Hey there, I’m Jess ✨. On The Signature, I share reflections on beauty, routines, travel, wellness, culture, and everyday life. For those drawn to a calmer, more intentional way of living, I send a free newsletter each month on the 7th. You're welcome to join.
I just love the usual premise: a great house in the British countryside, a happy family, a normal day and then... something abruptly changes. Either someone vanishes or dies and then all that normality and happiness is turned upside down. Here are more than 20 British Miniseries to watch, if you enjoy the short yet intense format!
The British Miniseries reviewed in this article
- The Witness (2026)
- The Bombing of Pan Am 103 (2025)
- Code of Silence (2025)
- Dept. Q (2025)
- Hostage (2025)
- Adolescence (2025)
- Playing Nice (2025)
- Disclaimer (2024)
- Baby Reindeer (2024)
- Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023)
- Stonehouse (2023)
- The Flatshare (2022)
- Landscapers (2021)
- The Girl Before (2021)
- Behind Her Eyes (2021)
- Roadkill (2020)
- Quiz (2020)
- Bodyguard (2018)
Harlan Coben's Adaptations
- Missing You (2025)
- Fool Me Once (2024)
- Stay Close (2021)
- Safe (2018)
Bonus
- Bodkin (2024)
The Witness
2026 | Where to watch: Netflix
Based on Alex Hanscombe's memoir Letting Go, The Witness is based on the real-life murder of Rachel Nickell in a park in London in 1992, in plain daylight. Rachel was Alex's mother, who was just shy of turning 3 years old at the moment of the murder. The most ghastly fact is that he was present during her murder: they were playing in the park when she approached by a man and then was stabbed and sexually assaulted. Alex was by her side the whole time and the only witness to the crime.
The 3-episode miniseries shows a lot of restraint in regards to the crime scenes - which I was thankful for, as graphic scenes stay engraved permanently in my thoughts - yet it is highly critical of the police's investigation and tactics. A poignant story, where both Alex and his father André were brought on as consultants.
The Bombing of Pan Am 103
2025 | Where to watch: BBC and Netflix
The show deals with the aftermath of the bombing of the Pan Am Flight 103 that was doing the London-New York route a few days before Christmas 1988. Less than an hour after take off, the Boeing 747 (called Clipper Maid of the Seas) explodes over the Scottish town of Lockerbie, killing 243 passengers, 16 crew members as well as 11 residents.
We follow the consequences of the investigation from the Scottish and American side, as well as the lives of the people of Lockerbie and the families of the deceased. This show has been tough to watch: it beautifully addresses the lingering pain of a loss, of not knowing what happens, the highs and lows of an investigation and the personal toll it takes out of those involved.
Code of Silence
2025 | Where to watch: ITV and ITVX
Code of Silence is a crime thriller that puts an anonymous citizen at the centre of an ongoing police investigation. Allison Woods (played by Rose Ayling-Ellis) is a police canteen part-time worker who is deaf and can read lips. When the detectives team is bereft of lip readers, she is approached by DS Francis (played by Charlotte Ritchie) to help with the surveillance of a gang they have been following attentively.
Episode by episode, we understand how the investigation is growing for Allison, not only as she wants to feel useful in a world where her disability is regarded as a hindrance but as she gets to know the people they are investigating. It is one of the best pilots I have seen in a miniseries and I totally recommend giving it a go.
Dept Q
2025 | Where to watch: Netflix
I love Nordic Noir series like The Investigation or The Chestnut Man. Little did I know two things when I first stumbled into the poster for the Dept. Q show whilst scrolling on Tiktok:
- firstly, that that scruffy unattractive lead character was played by the (usually gorgeous) Matthew Goode
- secondly, that this show based in Edinburgh, Scotland was inspired by a Danish rime series written by Jussi Adler-Olsen
The aforementioned Matthew Goode plays the part of detective Carl Morck, who just suffered a terrible personal loss in the middle of a work accident. The intro is just shocking. After some time away from the force he is back, but not to investigate what happened to him and his work mates but into a make shift basement department, investigating cold cases. He is not that interested until he paired with Akram (played by Swedish actor Alexej Manvelov), a mysterious IT Manager from Syria who wants nothing to do with IT but prone to investigation and Rose, a young detective who needs a boost of confidence to pull through her personal life.
This show is only 9 episodes long. Albeit intense and filled with complexities, set in a very dark, grey and morose ambiance, we are also filled with hope. As we follow the investigation(s) and Carl's road to recovery and adjusting to his personal life, we also fall in love with complex and funny characters. And of course, we want to know what happened in both investigations, so it's quite a gripping show to watch.
Hostage
2025 | Where to watch: Netflix
With Suranne Jones (Doctor Foster) and Julie Delpy (Before Sunset and sequels) taking the lead, Hostage depicts a story of political power. In the UK, freshly elected prime minister (played by Jones) and the French President (played by Delpy) collide in health, immigration and border patrol matters.
During a Summit in London, the Prime Minister's husband is taken hostage in French Guyana, whilst on a medical field trip with Médecins Sans Frontières. First both women cannot see eye to eye and then, they need each other to tackle this personal issue, as the French have an important military presence in the region and the UK has not. The miniseries only has 5 episodes and is set to a great start yet the plot gets messier with each episode and it lost me a bit. I can say that the best about the show were Jones's and Delpy's fashion, and that says a lot.
Adolescence
2025 | Where to watch: Netflix
Adolescence is a British psychological drama in 4 episodes, centered around a family's aftermath of their 13-year son being charged with the murder of a girl in his school.
The young cast is exceptionally good, a mix of newcomers (such as Owen Cooper, the alleged perpetrator) and a few familiar faces from British theatre and BBC dramas (such as Stephen Graham, the father).
Each Adolescence episode was filmed in a single continuous take. No cuts, no restarts. It gives the whole series a breathless, claustrophobic tension that mirrors the emotional pressure the characters are under. It's one of the most poignant shows I have ever watched.
Playing Nice
2025 | Where to watch: ITV
This show is a short one with only 4 episodes but each gives so much intensity, you will not feel bereft of emotions. In Playing Nice, two couples discover their babies were switched at birth whilst staying in the hospital's NICU.
On one side, you have Pete and Maddie (played by James Norton and Niamh Algar), a stay-at-home-dad and a chef who are struggling financially. They have a network of friends and are getting their life back on track.
On the other side, you meet Miles and Lucy (played by James McArdle and Jessica Brown Findlay, aforementioned in The Flatshare), who are well off, live in a designer home and are more guarded about their real feelings.
The first couple raised Theo, a bubbly wee character as they call him. The latter raised little David who has a developmental delay and has a quieter spirit to him. In the show we follow how both families meet and enmesh their lives more intensely then intended.
I felt the show was a bit rushed - it could have done with 6 episodes as a few storylines were not as developed as I expected - but I liked the premise so much I bought the book it is based on, Playing Nice by J.P. Delaney.
After watching this miniseries, I was craving more. So I asked myself what shows were similar to this one... here are my suggestions:
Jess
Missing You
2025 | Where to watch: Netflix
This was the first show we watched in the beginning of the year. Another twisty British miniseries and the latest output from the Harlan Coben x Netflix pipeline. This one might not be as loud or flashy as Fool Me Once or Stay Close, but it’s solid, unsettling, and quietly heartbreaking in all the right ways.
We follow Detective Kat Donovan, a woman who is still haunted by the sudden disappearance of her fiancé eleven years earlier. She’s good at her job, but she’s coasting through life. That is, until she stumbles across his photo on a dating app. Same face, same name. Alive?
Cue the unraveling.
What follows is a deeply emotional thriller, less about explosions and more about the slow burn of what the hell happened? and can I trust anything anymore? The case Kat digs into is linked to a network of missing persons, deceitful identities, and a trail that leads closer to home than she ever expected.
It’s set in the UK (not the U.S. like in the book), and the British backdrop works surprisingly well, gloomy cafes, lonely streets, and all that rainy melancholy perfectly reflect Kat’s inner world. You’re pulled into a story about grief, justice, and the kind of betrayal that never really heals.
Disclaimer
2024 | Where to watch: Apple TV
This miniseries just shook us both to our core especially in the last few episodes. In this alternating timeline, it takes us back to a couple, the power of the past in our present and how hastily we make decisions based on perception. If only we looked more closely into things and listened a bit more carefully...
It wasn't the easiest one to watch but the cast is just the most scrumptious delight. Cate Blanchett is the most unnerving character ever, Kevin Kline is out-of-this-world obsessed and Sacha Baron Cohen is a dapper yet clueless man. A must, signed by Alfonso Cuáron.
Baby Reindeer
2024 | Where to watch: Netflix
This is not your average binge-watch. It’s not the kind of show you “put on” while folding laundry. Baby Reindeer is a deeply uncomfortable, raw, and unforgettable seven-part British miniseries based on a true story and once you start it, you won't stop thinking about it for days.
Created by and starring Richard Gadd, the series is a semi-fictionalised retelling of his real-life experience with a stalker, though that’s just the entry point. What unfolds is a gut-wrenching look at trauma, power, obsession, guilt, and blurred lines.
Gadd plays Donny, a struggling comedian who offers a cup of tea to a vulnerable woman named Martha in the pub where he works. That small act of kindness spirals into a years-long campaign of stalking, hundreds of emails, voicemails, and a complete collapse of Donny’s sense of safety. But here’s the twist: Donny is not just a victim, and Martha is not just a monster.
What sets Baby Reindeer apart is how deeply personal it is. You feel like you’re watching someone’s internal breakdown in real time. There are no dramatic music cues, no flashy edits, just scenes that unfold quietly, awkwardly, and sometimes horrifically. The performances are blistering: Gadd’s vulnerability is astonishing, and Jessica Gunning, as Martha, is so disturbingly believable that I sometimes had to pause the episode just to breathe.
It’s British in the most intimate, unsettling way. You can feel the damp flats, the awkward silences, the class tensions, the unbearable Britishness of “being polite” even when things are spiraling.
Before the final credits roll, Baby Reindeer will have turned you inside out. It’s not sensationalist, it’s brave. And while it's not for everyone (please check trigger warnings), it might be one of the most brutally honest series Netflix has ever produced.
Fool Me Once
2024 | Where to watch: Netflix
The newest Harlan Coben miniseries on Netflix and probably the wildest yet. Fool Me Once starts with a woman mourning the murder of her husband… until she sees him alive on the nanny cam. That’s it. That’s the hook. I was instantly in.
Michelle Keegan stars as Maya, a former army pilot with PTSD, a complicated past, and more secrets around her than she can keep track of. Her husband Joe (played by Richard Armitage, again!) is supposed to be dead. But the moment she sees him pop up on a security camera, the entire story twists into something way deeper - and darker - than you expect.
This one is less about police and more about family dysfunction, military trauma, and secrets that link generations. Joanna Lumley (absolutely iconic) plays Maya’s impossibly cold and glamorous mother-in-law, and honestly steals every scene. There’s also a whole teen subplot with Maya’s niece and nephew that adds depth and charm amid all the suspense.
Queen Charlotte A Bridgerton Story
2023 | Where to watch: Netflix
If Bridgerton is all about charm and flirtation, Queen Charlotte is where the universe finally gets its depth. This six-part miniseries is a prequel and spin-off of the beloved Bridgerton series but don’t be fooled into thinking it’s all gowns and gossip. This is a show about duty, identity, mental illness, power, and an unforgettable love story that hurts as much as it heals.
We follow young Queen Charlotte, played with quiet fire by India Amarteifio, as she arrives in England to marry King George III. She doesn’t want to be there. She doesn’t want to marry him. But slowly, they fall in love. And then… things unravel. Because George is unwell. And Charlotte must decide how much of herself she’s willing to sacrifice to protect him, the crown, and her own dignity.
There are two timelines, one in the past (with young Charlotte and George) and one in the Bridgerton-era present, where we see the older Queen (played once again by the magnificent Golda Rosheuvel) reckoning with her grown children, succession issues, and the long shadow of her past.
What I loved is how Shonda Rhimes uses this story to talk about mental health, race, and loneliness inside the most glittering of cages. It’s political and emotional, with the heart of a classic tragedy, but still full of swoon-worthy lines and romantic tension. And the music? Classical remixes of Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, and Whitney Houston, played by string quartets, of course.
Stonehouse
2023 | Where to watch: ITVX or BritBox or PBS Masterpiece
This one is for lovers of true crime with a side of what on earth was he thinking? Based on the outrageous true story of British MP John Stonehouse (played by Matthew Macfadyen), this three-episode miniseries is a mix of political satire, domestic drama, and pure farce and it’s all (almost unbelievably) real.
In the early 1970s, Stonehouse, a rising Labour politician and former Postmaster General, fakes his own death, leaving a pile of clothes on a beach in Miami and disappearing, presumably drowned. In reality, he flees to Australia with a forged identity, hoping to escape mounting financial scandals, a crumbling marriage, and suspected ties to Czech espionage. Yes, all of that.
Matthew Macfadyen (Mr. Darcy to some, Tom Wambsgans to others) is superb in the lead role. He plays Stonehouse with the perfect balance of desperation, arrogance, and complete denial of reality. Watching him unravel is half the fun.
It’s quirky, very British, and almost too bizarre to be true, but that’s exactly what makes it so watchable.
The Flatshare
2022 | Where to watch: Paramount+
The Flatshare is a 6-episode miniseries based on Beth O'Leary's book The Flatshare launched in 2019. I read it a few years ago and this book really resonated with me.
The Flatshare brings us into the world of Tiffy (played by Jessica Brown Findlay) and Leon (played by Anthony Welsh), two people who share a flat, share a bed, and yet have never met. Because Leon works night shifts at the hospital, they never cross paths and only communicate through Post-it notes scattered around the house.
Jessica Brown Findlay (you might remember her as Lady Sybil Crawley on Downton Abbey or as Lucy Lambert on Playing Nice) and Anthony Welsh had never met before filming. Ironically mirroring their characters Tiffy and Leon - who fall in love through post-it notes - the two lead actors had zero chemistry reads or rehearsals together beforehand, which made their initial interactions feel just as new and awkward as they should.
Landscapers
2021 | Where to watch: HBO Max / Sky
My husband and I watched Landscapers while on holiday in the UK last December (did I forget to talk about that trip? Oops! Hahaha). I’d heard buzz about this miniseries, and it didn’t disappoint.
Landscapers tells the true story of Chris and Susan Edwards, a socially awkward couple who fall in love and build a life together guided almost entirely by their shared love of old Hollywood films. The fantasy they create becomes a protective shell but also a hiding place from a brutal truth.
The four-episode series opens with the couple in Paris, clearly struggling financially. We soon learn why: Susan is spending what little they have on film memorabilia, and the two are on the run after burying Susan’s parents in the garden of their home in Nottingham.
Beyond the bizarre and tragic true story, this series is a cinematic delight and visually inventive. I especially loved episodes 2 and 3. The lead performances are simply extraordinary: David Thewlis as Chris, and Olivia Colman as Susan, both utterly transformative.
Stay Close
2021 | Where to watch: Netflix
If you’ve already seen The Stranger or I Will Find You and you’re still craving a Harlan Coben-style story where secrets refuse to stay buried, Stay Close is your next stop. Once again, we’re in a seemingly quiet town where everyone has something to hid and of course, someone goes missing.
The plot centers around Megan (played by Cush Jumbo, from The Good Wife and its spinoff, The Good Fight, my favourite shows ever), a woman with a picture-perfect suburban life (partner, kids, the usual) who’s hiding a very different past. When a detective reopens a cold case, and a night photographer stumbles upon something strange in the woods, Megan’s old life begins to creep back in and it’s not taking no for an answer.
Stay Close is twisty and packed with cliffhangers. But what I loved most is that it brings back Richard Armitage, who’s basically the face of British mystery TV at this point.
The Girl Before
2021 | Where to watch: HBO Max or BBC
This four-part miniseries takes place in a sleek, minimalist house in London with very strict rules, two women in different timelines living in it under the watch and strict rules of the same enigmatic architect. It's twisty, psychological, and aesthetically cold in all the right ways.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw (as Jane Cavendish) and Jessica Plummer (as Emma Matthews) are brilliant in the parallel storylines and David Oyelowo (as Edward, the architect) plays the kind of character you don’t quite trust, even when he’s being perfectly polite.
It's based on the bestselling novel by JP Delaney (the same writer behind Playing Nice) and keeps you second-guessing what’s real and who’s manipulating whom, right up to the final scene.
Behind her Eyes
2021 | Where to watch: Netflix
Before I watched the final episode, Behind Her Eyes was one of my favourite miniseries ever. It had everything I love in a thriller: a mysterious man, an unstable marriage, a fragile-but-intriguing friendship, and a main character who’s just a bit too curious for her own good. It’s the kind of story that pulls you in slowly, then gets under your skin in all the right (and wrong) ways.
The series follows Louise (played by Simona Brown), a single mother who gets involved with her psychiatrist boss, David (played by Tom Bateman). Complication #1: David is married. Complication #2: his wife Adele (played by Eve Hewson) might be the most captivating and confusing person Louise has ever met. Somehow, Louise finds herself drawn to both of them: romantically to one, emotionally to the other, and therefore caught in a dangerous triangle she doesn’t fully understand.
The show builds tension with the precision of a psychological thriller, but it also plays like a slow-burn character study. Adele’s fragile elegance. David’s quiet torment. Louise’s longing to feel seen. The performances are absolutely magnetic. The ending is one of the most controversial.
Roadkill
2020 | Where to watch: BBC
This 4-episode miniseries also stars Hugh Laurie, this time as Peter Laurence, the Transport Minister who is accused of corruption. We watch how he talks his way out of it, his interactions with his family (the best scenes, by far!), and how he manipulates his way through his career.
It’s not the strongest of the the aforementioned series, but the performances are solid (and I was happy to see Sidse Babett Knudsen from Borgen again). That said, I really didn’t enjoy Helen McCrory as the Prime Minister, her formality felt more like someone who had just read a briefing on how to act like stiff royalty.
Still, I recommend it. And I think it would’ve been worth a second season but I’ve read that won’t be happening.
The Sister
2020 | Where to watch: Hulu (US) / ITVX or Amazon Prime (UK)
This one crept up on me. The Sister is a four-part psychological thriller set in a sleepy British suburb, where things should feel safe and boring but nothing ever really does. It’s about grief, guilt, and the terrifying weight of secrets that refuse to stay buried. Literally.
The story follows Nathan, a quiet, kind-looking man who’s built a peaceful life with his wife Holly. They live in a nice house. They’re trying for a baby. Everything seems picture-perfect until Bob, an old “friend” from Nathan’s past, shows up out of nowhere with a terrifying announcement: the body they buried together might be discovered.
Turns out, years ago, Holly’s sister Elise went missing after a wild New Year’s Eve party. And Nathan knows more than he’s ever dared to say because he was there. So was Bob. And the past is no longer staying quiet.
The show leans into rain-soaked British suburbia, flickering lights, and uncomfortable silences, and it thrives in that eerie atmosphere. But it’s also emotional: Nathan isn’t a killer archetype. He’s anxious, torn apart by guilt, and desperate to protect the woman he loves.
Russell Tovey is fantastic as Nathan and Bertie Carvel, who plays Bob, brings the exact kind of offbeat menace that makes your skin crawl.
Quiz
2020 | Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Not a thriller like the ones mentioned before, nevertheless this three-part miniseries is British, and wildly entertaining. Based on the real-life scandal that rocked the UK version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, the show follows Charles and Diana Ingram (played by Matthew Macfadyen and Sian Clifford respectively), a seemingly ordinary couple, who are accused of cheating their way to the million-pound prize by memorising answers and using… coughs.
Quiz is not just about the game show, it’s about greed and the media frenzy, public opinion, and how easily we turn real people into punchlines. It’s clever without being cynical, and gives real empathy to all sides of the story.
Even if this wasn't my favourite miniseries of this long list, I cannot not mention the incredible Michael Sheen, who is not a usual miniseries actor and plays Chris Tarrant, the real life Who Wants to Be a Millionnaire UK presenter. He is mostly unrecognisable.
Bodyguard
2018 | Where to watch: Netflix
You know that moment when the opening scene of a show is so tense you forget to breathe? That’s Bodyguard. The first 20 minutes are a masterclass in suspense and it never lets go.
The story follows David Budd (played by Richard Madden, aka Robb Stark from Game of Thrones), a war veteran turned police protection officer suffering from PTSD. After diffusing a terror threat on a train, he’s promoted to protect Julia Montague (played by Keeley Hawes), the UK’s ambitious and controversial Home Secretary. The twist? He fundamentally disagrees with everything she stands for.
What begins as a job quickly turns into something much more complicated. Emotionally, politically, morally. There’s sexual tension, national security breaches, deep state conspiracies, and the ongoing question: who can you actually trust?
The series is only six episodes, but it’s packed with high-stakes action, emotional depth, and a constant feeling that something’s not right. It also cleverly critiques how trauma is handled in both political and personal systems. And Richard Madden gives a phenomenal performance: terrified, protective, volatile, and heartbreakingly human.
Safe
2018 | Where to watch: Netflix
Set in a wealthy gated community, Safe begins with a teenage girl disappearing after a party—and quickly spirals into a web of secrets, affairs, and hidden histories. The show stars Michael C. Hall (yes, Dexter) as a widowed surgeon and father of two, doing everything he can to find out what happened to his daughter.
It’s fast-paced and addictive, with each episode ending in a perfect mini cliffhanger. Is it a little melodramatic? Yes. But that’s exactly the point. It’s glossy, twisty, and pure Harlan Coben: domestic suspense meets emotional chaos.
And as a bonus because it's not British, but entangled enough to fit here...
Bodkin
2024 | Where to watch: Netflix
I didn’t expect to like Bodkin as much as I did. At first glance, it looks like a murder mystery wrapped in podcasting satire - and it is - but it also turns out to be an unexpectedly warm, weirdly endearing, and beautifully written miniseries about secrets, storytelling, and self-delusion.
The premise? A trio of podcast journalists arrive in a sleepy coastal town in Ireland to investigate a decades-old disappearance linked to a local festival. On paper, they’re a dream team: Gilbert (Will Forte), the affable American podcaster who’s more about vibes than facts; Emmy (Robyn Cara), the earnest researcher; and Dove (Siobhán Cullen), a hard-nosed investigative journalist who is most definitely not here for the nonsense.
Naturally, the mystery is more tangled than anyone expects—and the locals? Not particularly thrilled to have outsiders poking around. What begins as a quirky case study for a podcast becomes a much darker, funnier, and more personal reckoning for everyone involved.
What I really loved is how the show plays with truth and narrative: who owns a story, how facts get bent into drama, and whether the truth even matters when people are still hurting. It’s not a whodunit in the traditional sense. It’s more like Only Murders in the Building meets Broadchurch, with Irish weather and a lot more cynicism.
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