Want to watch the best UKTV Play shows? Well, then, you are in the right place and at the right time because the platform is blasting with all-time best and most popular new series on UKTV play you need to watch right now! Currently, tv shows are more in demand than movies – though there can be no comparison between the two. Now that you are here too, with a taste and desire for watching shows, you will need suggestions considering the number of titles out there. Obviously, you want to watch good stuff and not something trash.
UKTV Play is a UK-based streaming platform and a video-on-demand service provider. It launched in August 2014. Best of all, it is a free on-demand tv service. So, you can enjoy UKTV Play tv shows on demand, satisfying your entertainment needs totally for free. However, since it is a UK-based platform, it is only available in that region. Ops! Don’t worry. If you don’t live in the UK, you do not necessarily have to reside there to stream the best UKTV Play shows. You can easily watch them with access to a reliable VPN, like ExpressVPN.
Catch up on demand with UKTV Play. While you are there, browse categories and box sets that feature some of the best drama, entertainment, comedy, documentaries, and lifestyle shows from all of the UKTV channels – Drama, Dave, and Yesterday. Here are some of the best shows on UKTV play.
The Brokenwood Mysteries – 2014
Director: Mike Smith, Murray Keane, Mark Beesley
Writer: Timothy Balme, James Griffin
Cast: Fern Sutherland, Neill Rea, Cristina Șerban, Nic Sampson
Runtime: 1h 30m
Genre: Drama
With the mention of ‘mysteries’, you already know that this show is going to circle around all the mysteries and all the interesting ones. Mike Shepherd is a detective who is great at his job, performing it by heart. However, when it comes to relations, he is pretty terrible at it. One day, he has to move to Brokenwood due to the new crime mystery that has arisen, for which he is the one to inspect. While staying there and doing his job, he develops an instant liking for the place and, therefore, decides to continue to stay there and say goodbye to his old place. There, he starts to collide with Detective Kristen Sims soon. Watch him as he tries to live a good personal and professional life.
Tell Me Your Secrets – 2021
Director: John Polson, Louise Friedberg, Emile B. Levisetti
Writer: Harriet Warner, Nikole Beckwith
Cast: Lily Rabe, Hamish Linklater, Amy Brenneman, Enrique Murciano
Runtime: 45m
Genre: Thriller
The TV show, Tell me your secrets follows the story of a trio, each dealing with their own troublesome and chaotic backstories of life. More to the point, they are dealing with mysteries. It revolves around an ex-serial predator who is now seeking redemption, a young lady who once came face-to-face and looked into the eye of a threatening killer, and a mourning mother who is desperate to find her missing daughter. As they go on with their lives and deal with the problems, each one of them is pushed to the edge. This makes the truths about their lives even murkier, especially their pasts and motives.
Passport to Freedom – 2021
Director: Jayme Monjardim, Seani Soares
Writer: Rachel Anthony, Mário Teixeira
Cast: Sophie Charlotte, Gabriela Petry, Rodrigo Lombardi, Peter Ketnath
Runtime: 1 hour
Genre: Drama
A young clerk at the Brazilian Consulate, Aracy de Carvalho, has been secretly issuing the Jews with passports without the terrifying ‘J’ stamp on them. With that stamp, they wouldn’t be allowed to travel and will also be dreaded in horrifying concentration camps. This show is all about the story revolving around this Brazilian woman who made history by saving Jews from Nazis. When João Guimarães Rosa, a newly appointed diplomat, arrives in Hamburg, the two fall in love with each other. If you are looking for historical dramas, this one is one of the best UKTV Play shows. So, you can consider watching it.
Taskmaster – 2015
Director: Andy Devonshire, Andy Devonshire
Writer: Alex Horne
Cast: Greg Davies, Alex Horne, Kerry Godliman, Richard Herring
Runtime: 47m
Genre: Comedy
The taskmaster, Greg Davies, and Alex Horne, his assistant, present a series of challenges to five of the contestants. These contestants are comedians and will be put to an extreme to easy but wacky challenges. The contestants must compete with each other and try to win their own possessions back. Yes, their own possessions because they have been fortified by the taskmaster and his assistant. They can be asked to seek information from a Swedish person to record a music video for a nursery rhyme. It is a hilarious show that can burst you into a layer of laughter. Want that?
Doctor Doctor – 2016
Director: Kriv Stenders, Lisa Matthews
Writer: Ian Collie, Alice Bell
Cast: Rodger Corser, Tina Bursill, Hayley McElhinney, Nicole da Silva
Runtime: 50 min
Genre: Drama
Dr Hugh Knight is a charming, gifted, and infallible rising heart surgeon who is quite popular for his work in the city. Hugh is a hedonist and believes that due to his sheer talent, he can live outside the rules. However, his philosophy, “Work hard, play harder,” is soon going to come back at him and most likely bite him hard. One day, after waking up from a party night, he sees his life crashing down. He goes from being the most efficient and popular doctor in the city to a mere small-town doctor. It becomes the worst year for Hugh as he faces the nightmares in his professional life.
Meet the Richardsons – 2020
Director: Lee Hupfield, Eddie Stafford
Writer: Lucy Beaumont, Tim Reid
Cast: Lucy Beaumont, Jon Richardson, Damion Priestley, Johnny Vegas
Runtime: 40 min
Genre: Sitcom
Meet the Richardson is a mockumentary format of this British sitcom drama. In this show, two real-life comedians, husband and wife named Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont, present the fictionalized versions of themselves. Along with this, their work lives, their homes, and relations are also fictionalized. Primarily, it is an insight into their marriage life, but that is based on fiction, and therefore, making it full of fun and comedy.
Flack – 2019
Director: Peter Cattaneo, Alicia MacDonald
Writer: Oliver Lansley, Rose Heiney
Cast: Anna Paquin, Lydia Wilson, Rebecca Benson, Rufus Jones
Runtime: 1 hr
Genre: Comedy, Dramedy
Another one of the best UKTV Play shows, Flack, is a full-on comedy drama. It is a great tv show to watch whenever feeling light or bored. The show features an American publicist, Robyn, working for Cutthroat, a PR company in London that presents troubled celebrities. She is tasked with showing and depicting the miserable lives of the celebrities to appear in perfect order. While she does that, she sees her own life falling apart. The show’s first season premiered in February 2019, and in August 2019, the second season of the show was renewed.
Big Zuu’s Big Eats – 2020
Director: Chris Faith, Marcus Liversedge
Writer: N/A
Cast: Tubsey, Hyder, Big Zuu
Runtime: 30 mins
Genre: British Hip-hop
Do you like food? Everyone does, but if you are that binge-eater, then this show shall satisfy your desires for entertainment 100 percent. Big Zuu’s Big Eats is a show all about cooking and eating different kinds of food. A grime artist and DJ Big Zuu in London is out on a mission to cook for those who provide us entertainment. Comedians can struggle to eat good and decent food while on a nationwide tour, but they won’t anymore. Zuu will make delicious and mouth-watering dishes out on the road. You will see him in the back of his van, making dishes for a comedian in each episode. Watch him serve and feel the taste in your mouth virtually.
Special Ops: Crime Squad UK – 2022
Director: Salvatore Assenza
Writer: N/A
Cast: Lois Chimimba
Runtime: 1h
Genre: Documentary series
As you can guess through the name, Special Ops: Crime Squad UK is a crime-based mystery British drama revolving around new cases with each episode. This show is a documentary series that looks at the work of elite police teams and super-specialists around the UK. With this show, you can understand the real-life criminal investigation that occurs at the hands of talented sleuths. Now, as you will watch it, you will see more complicated and challenging criminal cases coming.
Sister Boniface Mysteries – 2022
Director: Ian Barber, Paul Gibson
Writer: Jude Tindall, Oliver Frampton
Cast: Lorna Watson, Max Brown, Jerry Iwu, Belinda Lang
Runtime: 45m
Genre: Mystery
Before this was Father Brown, and now there is Sister Boniface. In the series Sister Boniface Mysteries, Boniface is a nun who is a clever lady riding a mop. She acts as a secret weapon for the police of her area in solving the mysterious murders taking place every now and then. She is more like a trump card in this Father Brown spin-off. However, it is better to watch this show after you have watched Father Brown make more sense. Only then may you also consider it to be one of the best UKTV Play shows.
The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan – 2018
Director: Chris Cottam, Morgan Roberts
Writer: N/A
Cast: Romesh Ranganathan, Johnny Issaluk, Dan Fredenburgh, Donald MacSween
Runtime: 1 hr
Genre: Comedy
The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan is a British tv serial that also won an Academy Television Award for Best Features. It is a travel and comedy documentary about the guy, Romesh, who is a British comedian. Follow him as he proceeds to investigate whether the certain stereotype about certain places that he has heard of in the world is true or just an exaggeration.
Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over – 2019
Director: Rachel Tracy, Caroline O’Shaughnessy
Writer: N/A
Cast: Stacey Dooley, Carla Bellucci
Runtime: 1 hr
Genre: Documentary television series
This show is a British tv documentary that revolves around the presenter Stacey Dooley. In each episode, Stacey spends at least 72 hours (that is 3 days) at the house of a strange family as a guest. Her reason? She wants to explore the unseen areas of family life and modern-day relationships. Each family would be different from the others, with a wide range of extraordinary characters.
Bangers and Cash – 2019
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
Cast: Sarah Crabtree, Derek Mathewson, Toby Foster, Dave Mathewson
Runtime: 1 hr
Genre: Documentary series
Bangers and Cash is another great observational documentary available on UKTV Play. The series goes behind the scenes of Mathewson’s, which is a historic family-run car auction business based in the beautiful village of Thornton-le-Dale. It is a North Yorkshire-based auctioneer business. Watching behind the scenes of any show is a different kind of fun, so why don’t you join the family in this one of the best UKTV play shows?
MasterChef – 2010
Director: Brian Smith, Rich Kim
Writer: Franc Roddam, Adeline Ramage Rooney
Cast: Gordon Ramsay, Gerron Hurt, Courtney Lapresi, Christine Hà, Jennifer Behm
Runtime: 42 mins
Genre: Reality
Finding the best chef in a certain city may not be hard, but searching for the best chef in the country definitely is! Masterchef is a competition-like tv show in which an attempt is made to find out the best home cooks from the whole United States. Various passionate cooks from different places in the US come to compete in the weekly challenge. As the show proceeds, so will the selection and choosing. The medium ones will have to go home, while 50 of the most talented home cooks will become the culinary stars and win the title of “Masterchefs.”
Silent Witness – 1996
Director: Thaddeus O’Sullivan, Richard Signy
Writer: Dudi Appleton, Matthew Arlidge
Cast: Emilia Fox, David Caves, Liz Carr, Richard Lintern
Runtime: 2h
Genre: Drama
The British drama, Silent Witness, is a show filled with mysteries making one want to watch it with utter interest. The show revolves around Sam Ryan –who is a forensic pathologist– and her team of expert scientists and exceptional forensic pathologists. Together, they try to solve heinous criminal cases relating to ritual killing, child murder, arranged marriage, murder in the police cell, etc. Follow these experts as they deal with their personal and professional lives.
Top Gear – 2002
Director: Brian Klein, Nigel Simpkiss, James Bryce
Writer: Danny Baker, Lucy Guy, Matthew Leys
Cast: Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May, Ben Collins
Runtime: 1 hr
Genre: Chat Show
Okay, fellas, this show is going to be your next favorite talk show if you are fond of different models of cars and other cool motor vehicles. Top Gear is a British TV show that has all about cars from a to z! You will learn everything from new cars to how they are fueled to what they need. The hosts will discuss the latest specifications of modern vehicles and inspect the performances of those vehicles to see if they really fulfill the claims of the manufacturers. Basically, this show is a relaunched version of the show with the same name that was originally launched in 1977. This show, however, has gained more prestige and has become one of the most worldwide watched shows.
Inside the Ambulance – 2016
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
Cast: N/A
Runtime: 1 hr
Genre: Documentary series
Do you have a strong heart, as in being able to watch some real-time tragedies? Inside the Ambulance is a TV series in which inside the vehicles of paramedics – such as ambulances – there are cameras mounted. These cameras are there for a reason: to capture the work of the United Kingdom’s first-line savers. It will allow you to watch how these paramedics deal with these sudden and hectic situations occurring to them. You will be able to see their work closer than ever before!
EastEnders – 1985
Director: John Greening, Michael Owen Morris
Writer: Tony Holland, Julia Smith
Cast: Danny Dyer, June Brown, Kellie Bright, Maisie Smith
Runtime: 30 mins
Genre: Drama
Albert Square is a fictional name of place where working-class people of that area live. The place is situated in the East End of London. The show revolves around the local people of Albert Square as they try to deal with their everyday lives and the challenges occurring in them. Primarily, the show puts the focus on the line between love and family with incidents ranging from personal to hard-hitting social issues.
Not Going Out – 2006
Director: Alex Hardcastle, Nick Wood, Ed Bye
Writer: John Archer, Dave Cohen
Cast: Sally Bretton, Lee Mack, Katy Wix, Hugh Dennis
Runtime: 30 mins
Genre: Comedy, Sitcom
Not Going Out is the kind of British sitcom that will not only make you laugh with every episode but also make you sad for the poor characters of the drama. After a wholesome Californian – now living in England – breaks up with her boyfriend Tim, Kate calls Lee and invites him to her flat. She wants her expenses to lessen with the existence of two people. However, what starts as an easygoing relationship soon turns into something else and begins to drift into more complications.
Tipping Point – 2012
Director: Richard van’t Riet, Ollie Bartlett, Nick Harris, Rhys Padarn
Writer: Hugh Rycroft
Cast: Ben Shephard, Vicki Glover, Christopher Hall, Phillip Schofield
Runtime: 1 hr
Genre: Game show
Tipping Point is an interesting and actually informative tv show, more to the point: a game show. It is obvious that due to our carelessness and unchecked exploitation of natural resources, we are harming the future of the coming generation. We can say that the future is at a precarious tipping point. In this game show, the host, therefore, emphasizes the behaviors harmful to the environment. By inserting counters into a jackpot machine, the contestants aim to win a prize of upto 10,000 pounds!
Mock the Week – 2005
Director: Geraldine Dowd, Lissa Evans, Paul Wheeler
Writer: Mark Leveson, Dan Patterson
Cast: Hugh Dennis, Dara Ó Briain, Ed Byrne, Andy Parsons
Runtime: 29 mins
Genre: Comedy
With the word ‘mock’ in the title, you already know that this British tv show is a comedy series. The show is presented by Hugh Dennis and Dara O Briain and combines the greatest elements of world events, panel shows, and improvised games with two comedian teams. There are regular games, for example, “Wheel of News” and others where the teams will compete. The fun competition and first-class comedy of the show make it eligible to be counted among the best UKTV play shows.
Casualty – 1986
Director: Julie Edwards, Michael Owen Morris
Writer: Mark Catley, Jeremy Brock, Paul Unwin
Cast: Derek Thompson, Suzanne Packer, Tony Marshall, Michael Stevenson
Runtime: 50 mins
Genre: Drama
Casualty is a British hospital drama tv show that revolves around a team of young nurses and doctors at the Holby City Hospital. These doctors and nurses dedicate themselves and their time to treating the patients. While some of the workforces deal with the treatment of the patients in the hospital, others remain all the time prepared in order to deal with any sudden emergency that may strike and come their way.
Emma Willis: Delivering Babies – 2018
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
Cast: Emma Willis, Shaun Parkes
Runtime: –
Genre: Documentary, Factual
Emma Willis is taking training for three months in the maternity ward in Harlow’s Princess Alexandra Hospital. She aims to become a Maternity Care Assistant after her training completes. Then, she will be working four shifts a week, which is both day and night. Along with this act in the midwifery team to help in delivering the babies, she discovers and gets first-hand experience which makes it the toughest job. However, the effort is worth it as it is the most rewarding career one can have.
Zapped – 2016
Director: Dave Lambert
Writer: Dan Gaster, Will Ing
Cast: Kenneth Collard, James Buckley, Paul Kaye, Louis Emerick
Runtime: 30 mins
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy
Zapped is a fantasy-comedy tv show that revolves around an online data marketing assistant, Brian Weaver. To his surprise, he finds himself transported and now stuck in Munty – a parallel world featuring psychopathic Shell Men, Fairies, vicious Throcks, and seductive Demi-Finns. Brian tries to find a way back home and get out of that bizarre magical world that is ruled by a tyrannical ruler. Modern-day fantasies are the best UKTV play shows, so check this one out too!
Secrets of the London Underground – 2021
Director: Jacqueline Hewer, Rich Mathews
Writer: N/A
Cast: Siddy Holloway, Tim Dunn
Runtime: –
Genre: Documentary
Secrets of the London Underground is a documentary and is exactly about the exploration of historical underground objects. The show features Tim Dunn, who joins and teams up with Siddy Holloway to accompany him in the exploration. Together, the two of them discover the abandoned tube channels that are running underground and the other disused parts of this tube network. Get together with the hosts and keep exploring the underground secrets along with them. Especially if you reside in London, this show shall seem an interesting one to you.
Wrapping Up
To conclude, these were some of the best UKTV Play shows that you can watch and stream without regretting later that you wasted your time over something worthless. These shows will surely satisfy your entertainment demands as all of them are worth your time. After searching through the platform, our team took these best UKTV Play shows out for you! So, in case you need any suggestions for the most popular and great shows, you may want to check out this long list of 25 shows. It includes various genres, trying to get something for everyone. There is also a UKTV Play app along with its website. So, go on now and get yourself a hit of fantastic British tv shows on this platform!