01 Thomas Cromwell's rise through Henry VIII's court, told with cold, careful precision.
10 Best British Period Dramas
By Vlad Zakh · June 5, 2026
Downton Abbey and The Crown set the modern template, meticulous and soapy, while Peaky Blinders takes the genre somewhere grittier and Bridgerton proved there’s an appetite for a lighter, romance-forward version. Wolf Hall follows Thomas Cromwell’s rise with cold precision, Upstairs, Downstairs is an early template, and Poldark has a soldier returning to Cornwall. Victoria, Call the Midwife and Pride and Prejudice round out the list.
01 
02 An early template for the genre, following both a wealthy family and the servants who run their household.
03 A young Queen Victoria navigates power, marriage and the constraints of the crown.
04 A former soldier returning to Cornwall to rebuild his family's fortune and reputation.
05 A group of nurses and nuns deliver babies in London's poorest postwar East End.
06 A glossy, gossip-fuelled Regency romance following London's marriage-market elite.
07 The adaptation that defined Mr. Darcy for a generation, with Colin Firth in the role.
08 Anya Taylor-Joy's television work showed real range within an already stacked ensemble.
09 A lavish dramatisation of Queen Elizabeth II's reign across seven decades.
10 An aristocratic family and their servants navigate a rapidly changing early 20th-century England.
Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.
You might also like
