The 15 Best British TV Shows of 2025 (And Where to Stream Them Now)

What was the one show that truly defined your year? In 2025, the UK delivered a swathe of excellent series that made us laugh, cry, and think. From ambitious Netflix dramas to the return of a beloved BBC comedy, PRISM has handpicked the 15 best British shows of the year—and included exactly where you can stream them.

Fresh Voices and Fond Farewells (No. 15-11)

Kicking off the list at No. 15 is the third and final season of Big Boys. Based on writer Jack Rooke's life, the series offered a warm and hilarious conclusion, tackling conversations about grief, mental health, and the future with authenticity. At No. 14, Sex Education's Aimee Lou Wood starred in and wrote Film Club, a sweet and sad romantic dramedy about a woman finding solace in movies after a nervous breakdown.

Charlie Brooker's sci-fi anthology Black Mirror returned for Season 7, landing at No. 13 with its trademark technology-based terror. It was followed by No. 12's Miss Austen, a tender period drama about Jane Austen's life as seen through her sister's eyes. Rounding out the section is No. 11, Boarders Season 2, which expertly wove sharp cultural commentary on systemic racism and classism into a teen comedy.

Gripping Thrillers and Social Dramas (No. 10-6)

At No. 10, Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson starred in the Apple TV+ mystery Down Cemetery Road, a tense thriller about a private investigator and a woman obsessed with finding a missing girl. It was followed by No. 9's Amandaland, a spinoff of the sitcom Motherland, which saw its 'love-to-hate' main character fall from grace after a messy divorce.

The chaotic The Death of Bunny Munro (No. 8), based on Nick Cave's novel, featured a powerhouse performance from Matt Smith as a sex-addicted salesman turned grieving single father. At No. 7, the HBO Max crime thriller Get Millie Black took viewers to Kingston, Jamaica, for a compelling story that explored the harsh realities faced by the local LGBTQ+ community. No. 6 went to Netflix'sDept. Q, a taut mystery about a disgraced detective assigned to a cold case department.

The Unforgettable Masterpieces (No. 5-1)

The top of the list is dominated by powerful, issue-driven stories. At No. 5, Toxic Town dramatized the real-life legal battle of mothers who believed their children's birth defects were caused by a local steelworks. Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight delivered A Thousand Blows at No. 4, a compelling tale of survival and class warfare in 1880s London, following Jamaican boxers and an all-women gang.

The revenge thriller Reunion (No. 3) stood out for its use of British Sign Language and its focus on a deaf protagonist reckoning with his past. Taking the No. 2 spot, What It Feels Like for a Girl offered a fearless and raw adaptation of Paris Lees' memoir about a 15-year-old trans girl navigating life in the early '00s.

Finally, the No. 1 spot belongs to Adolescence. The harrowing four-episode Netflix miniseries, filmed in one-take shots, examines the aftermath of a murder committed by a 13-year-old. The series was praised as a chillingly effective psychological study of the 'manosphere' culture affecting teenagers, making it the year's most essential and talked-about show.