There are few things as cozy as a British mystery series. Despite appearances, that statement isn’t an oxymoron. Lazy afternoons must be paired with fresh tea, baked goods, a hazy twilight through the window, and fictional detectives chasing down criminals. Whether the tale’s setting is a quaint historic village or the grittiest London streets, the investigator a quirky civilian with an eye for patterns or a callous, obsessive officer of the law, murder mysteries from the United Kingdom are as timeless as they are time capsules of their eras. From one self-proclaimed expert to another, here are the best mystery shows the streaming service BritBox has to offer to make you bundle up with a blanket, stoke the fire, and put the kettle on for a cuppa.
Miss Marple & Poirot
Between the whip-smart octogenarian lady and the magnificently mustached tiny Frenchman,Agatha Christiepenned two defining figures of the literary genre. Thankfully, British creatives knew how to do their own justice. The original 1980sMiss Marpleseries starringJoan Hicksonadapted all of Christie’s 12novels featuring the unassuming but wily spinster with genius forensic intuition. The charming-but-deadly 1950s village atmosphere is impeccable, everything from tapestries to tableware is glamorously aristocratic, and as an aspiring spinster myself, Joan Marple defines retirement goals. Christie reportedly told Hickson decades earlier that “I hope one day you will play my dear Miss Marple” — fate understood the assignment.
Besides the very name of Hercule Poirot (and despiteKenneth Branaghassuming the mustachetwice in modern times), many fans speakDavid Suchet’sin the same breath. Suchet’s portrayal in the long-running series (Agatha Christie’s Poirotaired from 1989 until 2013) iswidely considered the most authentic. For one, Suchet coded Piorot’s meticulous habits as obsessive compulsive and insisted the writers not erase or trivialize the characterization. Although later seasons skewed away from the source material in odd fashions, the series remains an onscreen library for the mercurial investigator’s most devoted fans and adapted almost all of Christie’s original stories.
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Prime Suspect
Before establishing herself as one ofthe media industry’s highest honored actors,Helen Mirrenbroke new ground for seven seasons as Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison inPrime Suspect.Created by Lynda La Plante, the woman writer was unflinching in her depiction of Jane’s constant resilience and resistance in the face of vicious sexism from her bitter male peers. Their hatred often exceeds the basic dated stereotypes and hampers official investigations. Jane’s ambition – rewarded with promotions as the series progresses – affects her work-life balance, most of her relationships, and her health. She’s driven, focused, and precise, and rather must be, given the cut-throat environment and ruthless crimes. The Granada Television-produced series earned a Peabody Award among its many accolades. It was even a veritable train of guest stars before they were actual stars:Ralph Fiennes, Peter Capaldi, Jonny Lee Miller, Liam Cunningham, andEve Best, to name a few.
Based on the novels by bestselling authorAnn Cleeves,Vera is one of three series on this list that’s ongoing — in fact, Season 12 premieres at the end of January.Brenda Blethyndebuted in 2011 as Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope, an investigator both made of clichés and ferociously avoidant of them. Vera represents a more believably human public servant than the majority of geniuses on this list. She’s not traditionally elegant or cares to be, she’s awkward with children, she grieves her father while adjusting to moving back into his disorganized home. Blethyn’s capable of covering a cascade of emotions in one episode, kind to survivors like their favorite aunt one moment and ardently raging to her coworkers the next. Her people would follow her to the ends of the earth, and she will chase justice to the ends, cussing the entire way.
Inspector Morse
It’s an interesting and irrefutable fact that many of the best crime media originated as books. AuthorColin Dextercreated Inspector Endeavor Morse (John Thaw), a modern gentleman detective that’s as beloved as he is infuriating.Inspector Morsedoesn’t shy away from his more unsavory qualities like elitism and a through-line of dismissive sexism, even as Morse — who pointedly avoids using his first name — fights grounded personal demons. He’s more flawed than admirable depending on the day, fixates on crossword puzzles, ale, and opera music,and ingrained himself into British pop culture.Inspector Morse’slonger runtime broke the mold-breaking risk for the 1980s; in 2018,British audiences voted the seriesthe best crime drama of all time.
Life on Mars
The oddest little concept became genre-weaving majesty onscreen. Long before he stepped onto the TARDIS,John Simmwas a time traveler (or in a coma? Or dead?) of the accidental kind, for all intents and purposes waking up in the 1970s after a car crash. The local police are a nightmare of brute force and bigotry incarnate, and Sam just wants to go home. When he does (maybe), it solves nothing.Life on Mars’critical success spawned a 1980s-based follow-up with the same concept and a new lead, Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes), which teased out some surprisingly emotional answers by series end. (Maybe…) Neither series can be neatly categorized due to its happy marriage of science fiction, police procedural, and psychological thriller, and that’s a compliment. In 2022creatorMatthew Grahamannounced a third series,Lazarus(also named after aDavid Bowiesong), with most of the originalLife on Marscast returning. Prepare for more questions and soul-shattering pain.
Father Brown
One of the more delightful premises,Father Brown(created by author and theologistG. K. Chesteron) is named after the Catholic priest (Mark Williams) who lends his wisdom and psychological intuition to his parish members and the local Cotswolds police. The fictional Cotswolds town follows in theMiss Marpletradition of an idyllic world fractured by violence, and the episodic plots offer a surprising Biblical accuracy in their disturbing subjects, which Brown’s deep empathy balances. This merciful, watchful priest solves crimes by understanding the complexity of human nature. He’s a deeply good man, a World War I veteran, and the example all people of faith should follow. Season 10 premiered in early January.
Yes, there was the incredibleThe Wire,butLutherputIdris Elbaon the map in a way that’s nigh-impossible to forget. Arguably both the hardest watch and the most worthwhile,Lutheris a blistering portrait of mankind’s inherent evil and how its exposure infiltrates even the most well-intentioned soul.Darkness and John Luther are always entwined, especially where the murderous and equally genius femme fatale Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson) is concerned. Exquisitely directed and precisely written,Lutheris unforgiving, intellectually compelling, and an instant recommend, with the newest installmentpremiering in movie theaters on February 24and streaming on Netflix March 10.
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Sherlock Holmes
It’s hard to argue with the classics.Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’sSherlock Holmesmythos is inescapable, the lanky brooding figure hovering in pop culture’s periphery for centuries. For those who prefer their Holmes in his natural habitat,the Granada series is the epitome of accuracy. That romanticized Victorian mood comprised of foggy streetlamps, horse-drawn carriages, candlelight, and long coattails is paired with the esteemedJeremy Brett,a genius in his own right for an encapsulation of the character so spot-on, it leans into enhancement.
Some towns require little to shatter.Sherwood’smining community was fragile before authorities discover the murdered bodies of beloved local figures, triggering questions into the Nottinghamshire village’s sociopolitical past and echoing ramifications from the 1980s miners' strike. And that’s before the killer starts playing with arrows in the nearby Sherwood Forest. Grounded in its prodigious cast of names (David Morrissey, Lesley Manville, Lindsay Duncan, Joanna Froggatt),Sherwoodwas one of 2022’s most lauded new dramas for upending the Robin Hood mythos and its honest depiction of how wounds left to fester destroy everything around them.It was inspired by murderscommitted in screenwriterJames Graham’shometown and the BBC plans for a second season.
Fandom iconGillian Andersonwas born to play Stella Gibson.Anderson’s magnetic pullis channeled like a bullet into the unquestionably competent and impeccably styled Detective Superintendent. A fiery resolve hides behind her ice chip eyes and razor-edge perception. Gibson’s in the game to do her job and her job only: capture serial killers. The sheer lack of sexism she experiences and her unrepentant sexuality (especially sinceJamie Dornan’sPaul Spector was based on the BTK killer) lendsThe Falla nuanced and mature eye in a genre where a darker tone too often equals the brutalization of women.
Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? (2022)
Returning to and finishing off with the queen of crime fiction, Agatha Christie’s non-Poirot, non-Marple novel is an exercise in her electrifying wit and astute plotting. None other thanHugh Laurieadapted this for BritBox specifically, and his droll touch ripples throughout the threads of a cracking good tale.Will Poulterstars as Bobby, the son of the local vicar and soon-to-be used car salesman;Lucy Boyntonis his friend Frankie, a rich girl oozing all ofKatharine Hepburn’sgender-defying swagger. The amateur detectives investigate the circumstances around a stranger’s death, swap arch banter, and fall in love along the way. A supporting cast composing of Laurie,Emma Thompson,Jim Broadbent,andConlith Hillcan hardly be beaten as an appropriately stylish vehicle for the material.
