Killing Eve

Find series 1 & 2 in Catch Up > Channels > BBC iPlayer

With the first series so well received, and with fans so eager for the next instalment, the BBC delivered a very special gift – series 2 available in full on BBC iPlayer! Granted, we’ve already raced our way through it, as we simply can’t get enough of the cat-and-mouse chase and sizzling chemistry between Eve (Sandra Oh, Grey’s Anatomy) and Villanelle (Comer).

Clearly, everyone else agrees. At this year’s Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards, Killing Eve won Outstanding Drama Series, with Comer and Fiona Shaw winning the Best Leading Actress and Best Supporting Actress awards, respectively. And with series 3 in development, here’s to more of TV’s most chilling double act.

Rillington Place

Find series 1 in Catch Up > Channels > BBC iPlayer

Before Comer took on the role of a psychopathic murderer in Killing Eve, she starred in a series about a real-life one. This three-part drama series follows the true story of serial killer John Christie (Tim Roth, The Hateful Eight).

Samantha Morton (The Walking Dead) also stars as Christie’s wife, Ethel, while Nico Mirallegro (My Mad Fat Diary) and Comer play the unfortunate couple that lives in the flat above the Christie’s house. Each episode is told from a different perspective, but don’t expect anything neighbourly about the interactions between this lot.

Thirteen

Find series 1 in Catch Up > Channels > BBC iPlayer

Thirteen debuted online in 2016 (before debuting online was cool), with the Radio Times hailing it as a show to help fill the void left by Skins three years previously. It struck a chord with the 18 to 35-year-old demographic, garnering a legion of fans, including YouTube star Zoella.

Comer leads as Ivy Moxam, a girl who was kidnapped when she was 13 and held captive in a cellar for 13 years. Aged 26, she manages to escape, prompting the police to start a manhunt to locate her captor. Comer’s performance is engrossing, and makes a clear case for why she’s always been one to watch.

Gentleman Jack

Find series 1 in Catch Up > Channels > BBC iPlayer

If you’re missing Fleabag, give Gentleman Jack a try. Suranne Jones (Doctor Foster) portrays Anne Lister, a real-life English landowner and diarist from Halifax, West Yorkshire. And guess what? She likes to break the fourth wall. The series is based on Lister’s diaries, which detailed her daily life, lesbian relationships and her work renovating her ancestral home, Shibden Hall.

The year is 1832 and Lister is a woman way ahead of her time – she doesn’t rely on a man for money (and has no intention of marrying one), she wears what she wants (typically all black) and she’s an unabashed go-getter. That’s a woman after our own heart.

Years And Years

Find series 1 in Catch Up > Channels > BBC iPlayer

We’ve heard this described as similar to Black Mirror, but instead of rolling with “technology is bad”, Years And Years flips this to “the people using the technology are bad”. It’s not the tech’s fault, but the way people use it.

It follows the Lyons family over 15 years (staring in 2019), in a world in which political, economic and technological advances – both positive and negative – abound. Emma Thompson (Late Night), Rory Kinnear (Spectre) and Russell Tovey (Being Human) are among the fantastic cast that shines a light on our potential future selves.

What We Do In The Shadows

Find series 1 in Catch Up > Channels > BBC iPlayer

Based on the film of the same name by Jemaine Clement (Flight Of The Conchords) and Taika Waititi (director of Thor: Ragnarok), this mockumentary series spotlights four vampires living together in New York City. They might have an eternal thirst for human blood and the odd housemates’ tiff, but other than that, they’re ambling along just fine.

Until, that is, their leader returns to remind them why they’re even in the city in the first place: to take it over! Look out for Waititi and Clement’s cameos in this comedy horror, which is obviously best viewed in a pitch-black room. Also, a second series is coming in 2020 – vampirific!

The Victim

Find series 1 in Catch Up > Channels > BBC iPlayer

This Scottish thriller might only have four episodes, but boy, does it make those four episodes count. It’s not the easiest thing to binge due to its difficult subject matter, but it’s so good you’ll find it hard not to. It’s edge-of-your-seat stuff and brilliantly acted, with Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire) playing Anna Dean, a woman whose nine-year-old son was murdered 14 years ago.

The murderer went to jail for his crime, but following his release, Anna begins to believe that he’s started a new life in her home town of Edinburgh. A bus driver, Craig Myers (James Harkness, Macbeth), is the victim of a violent attack after an online post identifies him as the murderer, with Anna a prime suspect. Lives begin to unravel as Anna searches for the truth and Craig desperately tries to prove his innocence.

Back To Life

Find series 1 in Catch Up > Channels > BBC iPlayer

When Miri Matteson (Daisy Haggard, who also created and co-wrote the series) returns home from prison after serving 18 years for a violent crime, things are far from smooth sailing.

Haggard was interested in the differences between how men and women are judged for their crimes, and the journey of a person looking to re-integrate into the very community where their crime took place. This dark comedy drama has also been billed as an ideal Fleabag replacement.

Pose

Find series 1 in Catch Up > Channels > BBC iPlayer

This series was created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk (the creative minds behind Glee and American Horror Story) and screenwriter Steven Canals, and has gone on to earn Golden Globe nominations and critical acclaim. It charts the ballroom culture scene in New York City in the 1980s, featuring dancers and models who enter competitions to win trophies and recognition. Chapters associated with the scene are known as “Houses”, comprised of LGBTQ+ youth, many of whom depend on each other like family.

As well as boasting the largest cast of transgender actors in regular roles in TV history (MJ Rodriguez, Indya Moore, Dominique Jackson and more), Pose also features Evan Peters (X-Men: Apocalypse), Kate Mara (House Of Cards), James Van Der Beek (Dawson’s Creek) and Billy Porter (Lola in the Broadway musical Kinky Boots). Come on, vogue!

Mum

Find series 1-3 in Catch Up > Channels > BBC iPlayer

Written by BAFTA award-winning writer Stefan Golaszewski and starring Olivier award-winning actor Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread), Mum had a lot going for it. And boy, did it deliver, even earning a BAFTA nomination in the process. Manville plays Cathy, a recent widow navigating her grief and her relationships with her friends and family.

The show has been widely praised for focusing on life from the perspective of an ordinary, middle-aged woman, playing with stereotypes associated with the age group and letting us in on the joke. Manville carries the story wonderfully, with grace and poise, while Peter Mullan (Ozark) brings great sensitivity to his role as Cathy’s love interest, Michael. Although it’s a slow burner, its flame burns brightly – enough to give Cathy and viewers alike a little hope for the future.