brilliant as the original.
- StarsMichael GambonGeoffrey HutchingsJack GallowayFrom Montmartre to the remote French countryside, Maigret encounters the dark side of the human psyche. Yet, he manages to maintain both compassion and a sense of humor as he explores the complex motives that lie behind every crime.Michael Gambon excels as the patient, calm, but intelligent French policeman. The stories are very real, and stay close to the tone of Georges Simenon's novels.
- CreatorCaroline GrahamStarsJohn NettlesJane WymarkBarry JacksonA veteran Detective Chief Inspector and his young Sergeant investigate murders around the regional community of Midsomer County.Agatha Christie-esque plots in a modern-day setting! This impeccable series, now boasting over 80 two-hour episodes, is often humorous, and the quirky inhabitants of the world's most dangerous county never fail to delight.
- StarsJoan HicksonUrsula HowellsSamantha BondAn unusual announcement in the newspaper leads the curious villagers to Miss Blacklock's home, where they become witnesses to a murder.Joan Hickson is perfect for the role of Miss Marple in the third, and best, of the BBC's Marple series. This plot is ingenious, and is one of Agatha Christie's best. On script duty is the late, great Alan Plater, who injects some of his characteristic dry humour in as well.
- StarsNeil DudgeonDiana RiggPeter DavisonPaired with her reliable and devoted chauffeur, Mrs Bradley's finely honed skills of investigation seek out the truth behind the mysteries surrounding a death at the opera, crimes of passion at a circus, poisoning and family secrets.A fantastic period drama, with Diana Rigg stealing the show as Mrs Adela Bradley, an elegant psychoanalyst who investigates the various crimes that she comes across. Very funny - with Mrs B breaking the fourth wall, a nice little touch - and with excellent plots, somewhat altered, however, from Gladys Mitchell's original books...
- StarsIan CarmichaelGlyn HoustonElizabeth ProudThe title refers to the nine strokes of a church bell to announce the death of a man. In this adaptation of Dorothy L. Sayers's intricate, nostalgic, and atmospheric novel of the same name, Lord Peter Wimsey, stranded in a New-Year's Eve snowstorm ca. 1930 in the fens of eastern England, becomes the guest of a local clergyman, an adept enthusiast of the esoteric, mathematical art of change-ringing the eight swinging bells of his magnificent medieval church. Wimsey is pressed into service to assist with a heroic and historic all-night peal to welcome the new year. A few months later the vicar, having learned of Wimsey's reputation as a sleuth, summons him back to the village to investigate a mysterious body newly discovered in the churchyard, an unknown man secretly buried, who had apparently died about the time of Wimsey's first visit. A much earlier jewel robbery, details of church architecture, unclaimed letters from a French farm, and peculiarities of canon law are only a few of the further pieces of the puzzle which Wimsey must put together.The 1970s adaptations of Dorothy L. Sayers's Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries are all excellent (though quite slow, but they benefit from this, as it allows them to be incredibly faithful to the novels), and Ian Carmichael is a wonderful Wimsey. This is the best of the five, but they are all marvellous in their own ways.
- StarsHelen MirrenJohn BenfieldTom BellA female police detective investigates a series of serial murders while dealing with sexist hostility from her male comrades.The best, most powerful, most realistic police drama ever to have been made. This is a long drama - almost three and a half hours - but goodness it's brilliant. The acting, led by the superb Helen Mirren and supported by the excellent Tom Bell, John Bowe and Zoe Wanamaker, is top-notch, and the plot full of twists and incredibly tense. No drama has ever surpassed it.
- StarsDavid JasonBruce AlexanderJohn LyonsDI Jack Frost is an unconventional policeman with sympathy for the underdog and an instinct for moral justice. Sloppy, disorganized, and disrespectful, he attracts trouble like a magnet.David Jason is excellent as the curmudgeonly yet comic Inspector Jack Frost, based on the brilliant books by the late R.D.Wingfield. There are some excellent episodes, particularly from the superlative fifth series.
- StarsKenneth BranaghRichard McCabeJeany SparkUnable to unsee the dark crimes he's tasked to investigate, Wallander's job comes at a cost to his family and relationships.One of the highest-budgeted British TV programmes ever, this beautifully filmed and directed Swedish-set series is masterly. Kenneth Branagh delivers an astonishing performance as Kurt Wallander, a detective teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown. The stories are clever and intricate.
- CreatorBarbara MachinStarsTrevor EveSue JohnstonWil JohnsonDrama series following a team of detectives who investigate unsolved murders using modern technology.And now for my personal favourite. Since Inspector Morse ITV has always done crime drama better than the BBC, but here the BBC bite back with an incredibly good cold-case series. Each episode runs over two hours, allowing complex plots to be woven. Some are too ambitious for their own good, but most episodes are clever and well-scripted. Acting is always of the very best quality, though kudos goes to the magnificent Trevor Eve as DSI Boyd. Not to be missed.