British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series

The British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series is one of the major categories of the British Academy Television Awards (BAFTAs), the primary awards ceremony of the British television industry. The category is described on the official BAFTA website as being open a drama series "of between two and 19 episodes, that is intended to return."^[1]

British Academy Television Award
Country	United Kingdom
Presented by	British Academy of Film and Television Arts
First award	1992
Currently held by	Blue Lights (2025)
Website	http://www.bafta.org/

The category has been through several name and category changes:

• From 1958 to 1972 the award was presented usually individually under the name "Best Drama Production".
• Also during the same period another category was awarded briefly as "Best Drama Series" from 1964 to 1970.
• Then from 1970 to 1991 it was joined with drama serials into a category named "Best Drama Series or Serial" with the exception of the years 87, 88 and 89 where it was awarded just as "Best Drama Series".

From 1992 onwards,^[2] the category was split in two, with a separate Best Drama Serial category also established.

Inspector Morse, Cracker, The Cops, The Street and Happy Valley have all won the category twice, all except the last in successive years.

Winners and nominees

1950s

Best Drama Production

Year	Recipient(s)
1958	Rudolph Cartier
1959	Silvio Narizzano

1960s

Best Drama Production

Year	Recipient(s)	Title	Broadcaster
1960	William Kotcheff
1961	Peter Dews
1962	Andrew Osborn
1963	David Rose, Charles Jarrott
1964	John Jacobs
1965	Philip Saville
1966	Peter Hammond	The Count of Monte Cristo	BBC One
		Contract to Kill
		Hereward The Wake
		Armchair Theatre: "I Took My Little World Away"
		Armchair Mystery Theatre: "Ambrose"
	Cyril Coke	Play of the Week: "Crime and Punishment", "The Rules of the Game", "Four of Hearts: Tilt"	ITV
	Charles Jarrott	Thursday Theatre: "Captain Carvallo", "The Young Elizabeth"	BBC Two
		The Wednesday Play: "The Big Breaker"	BBC One
		Tea Party	BBC
	Production Team	The Wars of the Roses
1967	Ken Loach
1968	Ken Loach
1969	Anthony Page	Play of the Month: "The Parachute"	BBC One

Best Drama Series

Year	Recipient(s)	Title	Broadcaster
1964	Philip Mackie
1965	Rex Firkin
1966	Philip Mackie, Silvio Narizzano	Paris 1900	ITV
		Play of the Week: "The Changeling", "Women Beware Women"
		Story Parade: "The Old Boys"	BBC One
		The Wednesday Thriller: "The Babysitter"
	Peter Graham Scott	Drama 61-67: "Memory of October"	ATV
		Mogul	BBC
		Redcap	ITV
		Danger Man
	Stella Richman	Upstairs, Downstairs: "Missing Believe Killed"
		The Hidden Truth: "One of the Hampshire Pargeters"
		Blackmail: "Take Care of Madam"
	Ralph Smart	Danger Man
1967	Peter Graham Scott

1970s

Best Drama Production

Year	Title	Recipient(s)	Broadcaster
1970	W. Somerset Maugham: "The Letter"	Christopher Morahan	BBC
	ITV Playhouse: "You've Made Your Bed, Now Lie On It"		ITV
	Saturday Night Theatre: "Nora"
	Play for Today: "Voyage Round My Father"	Claude Whatham	BBC One
	Rembrandt	Rudolph Cartier	BBC
1971	Play for Today: "The Lie"	Alan Bridges	BBC One
	Callan	Reginald Collin	ITV
	The Wednesday Play: "Mad Jack"	Jack Gold	BBC One
	The Roads To Freedom	James Cellan Jones	BBC Two
	The Six Wives Of Henry VIII	Ronald Travers, Mark Shivas
	The Six Wives Of Henry VIII: "Catherine Of Aragon"	John Glenister
1972	Play for Today: "Edna, The Inebriate Woman"	Ted Kotcheff	BBC One
	Cider with Rosie	Claude Whatham	BBC
	Eyeless In Gaza	James Cellan Jones
	The Snow Goose	Patrick Garland
	Upstairs, Downstairs: "On Trial"	John Hawkesworth	ITV

Best Drama Series

Year	Title	Recipient(s)	Broadcaster
1970	W. Somerset Maugham	Verity Lambert	BBC
	Callan	Reginald Collin	ITV
	The Gold Robbers	John Hawkesworth

Best Drama Series or Serial

Year	Title	Recipient(s)	Broadcaster
1973	Country Matters	Derek Granger	BBC
	Upstairs, Downstairs	John Hawkesworth	ITV
	Colditz	Gerard Glaister	BBC One
1974	Upstairs, Downstairs	John Hawkesworth	ITV
	Country Matters	Derek Granger	BBC
	Wessex Tales	Irene Shubik	BBC Two
	The Onedin Line	Peter Graham Scott	BBC One
1975	South Riding	James Ormerod	ITV
	Shoulder to Shoulder	Verity Lambert	BBC Two
	Jennie	James Cellan Jones	ITV
	Upstairs, Downstairs	John Hawkesworth
1976	Edward VII	Cecil Clarke, John Gorrie	ITV
	Day of Hope	Tony Garnett, Ken Loach	BBC One
	The Sweeney	Ted Childs	ITV
	Upstairs, Downstairs	John Hawkesworth
1977	Rock Follies	Andrew Brown	ITV
	The Duchess of Duke Street	John Hawkesworth	BBC One
	When the Boat Comes In	Leonard Lewis
	The Glittering Prizes	Mark Shivas	BBC Two
	I, Claudius	Martin Lisemore, Herbert Wise
1978	Marie Curie	Peter Goodchild, John Glenister	BBC
	Hard Times	Peter Eckersley, John Irvin	ITV
	The Norman Conquests	Verity Lambert, Herbert Wise
	When the Boat Comes In	Andrew Osborn	BBC One
1979	Edward and Mrs Simpson	Andrew Brown, Waris Hussein	ITV
	All Creatures Great And Small	Bill Sellars	BBC One
	Pennies From Heaven	Kenith Trodd, Piers Haggard
	Lillie	Jack Williams	ITV

1980s

Best Drama Series or Serial

Year	Title	Recipient(s)	Broadcaster
1980	Testament of Youth	Jonathan Powell, Moira Armstrong	BBC Two
	Rumpole of the Bailey	Jacqueline Davis	ITV
	Telford's Change	Mark Shivas, Barry Davis	BBC One
	Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy	Jonathan Powell, John Irvin	BBC Two
1981	Oppenheimer	Peter Goodchild, Barry Davis	BBC Two
	Shoestring	Robert Banks Stewart	BBC One
	To Serve Them All My Days	Ken Riddington
	Therese Raquin	Jonathan Powell, Simon Langton	BBC Two
1982	Brideshead Revisited	Derek Granger, Charles Sturridge, Michael Lindsay-Hogg	ITV
	The History Man	Michael Wearing, Robert Knights	BBC Two
	Private Schulz	Philip Hinchcliffe, Robert Chetwyn
	Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years	Richard Broke, Ferdinand Fairfax	ITV
1983	Boys from the Blackstuff	Michael Wearing, Philip Saville	BBC Two
	Minder	Lloyd Shirley, George Taylor	ITV
	The Barchester Chronicles	Jonathan Powell, David Giles	BBC Two
	Smiley's People	Jonathan Powell, Simon Langton
1984	Kennedy	Andrew Brown, Jim Goddard	ITV
	Rumpole of the Bailey	Jacqueline Davis	ITV
	Auf Wiedersehen, Pet	Martin McKeand
	Widows	Linda Agran, Ian Toynton
1985	The Jewel in the Crown	Christopher Morahan, Jim O'Brien	ITV
	Tenko	Ken Riddington	BBC One
	Minder	Lloyd Shirley, George Taylor	ITV
	Auf Wiedersehen, Pet	Martin McKeand
1986	Edge of Darkness	Michael Wearing, Martin Campbell	BBC Two
	Minder	Lloyd Shirley, George Taylor	ITV
	Bleak House	John Harris, Betty Willingale, Ross Devenish	BBC Two
	The Price	Mark Shivas, Peter Smith	Channel 4

Best Drama Series

Year	Title	Recipient(s)	Broadcaster
1987	The Life and Loves of a She-Devil	Sally Head, Philip Saville	BBC Two
	All Passion Spent	Colin Rogers, Martyn Friend	BBC
	The Monocled Mutineer	Richard Broke, Jim O'Brien	BBC One
	The Singing Detective	Kenith Trodd, John Harris, Jon Amiel
	Paradise Postponed	Jacqueline Davis, Alvin Rakoff	ITV
	A Very Peculiar Practice	Ken Riddington, David Tucker	BBC Two
1988	Tutti Frutti	Andy Park, Tony Smith	BBC Scotland
	Fortunes of War	Betty Willingale, James Cellan Jones	BBC One
	Porterhouse Blue	Brian Eastman, Robert Knights	Channel 4
	A Perfect Spy	Colin Rogers, Peter Smith	BBC Two
1989	A Very British Coup	Alan Plater, Anne Skinner, Sally Hibbin, Mick Jackson	Channel 4
	Blind Justice	Peter Flannery, Michael Wearing, Robert Walker, Michael Whyte	BBC One
	Talking Heads	Alan Bennett, Innes Lloyd
	Rumpole of the Bailey	John Mortimer, Jacqueline Davis	ITV

1990s

Best Drama Series or Serial

Year	Title	Recipient(s)	Broadcaster
1990	Traffik	Simon Moore, Brian Eastman, Alastair Reid	Channel 4
	Inspector Morse	Chris Burt	ITV
	Summer's Lease	John Mortimer, Colin Rogers, Martyn Friend	BBC Two
	Mother Love	Andrew Davies, Ken Riddington, Simon Langton	BBC One
1991	Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit	Jeanette Winterson, Phillippa Giles, Beeban Kidron	BBC Two
	Agatha Christie's Poirot	Brian Eastman	ITV
	Inspector Morse	David Lascelles
	House of Cards	Andrew Davies, Ken Riddington, Paul Seed	BBC

Best Drama Series

Year	Title	Recipient(s)	Production company	Broadcaster
1992	Inspector Morse	David Lascelles, Viscount Lascelles	Central Independent Television	ITV
	Agatha Christie's Poirot	Brian Eastman	London Weekend Television	ITV
	Casualty	Geraint Morris	BBC Bristol	BBC One
	Spender	Martin McKeand	BBC Television
1993	Inspector Morse	Deirdre Kerr	Central Independent Television	ITV
	Between the Lines	Peter Norris	World Productions	BBC One
	Casualty	Gerraint Morris	BBC Bristol
	Jeeves and Wooster	Clive Exton, Brian Eastman, Ferdinand Fairfax	Carnival Films	ITV
1994	Between the Lines	Peter Norris	World Productions	BBC One
	Cracker	Gub Neal, Jimmy McGovern	Granada Television	ITV
	Casualty	Gerraint Morris, Michael Ferguson	BBC Bristol	BBC One
	The Riff Raff Element	Liz Trubridge, Simon Cellan Jones, Jeremy Ancock, Debbie Horsfield	BBC Television
1995	Cracker	Paul Abbott	Granada Television	ITV
	The Bill	Michael Chapman	Thames Television	ITV
	Sharpe	Simon Lewis, Tom Clegg	Central Independent Television
	Common As Muck	John Chapman, William Ivory	BBC Television	BBC One
1996	Cracker	Hilary Bevan Jones	Granada Television	ITV
	Preston Front	Chris Griffin, Tim Firth	BBC Television	BBC One
	Prime Suspect	Paul Marcus	Granada Television	ITV
	A Touch of Frost	Don Leaver	Yorkshire Television
1997	EastEnders	Corinne Hollingworth, Jane Harris	BBC Television	BBC One
	This Life	Jane Fallon	World Productions	BBC Two
	Ballykissangel	Joy Lale	BBC Northern Ireland	BBC One
	Hamish Macbeth	Deidre Kerr	Skyline Films, Zenith Entertainment Ltd.
1998	Jonathan Creek	Susan Belbin, Sandy Johnson, Marcus Mortimer, David Renwick	BBC Television	BBC One
	Touching Evil	Jane Featherstone, Paul Abbott	Anglia Television	ITV
	Common As Muck	Catherine Wearing, Metin Hüseyin, William Ivory	BBC Television	BBC One
	Wing and a Prayer	Jacinta Peel, Richard Laxton, Robin Sheppard, Matthew Hall	Thames Television	Channel 5
1999	The Cops	Eric Coulter, Harry Bradbeer, Alrick Riley	World Productions	BBC Two
	Jonathan Creek	Verity Lambert, Keith Washington, David Renwick, Sandy Johnson	BBC Television	BBC One
	Playing the Field	Greg Brenman, Catherine Morshead, Paul Seed, Kay Mellor	Tiger Aspect Productions
	Undercover Heart	Jane Fallon, John Strickland, Richard Signy, Peter Bowker	BBC Television

2000s

Year	Title	Recipient(s)	Production company	Broadcaster
2000	The Cops		World Productions	BBC Two
	Cold Feet	Christine Langan, Mike Bullen	Granada Television	ITV
	Playing the Field	Greg Brenman, Hugh Warren, Kay Mellor	Tiger Aspect Productions	BBC One
	Psychos		Kudos Film & Television	Channel 4
2001	Clocking Off	Nicola Shindler, Ann Harrison-Baxter, Paul Abbott	Red Production Company	BBC One
	The Cops		World Productions	BBC Two
	Fat Friends	Kay Mellor, Gareth Morgan	Rollem Productions, Tiger Aspect Productions, Yorkshire Television	ITV
	The Sins	Liza Marshall, William Ivory	BBC Television	BBC One
2002	Cold Feet	Andy Harries, Spencer Campbell, Mike Bullen	Granada Television	ITV
	Clocking Off	Nicola Shindler, Juliet Charlesworth, Paul Abbott	Red Production Company	BBC One
	At Home with the Braithwaites	Carolyn Reynolds, Jacky Stoller, Sally Wainright	Yorkshire Television	ITV
	Tales from Pleasure Beach	Madonna Baptiste, Edmund Coulthard, Roger Williams	Blast! Film Productions	BBC Two
2003	Spooks		Kudos Film & Television	BBC One
	Teachers	Jane Fallon, Rhonda Smith	Tiger Aspect Productions	Channel 4
	Clocking Off		Red Production Company	BBC One
	Cutting It	Debbie Horsfield, Diederick Santer, Andy De Emmony	BBC Television
2004	Buried		World Productions	Channel 4
	Clocking Off		Red Production Company	BBC One
	Foyle's War		Greenlit Productions	ITV
	William and Mary	Trevor Hopkins, Stuart Orme, Mick Ford	Meridian Broadcasting
2005	Shameless		Company Pictures	Channel 4
	Spooks	Jane Featherstone, Simon Crawford Collins, Andrew Woodhead	Kudos Film & Television	BBC One
	Bodies	Mark Redhead, Sue de Beauvoir, Jed Mercurio	Hat Trick Productions	BBC Three
	Conviction		Red Production Team
2006	Doctor Who	Phil Collinson, Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner	BBC Wales	BBC One
	Bodies	Mark Redhead, Sue de Beauvoir, Jed Mercurio	Hat Trick Productions	BBC Three
	Shameless		Company Pictures	Channel 4
	Spooks		Kudos Film & Television	BBC One
2007	The Street	Jimmy McGovern, Sita Williams, David Blair, Ken Horn	Granada Productions	BBC One
	Shameless		Company Pictures	Channel 4
	Sugar Rush		Shine Productions
	Life on Mars		Kudos Film & Television	BBC One
2008	The Street	Jimmy McGovern, Sita Williams, Terry McDonough, John Chapman	Granada Productions	BBC One
	Rome	John Melfi, Anne Thomopoulos, Bruno Heller, Tim Van Patten	HBO	BBC Two
	Life on Mars		Kudos Film & Television	BBC One
	Skins		Company Pictures	Channel 4
2009	Wallander	Richard Cottan, Kenneth Branagh, Philip Martin, Francis Hopkinson	Left Bank Pictures, Yellow Bird, TKBC	BBC One
	Shameless	Paul Abbott, George Faber, John Griffin, Johann Knobel	Company Pictures	Channel 4
	Doctor Who	Phil Collinson, Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Susie Liggat	BBC Wales	BBC One
	Spooks		Kudos Film & Television

2010s

Year	Title	Recipient(s)	Production company	Broadcaster
2010	Misfits		Clerkenwell Films	E4
	Being Human	Toby Whithouse	Touchpaper Television	BBC Three
	Spooks		Kudos Film & Television	BBC One
	The Street	Jimmy McGovern, Sita Williams, Roxy Spencer, David Blair	Granada Television
2011	Sherlock	Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, Sue Vertue, Beryl Vertue	Hartswood Films, BBC Wales	BBC One
	Being Human	Rob Pursey, Philip Trethowan, Toby Whithouse, Colin Teague	Touchpaper Television	BBC Three
	Downton Abbey	Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame, Liz Trubridge, Nigel Stafford-Clark	Carnival Films	ITV1
	Misfits	Murray Ferguson, Petra Fried, Howard Overman, Kate Crowe	Clerkenwell Films	E4
2012	The Fades	Jack Thorne, Susan Hogg, Caroline Skinner, Farren Blackburn	BBC Television	BBC Three
	Misfits	Murray Ferguson, Petra Fried, Howard Overman, Matt Strevens	Clerkenwell Films	E4
	Scott & Bailey		Red Production Company	ITV1
	Spooks		Kudos Film & Television	BBC One
2013	Last Tango in Halifax	Sally Wainwright, Nicola Shindler, Karen Lewis, Euros Lyn	BBC Television	BBC One
	Scott & Bailey		Red Production Company	ITV1
	Ripper Street	Richard Warlow, Tom Shankland, Stephen Smallwood, Will Gould	BBC Television	BBC One
	Silk	Hilary Salmon, Peter Moffat, Richard Stokes, Jeremy Webb	BBC Television
2014	Broadchurch		Kudos Film & Television	ITV
	Top of the Lake	Emile Sherman, Iain Canning, Jane Campion, Philippa Campbell	See-Saw Films, Screen Australia	BBC Two
	The Village		Company Pictures	BBC One
	My Mad Fat Diary		Tiger Aspect Productions	E4
2015	Happy Valley	Sally Wainwright, Karen Lewis, Euros Lyn, Nicola Shindler	Red Production Company	BBC One
	Line of Duty	Jed Mercurio, Simon Heath, Peter Norris, Douglas Mackinnon	World Productions	BBC Two
	Peaky Blinders		Tiger Aspect Productions
	The Missing	Charlie Pattinson, Willow Grylls, Jack Williams, Harry Williams	New Pictures	BBC One
2016	Wolf Hall	Peter Kosminsky, Peter Straughan, Mark Pybus, Colin Callender	Company Pictures	BBC Two
	The Last Panthers	Jack Thorne, Johan Renck, Peter Carlton, Caroline Benjo	Warp Films	Sky Atlantic
	Humans		Channel 4	Channel 4
	No Offence	Paul Abbott, Martin Carr, Anna Ferguson, Catherine Morshead	AbbottVision
2017	Happy Valley	Sally Wainwright, Karen Lewis, Euros Lyn, Nicola Shindler	Red Production Company	BBC One
	The Crown		Left Bank Pictures	Netflix
	The Durrells		Sid Gentle Films	ITV
	War & Peace		The Weinstein Company	BBC One
2018	Peaky Blinders		Tiger Aspect Productions	BBC Two
	Line of Duty		World Productions	BBC One
	The Crown		Left Bank Pictures	Netflix
	The End of the F***ing World		Clerkenwell Films	All 4
2019	Killing Eve		Sid Gentle Films	BBC One
	Save Me		World Productions	Sky Atlantic
	Bodyguard		World Productions	BBC One
	Informer	Jonny Campbell, Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani, Julian Stevens	Neal Street Productions

2020s

Year	Title	Recipient(s)	Production company	Broadcaster
2020	The End of the F***ing World		Clerkenwell Films	Channel 4
	The Crown	Peter Morgan, Suzanne Mackie, Benjamin Caron, Michael Casey	Left Bank Pictures	Netflix
	Gentleman Jack	Sally Wainwright, Faith Penhale, Laura Lankester, Phil Collinson	Lookout Point	BBC One
	Giri/Haji		Sister Pictures	BBC Two
2021 [3]	Save Me Too	Simon Heath, Jessica Sykes, Lennie James, Lizzie Rusbridger, Coky Giedroyc, Jim Loach	World Productions	Sky Atlantic
	The Crown	Peter Morgan, Suzanne Mackie, Michael Casey, Oona O’Beirn, Andy Stebbing, Martin Harrison	Left Bank Pictures in association with Sony Pictures Television	Netflix
	Gangs of London	Gareth Evans, Matt Flannery, Thomas Benski, Jane Featherstone, Lucas Ochoa, Hugh Warren	Pulse Films, Sister Studios	Sky Atlantic
	I Hate Suzie	Lucy Prebble, Billie Piper, Andrea Dewsbery, Julie Gardner, Georgi Banks-Davies, Anthony Neilson	Bad Wolf
2022 [4]	In My Skin	Kayleigh Llewellyn, Nerys Evans, Molly Manners, Sophie Francis	Expectation Entertainment	BBC Three
	Unforgotten		Mainstreet Pictures	ITV
	Manhunt: The Night Stalker	Ed Whitmore, Marc Evans, Jo Willett, Evie Bergson-Korn, Philippa Braithwaite	Buffalo Pictures
	Vigil	Tom Edge, Simon Heath, Jake Lushington, Angie Daniell, James Strong, Isabelle Sieb	World Productions	BBC One
2023 [5][6]	Bad Sisters	Sharon Horgan, Dearbhla Walsh, Faye Dorn, Brett Baer, Dave Finkel, Johann Knobel	Merman, ABC Signature	Apple TV+
	The Responder	Chris Carey, Laurence Bowen, Tony Schumacher, Tim Mielants, Rebecca Ferguson, Toby Bruce	Dancing Ledge	BBC One
	Sherwood	James Graham, Lewis Arnold, Rebecca Hodgson, Juliette Howell, Tessa Ross, Harriet Spencer	House Productions
	Somewhere Boy	Pete Jackson, Petra Fried, Emily Harrison, Gavin O'Grady, Alex Winckler	Clerkenwell Films	Channel 4
2024 [7][8]	Top Boy		Cowboy Films, Easter Partisan, DreamCrew, SpringHill Entertainment	Netflix
	Happy Valley	Sally Wainwright, Sarah Lancashire, Jessica Taylor, Faith Penhale, Will Johnston, Fergus O'Brien	Lookout Point TV	BBC One
	The Gold		Tannadice Pictures
	Slow Horses		See-Saw Films	Apple TV+
2025 [9][10]	Blue Lights	Stephen Wright, Louise Gallagher, Declan Lawn, Adam Patterson, Jack Casey, Amanda Black	Two Cities Television, Gallagher Films	BBC One
	Sherwood	James Graham, Clio Barnard, Juliette Howell, Tessa Ross, Harriet Spencer, Kate Ogborn	House Productions	BBC One
	Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light	Peter Kosminsky, Noëlette Buckley, Susanne Simpson, Peter Straughan, Lisa Osborne, Colin Callender	Playground Entertainment, Company Pictures
	Supacell	Rapman, Mouktar Mohammed, Steve Searle, Joanna Crown	Netflix, New Wave Agency, It's A Rap	Netflix

• Note: The series that don't have recipients on the table had Production team credited as the recipients of the award or nomination.

Television Dramas with multiple awards nominations

Multiple awards

The following television series have won the British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series multiple times:

2 awards Cracker (consecutive) Happy Valley The Cops (consecutive) The Street (consecutive)

Multiple nominations

The following television series have been nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series multiple times:

6 nominations Spooks 4 nominations Clocking Off The Crown Shameless 3 nominations Casualty The Cops Cracker Happy Valley Misfits The Street

2 nominations Being Human Between the Lines Bodies Cold Feet Common As Muck Doctor Who The End of the F***ing World Inspector Morse Jonathan Creek Life on Mars Line of Duty Peaky Blinders Playing the Field Scott & Bailey Sherwood