5. Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
Ok, I may be smuggling a bit here, because most of this series takes place on American soil. But it is made by BBC American, written by a British writer and starts two British actors in the lead. British enough as far as I'm concerned. This series is based on the book series with the same name, written by Douglas Adams. He's also known for writing The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Dirk Gently (Samuel Barnett) is an eccentric detective who doesn't work with evidence but lets the fate of the universe lead himself. He also believes everything is connected. The series appears to be going nowhere, and storylines seem to be all over the place. But at some point, all the pieces seem to fall into place, and that's one hell of an achievement. The series has eighteen episodes, divided over two seasons.
4. Merlin
A retelling of the famous tale of King Arthur and Merlin the wizard. The series revolves around a young version of Merlin who arrives in Camelot to learn and harness his powers. There he figures out that his destiny is to protect Arthur, who is still a young and arrogant prince at the time. And protecting him isn't easy as Camelot has a lot of enemies. But Merlin has to work in secret as magic is strictly forbidden in Camelot. This series is easy to watch and has a fun, young cast; Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Angel Coulby and Katie McGrath. Merlin consists of five seasons, and each season has thirteen episodes.
3. Black Mirror
Each episode has an entirely new story and setting. But all these stories revolve around the influence of technology and social media on humanity. Writer Charlie Booker manages to provide us with some very dark possible futures. From a chip in your head that allows you to rewatch your memories till bizarre simulations in the afterlife, nothing is crazy enough. BBC created the first two seasons, but then Netflix took over. There's also an interactive movie called Bandersnatch, which also takes place in the Black Mirror universe.
2. His Dark Materials
A film adaptation of the iconic book trilogy from Philip Pullman. In a world where the church is mighty, and humans are accompanied by animals who are part of their soul, the young Lyra (Dafne Keen) embarks on a perilous journey to find her kidnapped friend. During her adventure, she meets interesting companions such as talking polar bears, singing aeronauts and sailing gipsies. Furthermore, the series heavily criticizes modern society. A second season has already been announced, but it isn't clear when that will release.
1. Doctor Who
Everyone who knows me knows that no other series could be on this spot. Since 1963 Doctor Who has been a noun on BBC and the doctor goes on adventures throughout time and space. After an absence of almost sixteen years, Doctor Who had a triumphant return in 2005. The new series has already had twelve seasons, and for now, the Doctor, the TARDIS and the companions are far from done. And if you really can't think of anything to watch, I suggest you try to watch all the episodes starting from 1963. That means you'll have to watch more than 800 episodes, and that'll take you some time.
And of course, the Brits have created plenty more supernatural series. More recently, we saw A Discovery of Witches and Misfits. But there are plenty of classics, such as Red Dwarf and Catweazle. Plenty to watch, I think. And if this isn't your thing, don't you worry. There will be more top-five lists coming soon.
