BBC iPlayer is so much more than a catch-up service.
While the BBC website was once just a helpful place to catch up with that show you missed at the weekend, iPlayer is now a streaming service in its own right, attempting to keep pace with US media giants like Netflix and Amazon.
In short, it’s home to some of the best British TV available to watch online.
Whether you’re a fan of drama box sets such as Luther and Bodyguard, classic comedies like Extras and Gavin & Stacey, or archive documentaries by David Attenborough and Louis Theroux, there’s a lot to offer on iPlayer.
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The BBC is also planning to make iPlayer even more useful for viewers, with the possibility that all shows will be made available to watch online for an entire year.
So, what’s currently available to watch? Check out our regularly updated picks of the best TV shows to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Luther
Series 1-5
Idris Elba stars as London’s slickest – and most maverick – detective as he races around the city solving crimes fit for a horror movie. Watch Luther on iPlayer
This Country
Series 1-2
A Bafta-winning mockumentary about life in the Cotswolds for two feckless cousins Kerry and Kurtan, created by and starring siblings Daisy May and Charlie Cooper. Watch This Country on iPlayer
Killing Eve
Series 1
Jodie Comer’s Villanelle and Sandra Oh’s Eve are caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse in this sharp, witty and gruesome thriller. And series two isn’t far away… Watch Killing Eve on iPlayer
The Mighty Boosh
Series 1-3
Step into the strange, musical, mad world of Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt. Watch The Mighty Boosh on iPlayer
Clique
Series 1-2
Psychological thriller that delves inside a gang of whip smart, complicated and ambitious young people at a university. Watch Clique on iPlayer
Frozen Planet
Series 1
David Attenborough’s iconic nature documentary from 2011 heads to the coldest corners of the earth and explores the wildlife that survives there. Watch Frozen Planet on iPlayer
The League of Gentlemen
Series 1-4
This gloriously dark, surrealist comedy about a strange group of people living in the small, northern town of Royston Vasey is created by and stars Reece Shearsmith, Mark Gatiss and Steve Pemberton. Watch The League of Gentlemen on iPlayer
Doctor Who
Series 1-11
From Christopher Eccleston to Jodie Whittaker, 11 series of Doctor Who and the Time Lord’s adventures in space and time are available online. Watch Doctor Who on iPlayer
Sense and Sensibility
Series 1
Take a trip back through the BBC’s classic period drama collection, including this 2008 Jane Austen adaptation from writer Andrew Davies. Watch Sense and Sensibility on iPlayer
Doing Money
Series 1
This one-off, 90-minute film tells the shocking, real-life story of modern slavery and sex trafficking in Britain. Watch Doing Money on iPlayer
Extras
Series 1-2
Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais’s deadpan comedy is set in the world of film and TV extras. Watch Extras on iPlayer
Bodyguard
Series 1
Jed Mercurio’s smash hit drama about a troubled bodyguard sent to protect the Home Secretary stars Richard Madden and Keeley Hawes. Watch Bodyguard on iPlayer
House of Cards
Series 1
The series that inspired Netflix’s hit political thriller – Ian Richardson is the dark lord at the heart of Westminster. Watch House of Cards on iPlayer
Overshadowed
Series 1
This intense and harrowing drama, which consists of eight ten-minute episodes, looks at how anorexia can take hold and tear relationships apart. Watch Overshadowed on iPlayer
Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends
Series 1-3
A classic documentary series from Louis Theroux delving into the stranger fringes of American culture and society. Watch Louix Theroux on iPlayer
Wanderlust
Series 1
Toni Colette leads the cast of this daring, stylish comedy about sex and marriage in middle age. Watch Wanderlust on iPlayer
Floyd on France
Ever wanted more of those archive food show clips they always show on Saturday Kitchen? Many of them can be found on iPlayer if you look hard enough, including this gastronomic journey through Paris with chef Keith Floyd. Watch Floyd on France on iPlayer
Inside No 9
Series 1-4
This darkly comic anthology series from Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith has welcomed guest stars including Keeley Hawes, Rory Kinnear and Sheridan Smith. Series five is coming soon. Watch Inside No 9 on iPlayer
Press
Series 1
From the same writer as Doctor Foster, Press stars Ben Chaplin and Charlotte Riley as journalists who work at competing newspapers. Watch Press on iPlayer
Outnumbered
Series 1-5
This comedy embraces the funny side of family life as we follow the Brockmans and their various trials and tribulations. My how they’ve grown… Watch Outnumbered on iPlayer
Clife James: Postcard from London
The inimitable broadcaster and writer Clive James looks back on his experiences living in 1960s London, sharing anecdotes with the likes of Victoria Wood and Michael Caine. Watch Clive James: Postcard from London on iPlayer
Blue Planet and Blue Planet II
Series 1-2
Arguably David Attenborough’s most impactful documentary yet, The Blue Planet and its sequel shows the beauty of live beneath the waves – and the damage humans are wreaking on it. Watch Blue Planet on iPlayer
Parkinson
Take a trip back in time with archive interview specials with the likes of Billy Connolly, David Attenborough and more. The whole set isn’t available, but new episodes are added occasionally. Watch Parkinson on iPlayer
Gavin & Stacey
Series 1-3
James Corden, Ruth Jones, Joanna Page and Mathew Horne star in this Bafta-winning sitcom about an Essex lad and a Welsh girl. Watch Gavin & Stacey on iPlayer
War and Peace
Series 1
James Norton and Lily James take the lead in this BBC adaptation of Tolstoy’s epic story of love and loss. Watch War and Peace on iPlayer
Fleabag
Series 1
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s anti-heroine navigates life as a young woman in London in this Bafta-winning tragicomedy. Series two is coming soon. Watch Fleabag on iPlayer
People Just Do Nothing
Series 1-5
A mockumentary about the crew behind a pirate radio station, Kurupt FM, starring Allan Mustafa and Asim Chaudhry. Watch People Just Do Nothing on iPlayer
The Young Offenders
Series 1
A comedy following two lovable rogues as they get up to no good in the Irish city of Cork. Watch The Young Offenders on iPlayer
five by five
Series 1
This five-part series of five-minute episodes from Idris Elba is a poetic portrait of London that subverts stereotypes. Watch five by five on iPlayer
Planet Earth and Planet Earth II
Series 1-2
David Attenborough’s award-winning nature series takes us on a glorious journey of the islands, mountains and cities of the earth. Watch Planet Earth on iPlayer
from Radio Times http://bit.ly/2DwWTuE
