The Best British Detective Series
A list of the all-time top British mystery series, from classic series like Poirot to modern hits like Luther.
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- CreatorMark GatissSteven MoffatStarsBenedict CumberbatchMartin FreemanUna StubbsThe quirky spin on Conan Doyle's iconic sleuth pitches him as a "high-functioning sociopath" in modern-day London. Assisting him in his investigations: Afghanistan War vet John Watson, who's introduced to Holmes by a mutual acquaintance.
- 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.
- CreatorJed MercurioStarsMartin CompstonVicky McClureAdrian DunbarDrama series following the investigations of AC-12, a controversial police anti-corruption unit tasked with bringing corrupt police officers to justice.
- StarsHelen MirrenJohn BenfieldTom BellA female police detective investigates a series of serial murders while dealing with sexist hostility from her male comrades.
- CreatorRachel FlowerdayTahsin GunerStarsMark WilliamsJohn BurtonSorcha CusackIn the early 1950s, Father Brown, a Roman Catholic priest based in the fictional Cotswold village of Kembleford, uses his distinctive skills to solve various crimes.
- CreatorCaroline GrahamStarsJohn NettlesJane WymarkBarry JacksonA veteran Detective Chief Inspector and his young Sergeant investigate murders around the regional community of Midsomer County.
- StarsShaun EvansRoger AllamJames BradshawSet from 1965 into the 1970s, the show follows Endeavour Morse in his early years as a police constable. Working alongside his senior partner DI Fred Thursday, Morse engages in a number of investigations around Oxford.
- StarsKevin WhatelyLaurence FoxClare HolmanDI Robert Lewis and DS James Hathaway solve the tough cases that the learned inhabitants of Oxford throw at them.
- CreatorDaisy CoulamStarsRobson GreenTessa Peake-JonesAl WeaverA Cambridgeshire clergyman finds himself investigating a series of mysterious wrongdoings in his small village of Grantchester.
- CreatorChris ChibnallStarsDavid TennantOlivia ColmanJodie WhittakerThe murder of a young boy in a small coastal town brings a media frenzy, which threatens to tear the community apart.
- StarsBrenda BlethynJon MorrisonRiley JonesWith her caustic wit and singular charm, DCI Vera Stanhope leads her team as they face a series of captivating murder mysteries set against the breathtaking Northumberland landscape.
- CreatorNeil CrossStarsIdris ElbaDermot CrowleyMichael SmileyJohn Luther is a brilliant homicide detective with a knack for getting inside the minds of murderers. Unfortunately, his unconventional methods and personal demons put him at odds with his team.
- CreatorRobert ThorogoodStarsElizabeth BourgineDon WarringtonDanny John-JulesA Detective Inspector is transferred from London to the island of Saint Marie in the Caribbean.
- CreatorAnthony HorowitzStarsMichael KitchenHoneysuckle WeeksAnthony HowellAs 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.
- CreatorPeter FlanneryStarsMartin ShawLee InglebySimon HubbardWith 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.
- 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.
- StarsEssie DavisNathan PageHugo Johnstone-BurtA female sleuth sashays through the back lanes and jazz clubs of Melbourne in the late 1920s, fighting injustice with her pearl-handled pistol and her dagger-sharp wit.
- StarsAlison O'DonnellSteven RobertsonLewis HowdenA local police team investigates crimes within the close-knit island community of Shetland.
- StarsGeraldine McEwanJulia McKenzieStephen ChurchettAn elderly spinster living in the village of St. Mary Mead helps her friends and relatives solve mysterious murders.
- CreatorSally WainwrightStarsSarah LancashireSiobhan FinneranJames NortonYorkshire-based crime drama centering on the personal and professional life of Police Sergeant Catherine Cawood.
- StarsStephen TompkinsonJack DeamAndrea LoweTenacious and stubborn DCI Alan Banks unravels disturbing murder mysteries aided by his young assistants, DS Annie Cabbot and DI Helen Morton.
- CreatorBen CourtCaroline IpStarsRupert Penry-JonesPhil DavisSteve PembertonA fast-tracked inspector, a hardened detective sergeant, and an expert in historical homicides investigate modern crimes with connections to the past in the Whitechapel district of London.
- 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.
- StarsFelicity KendalPam FerrisRyan PhilpottSet amongst the stunning gardens of Europe, Rosemary Boxer and Laura Thyme, two professional gardeners, find themselves drawn into solving mysterious crimes.
- StarsNathaniel ParkerSharon SmallLesley VickerageBritish crime investigation series based around aristocratic, Oxford-educated Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his working-class assistant Sergeant Barbara Havers.