14 Charming British Mystery Shows for Your Binge-Watching Pleasure

Based on the short stories by G. K. Chesterton, Father Brown is a long-running British detective show that’s available now on Amazon Prime. Beginning with season one, which debuted on BBC One in 2013, the show follows Father Brown (Mark Williams), a priest at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, as he maneuvers around the not too swift local police in order to successfully solve a wide variety of murder cases. Now is the perfect time to catch up on all eight seasons before the ninth one debuts in 2021.

Head to YouTube TV or Amazon Prime to binge all three seasons of Agatha Raisin. Starring Ashley Jensen in the title role, the show is a comedic take on the mystery genre that follows Agatha Raisin, a former public relations executive, as she moves from London to the village of Carsley and finds herself a suspect in a murder. The first season debuted in 2014 on the Sky1 network, before switching over to Acorn TV for season two. The basis premise and characters are based on the Agatha Raisin book series by M.C. Beaton.

All 13 seasons of the British mystery drama Poirot can be found on Amazon Prime, which should be more than enough to sustain your mystery cravings for the next couple of months. One of the longest-running, and most highly celebrated mystery shows out there, Poirot debuted on ITV in 1989, and ran until 2013. The show centers around Agatha Christie’s detective character Hercule Poirot, who features in dozens of her books, plays, and short stories, and is arguably the writer’s most famous creation.

In the mood for even more Agatha Christie adventures? Head over to BritBox to binge all six seasons of Agatha Christie’s Marple. Loosely based on Christie’s spinster-turned-armchair detective character Jane Marple—played by Geraldine McEwan in seasons 1-3, and then Julia McKenzie for the rest of the series—Miss Marple is so much fun to watch, you’ll have to pull yourself away from the couch. But let’s be real, why would you want to?

A bit darker than our previous picks, but still tons of fun, Wallander stars A-list actor Kenneth Branagh as Swedish police inspector Kurt Wallander. Based on Henning Mankell’s novels of the same name, all four seasons of the British adaptation are available on Amazon Prime, and are a great way to insert suspense and intrigue into any average day spent at home. We guarantee that by the very last episode, you’ll be sad to say goodbye to Wallander—just as Branagh himself was when the show ended in 2016.

Not to be confused with the film Midsommar, which would make your day altogether more terrifying, Midsomer Murders is a detective drama based on Caroline Graham's Chief Inspector Barnaby book series. The show, which debuted in 1997 and spans 21 seasons, focuses on Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby, who was played by actor John Nettles through season 13. In season 14, the show’s focus shifted to Tom Barnaby’s cousin, John Barnaby, played by Neil Dudgeon. Midsomer Murders is available for streaming on Amazon Prime. Warning: Uncontrollable binge-watching of this charming series may have you speaking in a British accent without even realizing you’re doing it.

A show about a monk who solves medieval mysteries could go a lot of places, and Cadfael most assuredly does. Based on the popular Ellis Peters book series, The Cadfael Chronicles, this show debuted in 1994 and wrapped in 1998, which gives it a grainy, vintage feel perfect for cozy days on the couch. Brother Cadfael, played by English actor Derek Jacobi, struggles to maintain a holy life while navigating the murderous cobblestoned streets of 12th-century England. Buckle up for a blast to the medieval past with this one, available on Amazon Prime. 

For the last several decades, crime writer Ann Cleeves has made a reputable name for herself within the mystery genre. Vera, the ten-season British crime drama that has been running on ITV since 2011, brings Cleeves’ character Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope to vivid life. What reveals itself to be Vera’s most endearing quality is the fact that her past, and her personal life, is less than perfect. Escapism is great, but it’s always nice to be able to relate to a character as well, and Vera comes across as comfortably human, even as she’s solving complicated crimes. You can catch up with Vera by watching on Amazon Prime.

Constable Hamish Macbeth keeps watch over the fictional Scottish town of Lochdubh in this comedic mystery show. Based loosely on the works of mystery writer M. C. Beaton, Hamish Macbeth aired on BBC1 from 1995 to 1997 and starred Robert Carlyle as the titular character. You may know Carlyle from his role as Begbie in Trainspotting, although his delivery is far more subdued in his role here. Fight crime right along with him by streaming all three seasons of the show on Amazon Prime. 

A wonderful mix of comedic mystery, with some science fiction thrown in for good measure, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency is only two seasons long and can be sped through with brisk pleasure via Hulu. The show debuted on BBC America in 2016, and had its series finale the following year. Based on Douglas Adams’ book series of the same name, it centers on detective Dirk Gently (Samuel Barnett) and his sidekick Todd (Elijah Wood), as they work together using unconventional methods to find similarities in their cases.

Based on characters created by British crime writer Val McDermid, Wire in the Blood is another fun one that can be found on Amazon Prime. The show takes place in the fictitious West Yorkshire town of Bradfield, where the Major Incident Team of the Bradfield PD hunts down killers by attempting to get a read on their motives and psychological tics with the help of serial profiler Dr. Tony Hill.

Not sick of British mystery shows yet? Good, we’re not either. Based on works by Reginald Hill, Dalziel and Pascoe is The Odd Couple of crime shows—only instead of two roommates learning how to work around their very different personalities, it’s two detectives. Head to Amazon Prime to watch 11 seasons of Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel and Detective Inspector Peter Pascoe tripping over themselves in an effort to one-up each other, while simultaneously coming together as a perfectly un-perfect crime-fighting team.

Amazon Prime seems to have a surplus of our favorite British mystery series, and Inspector Morse simply must be added to the list of favorites. The show is based on the novels by Colin Dexter and was named the greatest British crime drama of all time by the readers of Radio Times in 2018. John Thaw stars as Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse who, over the course of each 100-minute episode, thoroughly investigates and expertly solves a wide variety of crimes.

Based on characters found within Peter Robinson's Inspector Alan Banks novels, DCI Banks ran from 2010 to 2016 and can be streamed, you guessed it, on Amazon Prime. Hard-nosed Banks pulls no punches when it comes to fighting crime, and he seems to have a way of catching criminals.

Featured still from "Father Brown" via BBC