13 BBC Dramas That Need to Cross the Pond

There is nothing in the world like the BBC. Nothing.

No public television network in the world has achieved the longevity, the respect, or the status of the BBC and its programming. Part of this is down to simple luck – the BBC made the switch from radio to television during the same era as the comprehensive welfare state that spawned the National Health Service and National Insurance. Faced with the end of the empire, those in charge recognized that the country's greatest export was British culture, and that a government-sponsored TV network that didn’t have to worry about commercial appeal, dedicated to bringing high-class cultural programming to the masses, was a wise investment.

It speaks volumes that since the BBC’s founding a century ago, conservatives and nationalists have attacked its existence. While that’s undeniably done damage, those in opposition to it have never been able to take down the British broadcaster in the ways that matter.

When we talk about loving British programming here at Telly Visions, we mean first and foremost the BBC, Auntie Beeb. Channels 4 and 5 may have finally matured enough to produce their own high-end dramas, and ITV shows currently dominate the PBS line-up. However, the BBC is still the U.K.'s main producer of television programming by an order of magnitude. In fact, there are so many BBC shows currently in need of U.S. distribution that we had to split the list in half — one for drama and one for comedy — to keep it from being too unwieldy.

Here’s a full rundown of everything drama-focused currently in the works that we hope to see cross the pond sooner rather than later.

Two Weeks in August

Technically, Two Weeks in August doesn’t have a release date, but when the first images arrived, the BBC set a window for May 2026, so that should be rectified forthwith. Written and created by Catherine Shepherd, the series features an all-star cast led by Jessica Raine (The Devil’s Hour) and follows the story of a group of friends who head off on a Greek vacation, only for everything to go very wrong. Here is the synopsis:

Set in Greece, Two Weeks in August tells the story of a woman who goes on holiday with her family and friends to rediscover joy in her life. But, here in paradise, what starts with an illicit kiss quickly turns the dream vacation into a nightmare. Zoe begins to act on her deepest desires, and the holiday she hoped for becomes a reckoning for a group of adults who refuse to grow up. When they discover they are trapped on the island and face life-or-death situations, the group soon turns on each other to find out who is to blame. Is Zoe responsible for the drama and destruction around her, or, as heaven turns to hell, are bigger forces at play? We are in Greece after all, the land of the ancient Gods...

Raine co-stars alongside a banger line-up of Damien Molony (Bergerac), Antonia Thomas (Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence), Nicholas Pinnock (Top Boy), Leila Farzad (I Hate Suzie), Hugh Skinner (Fleabag), Dolly Wells (Dracula), Tom Goodman-Hill (Baby Reindeer), Dylan Brady (Mary & George), Maria Almeida (The Buccaneers), Khalil Gharbia (Towards Zero), Florence Banks (The New Look), Sonny Poon Tip (Industry) and Cassius Hackforth (Doctor Who). Two Weeks in August is expected to debut on BBC One in May 2026.

Babies

From Stefan Golaszewski, who brought us Sean Bean and Nicola Walker in Marriage, comes its natural follow-up: Babies. The new series, which debuted at the end of March 2026 in the U.K., stars Paapa Essiedu (The Capture) and Siobhán Cullen (Obituary) as Stephen and Lisa, and is centered on their struggle with infertility and miscarriage. Here’s the synopsis:

At the heart of the series are Lisa and Stephen, a couple in their 30s whose dream of becoming parents is tested as they endure multiple miscarriages. While confronting unimaginable grief, their bond shines through with humour, warmth, and unwavering commitment. The series also follows their friends, Amanda and Dave - a new couple navigating their own challenges and testing their compatibility. Their complex relationship, set against Lisa and Stephen’s ongoing pregnancy journey, begins to expose cracks in Stephen and Dave’s long-standing friendship.

Charlotte Riley (Press) and Jack Bannon (Medici) co-star as Amanda and Dave. Golaszewski wrote and directed all episodes and executive-produced.

The Rapture

Announced in October 2025 after we went on hiatus, The Rapture is adapted from Liz Jensen’s bestselling novel and is headlined by Ruth Madeley (Doctor Who) and India Amarteifio (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story). Filmed in Wales, it’s a climate-change thriller with a disabled protagonist determined to solve the mystery of a cold case murder. Here’s the synopsis:

The Rapture is a high-stakes thriller which crackles with danger. Set in a heatwave, with protestors on the streets, forensic psychologist Gabs Fox starts a new job at a high-security psychiatric hospital where she meets 17-year-old Bethany Krall. Bethany was convicted of murdering her mother but claims she is innocent. She is estranged from her father Leonard, who is the charismatic leader of an influential religious movement. Bethany tells Gabs that she has psychic powers and can predict the future - but what will it take for Gabs to believe her? And if Bethany didn’t kill her mother, then who did?

Madeley stars as Gabs with Amarteifio as Bethany. The rest of the cast includes Sam Hazeldine (Slow Horses), Jack Farthing (Poldark), Iwan Rheon (Those About to Die), Stephen Campbell Moore (Criminal Record), Lisa Palfrey (COBRA), Siena Kelly (Domino Day), and Ruth Jones (Gavin & Stacey). The series was adapted by Bryony Kimmings (Last Christmas) and Rebecca Manley (Berlin Noir) and directed by Eva Sigurđardóttir (Little Disasters) and Jennifer Perrott (Gentleman Jack). It is expected to debut before the end of 2026.

Crookhaven

Most shows that air on the CBBC (Children’s BBC) don’t cross the pond – Bluey being the major exception to that rule. However, its adaptation of Crookhaven, which aired in the U.K. in mid-March 2026, could be another exception, partly because it aired on BBC One. Based on the JJ Arcanjo YA series and adapted for television by Justin Young (Death In Paradise), the series is about a boarding school for aspiring crooks and pickpockets and their yearly competition to win the school’s coveted Crooked Cup. Here’s the synopsis:

Set in a secret school for crooks the series follows a group of students as they are taught to perfect their skills to bring balance, justice and order to the outside world. Uncovering the dark secrets of Crookhaven, the gang are also confronted by a terrifying enemy - The Nameless.

The adult cast for this thing is stacked, starting with Dougray Scott (Vigil) as the headmaster and Claire Forlani (Industry) as his wife; plus Keith Allen (Bodies), Julie Hesmondhalgh (Mr Bates vs The Post Office), Ruta Gedmintas (His Dark Materials), Miltos Yerolemou (Game of Thrones), and Celinde Schoenmaker (Rocketman). The kids are played by Lucas Leach (FBI International), Carmel Laniado (The Witcher), Amari Bacchus (Adolescence), Sani Thabo (Casualty), Charlie Mann (Lazarus), Rowan McIntosh (The Chelsea Detective), Leila Khan (Heartstopper), Tipper Seifert Cleveland (Call the Midwife), and Aerona Shi (Goldie’s Oldies). Season 2 is already greenlit.

Treasure & Dirt

The surprise success of the Australian series Scrublands has inspired the BBC to board the new series based on crime novelist Chris Hammer’s book, Treasure & Dirt, adapted by Matt Cameron (The Clearing). The series is a co-production with Australia’s ABC. Here’s the synopsis.

Set in a dying opal town in the middle of the desert, when a miner is found beheaded and left to decompose in the depths of his own small claim, big-city homicide detective Ivan Lucic is sent to investigate. Assigned to him is rural detective Nell Buchanan, who knows how this place really works - and how it warps people. Together, they’re drawn into a labyrinth of secrets, greed, and old sins that won’t stay buried.

The six-part thriller stars Michael Dorman (For All Mankind) and Liv Hewson (Yellowjackets). They are joined by Sarah Peirse (Under the Vines), Eamon Farren (The Witcher), Thomas M. Wright (The Stranger), and Mark Mitchinson (Mystery Road). The series is expected to debut first in Australia, and then follow on the BBC before the end of 2026.

Mint

Mint just premiered on BBC One in mid-April 2026, a frustrating thing to report, because when I first read about this show, I was convinced it would have American distribution before that. A Romeo & Juliet-style romance set between two of Scotland’s major crime families, the series hails from Charlotte Regan, whose debut film Scrapper was one of our surprise favorites when it debuted in 2023. Here’s the synopsis:

Shannon, the daughter of her area’s dominant crime family, is desperately searching for romance in the shadow of her father, Dylan. When she falls hard for Arran, a member of a rival crime family who has newly arrived in town, it's an undeniable connection that changes both of their lives for good, but not everyone sees it the same way. While Shannon and Arran are navigating their forbidden romance, elsewhere, things are imploding for Shannon’s family. Early in our series, Dylan decides to step down as the head of the family for mysterious reasons. Sam, Dylan’s second in command, steps up to take over, though his diverging tactics start to raise alarm.

Emma Laird (The Brutalist) stars as Shannon with Ben Coyle-Larner (better known as musician Loyle Carner) as Arran in his small-screen debut. The ensemble also includes Sam Riley (Firebrand), Laura Fraser (Patience), Lewis Gribben (Black Mirror), and Lindsay Duncan (TrueLove).

The Split Up

Sanjeev Bhaskar’s move from comedy to drama is one of the more underrated transitions of the 2010s. Having spent a decade starring in Unforgotten, he now moves to the “order” side of the divide in the new series, The Split Up. Bhaskar plays the patriarch of the powerhouse British-South Asian family firm in Manchester’s high-net-worth divorce circuit alongside Ritu Arya (The Umbrella Academy), as his daughter, Aria Kishan, who is poised to take over the family business. Here’s the synopsis:

In The Split Up, the death of Aria’s mother has cast a new light over succession plans for Dhruv, who has begun to wonder if his daughter can, or should, take on this responsibility single-handedly. Aria’s relationship is placed under scrutiny too, with the wedding to long-term partner Neal on the horizon, but with their personal and professional lives so entwined, it’s unclear if their relationship can withstand any more pressure - a problem further compounded when a former secret flame arrives in Manchester unexpectedly. Alongside her siblings Maya and Kav, whose own relationships and loyalties are far from straightforward, Aria must navigate the splits that divide family and those we love – and ask herself: who should you live your life for?

Alongside Arya and Bhaskar, the series also stars Aysha Kala (Virdee), Arian Nik (Film Club), Danny Ashok (Dinosaur), Sindhu Vee (Starstruck), Shalini Peiris (The White Lotus), Tom Forbes (Queenie), Dimitri Leonidas (Those About To Die), and Mawaan Rizwan (Juice). The series also includes a bevy of guest stars, including Lenny Henry (Three Little Birds), Jane Horrocks (COBRA), and Jameela Jamil (The Good Place). The series is expected to debut on the BBC sometime before the end of 2026.

The Ridge

The Ridge is one of those series that was announced and arrived within a few weeks of each other, all in October 2025, right after we went on hiatus. A joint production between Scotland and New Zealand, it stars Karen Pirie favorite Lauren Lyle, who travels from the Highlands to attend her sister’s wedding down under, only to discover that murder got there first. Here’s the synopsis:

Running from the secrets in her past, Scottish anesthetist Mia Beaton thinks she’s going to New Zealand to attend her sister Cassy’s wedding to fiancé Ewan. On arrival, she’s shocked to learn Cassy has died, fallen from a mountain ridge. Believing Cassy was pushed and murdered, Mia sets about hunting for the killer. As Mia grapples with the shock of her sister’s death, she becomes entangled in the small town’s web of secrets and lies. Mia learns that Cassy, a staunch environmentalist, was involved in a heated conflict with local farmers, and there are unsettling indications that her relationship with Ewan was not as perfect as it appeared. The deeper Mia investigates, the more convinced she becomes that her sister was murdered.

Lyle stars as Mia, with New Zealand’s Jay Ryan (Top of the Lake) as Ewan. They are joined by an ensemble of Scottish and New Zealand actors, including Taqi Nazeer (Shetland), Cora Bissett (Annika), David Van Horn (The Brokenwood Mysteries), Claire Dargo (River City), Dulcie Smart (Rematch), Florence Hartigan (Madam), and Chloe Parker (Grafted).

Dustfall

First announced by Australia’s ABC in November 2025, Dustfall was almost immediately boarded by the BBC as co-producer. Based on the novel The Unbelieved by Vikki Petraitis, the series was adapted by Dianne Taylor, Stuart Page, Belinda Chayko, and Beatrix Christian and directed by Emma Freeman. Filmed down under on the Gold Coast, it stars Anna Torv (best known in the States for her time on Fringe) as the novel’s heroine, Detective Tig Pollard. Here’s the synopsis:

Dustfall is a propulsive, atmospheric Tropic Noir that follows a detective whose deep sense of justice is challenged by a world where victims are doubted, predators hide in plain sight, and the legal system too often falls short. When seasoned detective Tig, returning to her hometown of North Gap after years in the city, uncovers a string of drink spiking assaults, the case is turned on its head when one of the main suspects is murdered.

The sprawling cast also includes Juliet Stevenson (Professor T), Ling Cooper Tang (Nautilius), Alice Ansara (Black Snow), Kate Box (Deadloch), Martin Sacks (Darby & Joan), Jay Ryan (Scrublands), Ed Wightman (White Lies), Zoe Phillips (Better Things), Bert Labonte (The Newsreader), Peter Fenton (Love is a Four Letter Word), Lila McGuire (The Twelve), Gemma Chua-Tran (Heartbreak High), Conrad Coleby (A Place to Call Home), and Luke J Morgan (NCIS: Sydney). It is expected to debut sometime before the end of 2026.

The Cage

The Liverpool Renaissance continues apace in the wake of the success of This City Is Ours. The newest series set in the infamous city is The Cage, a high-stakes, high-energy crime story set in one of the city’s toniest casinos. Conceived of and written by Tony Schumacher (The Responder), the six-part series just debuted at the tail end of April 2026 on BBC One. Here’s the synopsis:

Leanne is the charismatic cashier at an inner-city casino who finds herself threatened with losing the family home and starts skimming cash from the casino safe to secure her family’s future. When Leanne discovers her boss, Matty, is doing the same thing, their lives are set on a collision course: with each other, the local gangster they’re stealing from, and the police. As Leanne’s loyalties are pulled in different directions, Matty battles with his inner demons, meaning the pair will have to play every hand perfectly...

Sheridan Smith (I Fought the Law) stars as Leanne with Michael Socha (Showtrial) as Matty. The ensemble also includes Barry Sloane (Passenger), Geraldine James (Dope Girls), Sophie Mensah (Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale), and Shaun Mason (Extraordinary).

But When We Dance

Announced in September of 2025, But When We Dance is one of those TV movies that would have had American distribution on board when it was initially announced if this were five years ago. It stars American actor Laura Linney (Mr. Holmes) and House of the Dragon's Rhys Ifans as two people with Parkinson’s disease who fall in love. Here’s the synopsis:

Set in North Norfolk, Tony Evans is the deputy head of a local primary school, and Emma Dretzin is a pianist, composer, and single mother of two daughters. Neither knows the other until a startling encounter changes the course of their lives: on the same morning, they are both confronted with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s.

Ifans stars as Tony with Linney as Emma. The two are joined by Monica Dolan (Mr Bates vs The Post Office), Rory Kinnear (The Diplomat), and Paul Mayhew-Archer (Can You Keep a Secret). The TV movie is expected to arrive on the BBC in late 2026 or early 2027.

Waiting for the Out

Adapted from Andy West’s acclaimed memoir The Life Inside by writer Dennis Kelly (Matilda The Musical), Waiting For The Out debuted on the BBC in early January 2026. The six-part, highly acclaimed series stars Josh Finan (How to Get to Heaven from Belfast) as Dan, a philosopher who begins teaching a class of men in prison. Here’s the synopsis:

Through his work teaching philosophy to men in prison, Dan begins to dig deeper into his own past - growing up with a father who ended up in prison, as did his brother Lee, and uncle Frank. Dan’s life has taken him down a different path, and his time working in prison begins to make him worry, obsessively, that he belongs behind bars just like his father. As Dan’s personal crisis deepens, his actions begin to threaten both his own future and his family’s.

Alongside Finan, the series stars Gerard Kearns (The Essex Serpent) as Dan’s Dad; Samantha Spiro (Sex Education) as Dan’s mum; Stephen Wight (I May Destroy You) as his brother, Lee; and Phil Daniels (Beyond Paradise) as Uncle Frank. The rest of the main cast includes Alex Ferns (Andor), Francis Lovehall (A Thousand Blows), Josef Altin (Wolf Hall), Nima Taleghani (Heartstopper), Sule Rimi (The Day of the Jackal), Charlie Rix (Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power), Steven Meo (Death Valley), Tom Moutchi (Criminal Record), and Ric Renton (One Off), as the men in Dan’s class.

Dear England

Based on James Graham’s award-winning West End play of the same name, Dear England tells the real-life story of Gareth Southgate and the English men’s football team, and England’s triumphant Euro 2024 Semi-Final celebrations, where the men’s team reached their first final of a major tournament on foreign soil. Here’s the synopsis:

With the worst team track record for penalties in the world when he takes over as manager, Gareth knows he needs to open his mind and face up to the years of hurt to take England back to the promised land. The country that gave the world football has delivered a painful pattern of loss. Why can’t the England team win at their own game?

Joseph Fiennes (Young Sherlock) reprises his role as Gareth Southgate. He’s joined by Jodie Whittaker (Toxic Town), Will Antenbring (Mr Loverman), Jason Watkins (The Game), and John Hodgkinson (Small Axe). Daniel Ryan (The Bay) and Sam Spruell (The Gold) round out the ensemble. The series is expected to debut in mid-2026, timed to the World Cup.

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