BBC iPlayer is full of critically acclaimed shows that may have flown under your radar (Picture: BBC)
If you’re happy to stay home and hibernate this month, here are some ideas for what shows to tune into to pass the time.
As the temperature drops, it’s time to stay in and binge watch some old favourites or catch up on series’ you may have missed when they first hit screens.
We’ve found the 10 top-rated shows on BBC iPlayer – which all have a near- perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes – to save you endlessly scrolling.
These shows have all been smash hits with critics and viewers alike – including one drama that is considered to have defined a generation.
We’ve also got all genres covered – from an irreverent rom-com to murky thriller and everything in between.
Really, there’s no need to leave your house now until the weather warms up, so get settled into your sofa and grab the remote. Here are the top picks.
Fleabag
Phoebe’s Fleabag’s trademark was breaking the fourth wall (Picture: BBC/Two Brothers/Luke Varley)
If you haven’t been acquainted with Fleabag, played by the inimitable Phoebe Waller-Bridge, or Andrew Scott’s iconic Hot Priest, then you’re in for a treat.
The show follows Fleabag, a single woman navigating life and relationships in her 30s in London managing a cafe after the death of her best friend.
Fleabag was praised for its portrayal of complex female characters – and spawned a whole new genre centred on ‘messy’ millennial women.
Ludwig
Ludwig is the perfect cosy crime thriller and has been compared to Jonathan Creek (Picture: BBC / Big Talk Studios)
You’re in safe hands in this David Mitchell-helmed drama who plays, well, a character not dissimilar to David Mitchell.
His Ludwig is a neurotic puzzle whizz who is asked by his desperate sister-in-law Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin) to investigate his brother’s disappearance.
Lucy ropes in Ludwig to impersonate his brother and take on his job as a police officer to gather clues -but he discovers he has a knack for solving murders.
Mr Loverman
Lennie plays a closeted gay man in the TV adaptation of Bernardine Evaristo’s book (Picture: BBC)
In Mr Loverman, Lennis James plays Barrington ‘Barry’ Walker, a closeted gay man who has been in a secret, decades-long affair with his best friend Morris (Ariyon Bakare).
Throughout the episodes, based on Bernardine Evaristo’s best-selling novel of the same name, we see him struggle to end his marriage to wife Carmel (Sharon D Clarke) and come out to his beloved daughters and grandson, in a bid to finally live his truth.
Speaking previously to Metro about Barry, Lennie said: ‘He was just a gift, and he’s surrounded by equally well-formed and interesting characters in a story that is very rarely, if ever, been told in the way that we’re telling it.’
Colin from Accounts
Real-life couple Patrick and Harriet star opposite each other in Colin from Accounts (Picture: BBC/CBS Studios/Paramount Plus/ Joel Pratle)
Set in Sydney, Colin from Accounts follows the meet-cute of millennial Ashley and boomer Gordon played by husband-and-wife duo Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer.
The couple decide to give love a shot after they adopt a dog they name cColin that was injured when Patrick accidentally ran into him when Ashley flashed him her boob from across the road.
You’d be in good company if you give it a go as David Tennant, David Baddiel and Imelda Staunton are among the numerous stars who have revealed they are big fans.
Keeping Faith
Keeping Faith is the perfect thriller to keep you on your toes (Picture: BBC/ Scott Waller)
The first season of Keeping Faith introduced us to Faith Howells (Eve Myles) a lawyer on maternity leave – whose life is turned upside down when her husband and business partner Evan (played by Myles’ real-life husband Bradley Freegard) disappears one morning without warning.
As Faith looks for clues relating to his disappearance – and the mystery grips the small Welsh town that they live in – her husband’s secrets start to come out, leaving her wondering if she really knows the man she married.
After becoming a hit, the BBC commissioned a further two seasons of the thriller – which will certainly keep you busy for a few weekends over the Christmas period.
Boiling Point
Boiling Point is a stressful but brilliant watch (Picture: BBC/ Boiling Point TV Limited)
Hot off the heels of the success of the original film Boiling Point, the BBC commissioned a TV series with Stephen Graham reprising his role as chef Andy Jones.
Set five months after the events of movie, the five-parter follows sous chef Carly (Vinette Robinson) who has opened her own restaurant in London and is now head chef.
While not filmed in a single show, like the original film, the Boiling Point TV show is still a stressful, all-consuming watch perfect for fans who are looking for their next watch after The Bear.
Life on Mars
Life on Mars follows a time-travelling police detective (Picture: Kudos/ BBC Picture Archives)
Life on Mars tells the story of Sam Tyler, played by John Simm, a police officer working in 2006 who travels back in time to 1973 after winding up in a coma following a car accident.
After arriving in the past, he works as a police officer under the command of DCI Gene Hunt, played by Philip Glenister, while attempting to find out what has happened to him.
If you manage to power your way through all two series, you can then watch its spin-off Ashes to Ashes, a sequel which focuses on police officer Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes) who is shot dead in 2008 but regains consciousness in 1981.
Wolf Hall
Wolf Hall is based on Hilary Mantel’s beloved book series (Picture: BBC/ Playground Entertainment/ Nick Briggs)
After a nearly 10-year wait, the second season of this acclaimed period drama finally returned to screens late last year.
Based on Hilary Mantel’s Cromwell book trilogy, the series is a fictionalised biography documenting the life of Thomas Cromwell.
It stars Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell and Damian Lewis as Henry VIII, with the second season adapted from The Mirror & the Light, the final novel in the trilogy.
That season began with Cromwell navigating the Tudor court in the aftermath of the 1536 execution of Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, and the monarch about to marry his third wife, Jane Seymour.
It was praised by critics and viewers, with one calling it a ‘complete triumph’ and another saying it was ‘sumptuous television’.
Normal People
Normal People was a hit with viewers during lockdown, being called a ‘masterpiece’ (Picture: BBC/ Element Pictures/ Hulu)
This Irish drama got many of us through lockdown, making household names of its stars Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones in the process.
Based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Sally Rooney, the series followed the relationship between teenagers Marianne Sheridan and Connell Waldron as they ‘navigate adulthood from their final days in secondary school to their undergraduate years in Trinity College’.
The 12-episode series received critical acclaim and was nominated for four Emmy Awards.
One fan called it ‘close to perfection’ while another said it was a ‘masterpiece’.
I May Destroy You
I May Destroy You was written by and starred Michaela Coel (Picture: BBC/ Various Artists Ltd and Falk)
Michaela Coel’s limited series saw her star as Arabella, a young writer in the public eye who seeks to rebuild her life after being raped.
Airing in 2020, it won a string of Bafta Awards and also received nine nominations at the Emmy Awards.
It was singled out by many outlets as the best show of that year, while others also called it one of the greatest series’ of all time.
‘This was one of the hardest stories I’ve watched. But also one of the most rewarding,’ one fan posted on Rotten Tomatoes.
Others said they were ‘totally blown away’.
A version of this article was originally published on December 14, 2024.
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