British Dramas, the dark gritty ones
by tvshowsmovies | created - 15 Sep 2014 | updated - 28 Jan 2017 | PublicIn no particular order, [This is a personal list of mine (navin pais) and in no way does it represent the taste of the group] https://www.facebook.com/groups/tvshows.movies/
imdb list compiled by SHER ZAMAN
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1. The Shadow Line (2011)
60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Christopher Eccleston and Chiwetel Ejiofor star in this intricate conspiracy thriller set in a world of blurred morality, inhabited by conflicted characters on both sides of the law.
Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Christopher Eccleston, Kierston Wareing, Richard Lintern
Votes: 4,999
probably the best crime drama to have come out in a decade or two
2. DCI Banks (2010–2016)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Tenacious and stubborn DCI Alan Banks unravels disturbing murder mysteries aided by his young assistants, DS Annie Cabbot and DI Helen Morton.
Stars: Stephen Tompkinson, Jack Deam, Andrea Lowe, Caroline Catz
Votes: 9,134
3. Durham County (2007–2010)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An extraordinary series with an electric, oppressive atmosphere. A spiral of violence, unhealthy manipulations and tortured characters, Durham County excels in the detective series genre.
Stars: Hugh Dillon, Helene Joy, Laurence Leboeuf, Greyston Holt
Votes: 1,639
canadian, but has a british feel
4. Kidnap and Ransom (2011–2012)
47 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
From the first phone call with kidnappers to risky excursions into exotic and dangerous locales, negotiator Dominic King places himself in the line of fire to bring the victims home.
Stars: Trevor Eve, Helen Baxendale, Natasha Little, Scott Sparrow
Votes: 834
only series 1, series 2 was *beep*
5. Mad Dogs (2011–2013)
60 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Follows the reunion of four old sixth form friends. They head to Spain to visit the fifth member of the gang, but things take a dark turn.
Stars: Max Beesley, Philip Glenister, John Simm, Marc Warren
Votes: 5,883
6. The Fixer (2008–2009)
Crime, Drama, Mystery
Ex-special forces operative and convicted murderer John Mercer is awarded an early release from prison on the condition that he becomes an assassin for the government.
Stars: Andrew Buchan, Jody Latham, Tamzin Outhwaite, Peter Mullan
Votes: 1,161
7. Wallander (2008–2016)
TV-PG | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Unable to unsee the dark crimes he's tasked to investigate, Wallander's job comes at a cost to his family and relationships.
Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Richard McCabe, Jeany Spark, Sarah Smart
Votes: 16,490
8. Wire in the Blood (2002–2008)
TV-MA | 69 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A psychologist gets inside of the minds of both killers and victims to aid the police in solving gruesome serial killings in Northern England.
Stars: Robson Green, Mark Letheren, Emma Handy, Mark Penfold
Votes: 9,368
9. Zen (2011)
90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Detective Aurelio Zen brings justice to modern-day Italy.
Stars: Rufus Sewell, Caterina Murino, Stanley Townsend, Nathalie Rapti Gomez
Votes: 3,769
10. Above Suspicion (2009–2012)
46 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A team of dedicated detectives investigate gruesome murders across London.
Stars: Kelly Reilly, Ciarán Hinds, Shaun Dingwall, Amanda Lawrence
Votes: 3,473
11. Case Sensitive (2011–2012)
60 min | Crime, Thriller
When Geraldine Bretherick and her five-year-old daughter Lucy are found dead in the bathroom of their luxury home, the case divides new DS Charlie Zailer and her DC Simon Waterhouse.
Stars: Olivia Williams, Darren Boyd, Peter Wight, Ralph Ineson
Votes: 1,018
12. Exile (2011)
180 min | Drama, Thriller
A father and son story, with a thriller motor. It explores a mystery from the past with a brutal and shocking revelation.
Stars: John Simm, Jim Broadbent, Olivia Colman, Nico Mirallegro
Votes: 2,002
13. Injustice (2011)
47 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A defense barrister is faced with the proposition: what can you do when you have defended the indefensible?
Stars: James Purefoy, Charlie Creed-Miles, Sasha Behar, Dervla Kirwan
Votes: 2,214
14. The Tunnel (2013–2018)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A prominent French politician is found dead on the border between the U.K. and France, and two agents must work together on behalf of their respective countries to find the murderer.
Stars: Stephen Dillane, Clémence Poésy, Cédric Vieira, Angel Coulby
Votes: 10,655
watch the US one, way better than the brit & the original version http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1733785/
15. Murphy's Law (2003–2007)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
As a maverick cop with a dark past, DS Tommy Murphy fails a psychiatric assessment but is given one last chance by his boss and given a dangerous undercover assignment.
Stars: James Nesbitt, Del Synnott, Claudia Harrison, Owen Teale
Votes: 1,478
16. The Last Detective (2003–2007)
90 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
"Dangerous" Davies always gets the cases no one else wants, and no one notices when he eventually succeeds. But his old-fashioned decency and dogged determination have won him legions of loyal fans.
Stars: Peter Davison, Sean Hughes, Rob Spendlove, Charles De'Ath
Votes: 1,918
17. Cracker (1993–1996)
TV-MA | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Dr Edward "Fitz" Fitzgerald is a criminal psychologist. He is rather anti-social and obnoxious but he has a gift for solving crimes. Thus he is employed as a consultant by the Manchester Police.
Stars: Robbie Coltrane, Geraldine Somerville, Kieran O'Brien, Barbara Flynn
Votes: 7,871
18. Inside Men (2012)
60 min | Crime, Drama
The story of three employees of a security depot who plan and execute a multi-million pound cash heist.
Stars: Steven Mackintosh, Warren Brown, Nicola Walker, Ashley Walters
Votes: 2,770
19. Line of Duty (2012–2021)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Drama series following the investigations of AC-12, a controversial police anti-corruption unit.
Stars: Martin Compston, Vicky McClure, Adrian Dunbar, Craig Parkinson
Votes: 70,173
20. The Last Weekend (2012)
180 min | Thriller
Set over a long weekend in East Anglia, a surprise phone call from an old university friend, invites Ian and his wife for a few days by the sea. Their hosts, Ollie and Daisy, are a golden ... See full summary »
Stars: Rupert Penry-Jones, Shaun Evans, Genevieve O'Reilly, Claire Keelan
Votes: 515
21. Good Cop (2012)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Thriller
After his best mate and collegue is brutally attacked and killed, Good Cop John Paul Rocksavage seeks revenge on the men who killed him
Stars: Stephen Graham, Warren Brown, Stephen Walters, Aisling Loftus
Votes: 1,972
22. Broadchurch (2013–2017)
TV-MA | 1,143 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The murder of a young boy in a small coastal town brings a media frenzy, which threatens to tear the community apart.
Stars: David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker, Andrew Buchan
Votes: 127,254
23. Top of the Lake (2013–2017)
TV-MA | 750 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Obsessed with the disappearance of a 12-year-old pregnant girl near a freezing lake in New Zealand, a brave detective will find herself up against small-town secrets and a side of herself that was meticulously kept at bay.
Stars: Elisabeth Moss, David Wenham, Peter Mullan, Thomas M. Wright
Votes: 37,715
new zealand, but it has that british feel, & is *beep* good
24. The Village (2013–2014)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama
Follows the residents of one English village across the 20th century and their turbulent lives.
Stars: David Ryall, Maxine Peake, John Simm, Charlie Murphy
Votes: 2,727
25. The Fall (I) (2013–2016)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A seemingly cold but very passionate policewoman goes head to head with a seemingly passionate father who is in fact a cold serial killer in this procedural out of Belfast. The only thing they share is their common complexity.
Stars: Gillian Anderson, Jamie Dornan, John Lynch, Aisling Franciosi
Votes: 119,640
26. Mayday (2013)
Not Rated | 59 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Mayday in a small town steeped in pagan traditions where the crowning of the May Queen is the highlight of the day until suddenly she goes missing.
Stars: Aidan Gillen, Sam Spruell, Sophie Okonedo, Lesley Manville
Votes: 1,643
27. Wentworth (2013–2021)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
The confronting look into the lives of the inmates and prison staff of Wentworth Correctional Centre as they navigate the ups and downs of their lives in the prison system.
Stars: Kate Atkinson, Katrina Milosevic, Robbie Magasiva, Jacquie Brennan
Votes: 24,578
28. Collision (2009)
TV-PG | 201 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The story of a major road accident and a group of people who have never met, but who all share one single defining moment that will change their lives.
Stars: Douglas Henshall, Dean Lennox Kelly, Lucy Griffiths, Phil Davis
Votes: 2,542
dont remember if this was dark
29. Thorne: Sleepyhead (2010)
TV-MA | 44 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
DI Tom Thorne's only key to catching a serial killer is a survivor unable to move or communicate.
Stars: Sara Gregory, Trinity Barden, Georgia Tennant, Joshua Close
Votes: 3,264
Episode 2 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1659253/?ref_=nv_sr_2
30.
Jack Taylor (2010)
Episode:
The Guards
(2010)
Not Rated | 85 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After being fired from the Gardai, Jack Taylor takes on a new job as a private investigator.
Director: Stuart Orme | Stars: Iain Glen, Frank O'Sullivan, Ken Fildes, Peadar Cox
Votes: 1,733
Episode 2 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1827447/ Episode 3 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1827446/ Episode 4 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2447090/ Episode 5 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2528468/ Episode 6 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3385260/
31. Life on Mars (2006–2007)
TV-14 | 959 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
After a near-fatal car accident, smart, savvy, sharp-suited detective Sam is mysteriously transported back to 1973. Confused by his new surroundings, Sam tries to return to the present, but the police force of long ago needs his help.
Stars: John Simm, Philip Glenister, Liz White, Dean Andrews
Votes: 32,391
From here onwards: Light/semi dark, & intelligent: basically detective mystery shows
32. Foyle's War (2002–2015)
TV-14 | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
As WWII rages, DCS Foyle fights his own war on the home-front; investigating crime on the south coast of England. Later series, see the retired detective working as an MI5 agent in the aftermath of the war.
Stars: Michael Kitchen, Honeysuckle Weeks, Anthony Howell, Ellie Haddington
Votes: 18,262
33. Inspector George Gently (2007–2017)
TV-MA | 89 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
With the help of DS John Bacchus, Inspector George Gently spends his days bringing to justice members of the criminal underworld who are unfortunate enough to have the intrepid investigator assigned to their cases.
Stars: Martin Shaw, Lee Ingleby, Simon Hubbard, Lisa McGrillis
Votes: 8,525
34. Midsomer Murders (1997– )
TV-14 | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A veteran Detective Chief Inspector and his young Sergeant investigate murders around the regional community of Midsomer County.
Stars: John Nettles, Jane Wymark, Barry Jackson, Neil Dudgeon
Votes: 39,441
35. The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2001–2007)
TV-14 | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
British crime investigation series based around aristocratic, Oxford-educated Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his working-class assistant Sergeant Barbara Havers.
Stars: Nathaniel Parker, Sharon Small, Lesley Vickerage, Paul Hickey
Votes: 5,747
36. What Remains (2013)
TV-MA | 59 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A young couple move into an apartment only to find the body of a young woman that had been missing for 2 years but never registered as missing which leads to a deeper investigation into what actually happened.
Stars: Alexander Arnold, David Bamber, Claudie Blakley, Denise Gough
Votes: 4,173
37. Garrow's Law (2009–2011)
60 min | Biography, Drama, History
Garrow's Law is the true tale of William Garrow, who acted as counsel for the accused, introducing the concept of 'innocent until proved guilty' at London's Old Bailey.
Stars: Andrew Buchan, Lyndsey Marshal, Rupert Graves, Aidan McArdle
Votes: 1,247
38. Death in Paradise (2011– )
TV-PG | 60 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Cultures collide when British Detective Inspector is transferred from England to the Caribbean island of Saint Marie to head the island's police department.
Stars: Elizabeth Bourgine, Don Warrington, Danny John-Jules, Joséphine Jobert
Votes: 27,995
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