The 17 greatest TV dramas hitting your screens this autumn
From Jenna Coleman's young Victoria to Jude Law’s Young Pope, plus the return of Poldark, Cold Feet and The Missing, here are the biggest shows coming your way
1. Victoria (ITV)
August
The goth-like queen, but not as you know her: Jenna Coleman stars as a tiny teenager who became mother of the British Empire. Expect plenty of romance alongside the regal politics – and not just with her beloved Albert.
2. Tutankhamun (ITV)
October
How was the tomb of the Egyptian boy king found? As Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon, Max Irons and Sam Neill tell the story —there’s sand and possibly even a curse…
3. Our Loved Boy (BBC1)
October
More like this
One-off drama about Damilola Taylor, the ten-year-old killed in 2000. Told from the point of view of his family, it covers their journey from Lagos to London and their fight for justice.
4. Rillington Place (BBC1)
November
Tim Roth and Samantha Morton star in a retelling of the macabre story of John Christie, his murder spree in 1940s and 50s Notting Hill, London, and the miscarriage of justice that ensued.
5. The Level (ITV)
September
A six-part thriller set in Brighton. A policewoman investigating the murder of a dodgy businessman/drug trafficker finds herself stalked by his killer. It’s hard to ask her colleagues for help when the murdered man was an old friend. Looks like she’s in trouble then…
6. Dark Angel (ITV)
November
Forget that sweet maid Anna in Downton Abbey, now Joanne Froggatt plays the real-life Victorian poisoner Mary Ann Cotton — often dubbed Britain’s first serial killer.
7. Close to the Enemy (BBC2)
November
Stephen Poliakoff’s six-parter delves back to the scramble for German scientists after the Second World War. Can Britain secure one particular engineer for the development of the jet engine?
8. National Treasure (C4)
September
This four-part drama wades through the impact on a family after claims of historical sexual abuse are made against a household name. Robbie Coltrane and Julie Walters are the couple trying to hold their marriage together in the face of the accusations.
9. Poldark (BBC1)
September 4th
Aidan Turner makes his return as the 18th century muscle-packed hero! And compared with the relative sunniness of series one, series two suggests that life will prove a lot harder this time round for our dashing Cornishman.
10. Cold Feet (ITV)
September
More than a decade on, John Thomson, James Nesbitt, Fay Ripley and Hermoine Norris and Robert Bathurst are all back. The characters pick up not from 2003 when we last saw them, but today, dealing with estranged children, depression and divorce — the usual fun stuff.
11. The Missing (BBC1)
October
Tcheky Karyo returns as detective Julien Baptiste but the case and location are new. Now David Morrissey and Keeley Hawes play parents with a missing child — although theirs returns….
12. The Fall (BBC 2)
September
We say so long and farewell to the thriller that has gripped millions as it returns for a third and final run. It finds Gillian Anderson as the detective trying to put serial killer Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan) behind bars. Third series lucky, perhaps?
13. Nacros (Netflix)
September 2nd
The true story of Colombia's infamously violent and powerful drug cartels fuels this gritty tale of morality set in the early '90s. Fantastically addictive.
14. The Crown (Netflix)
November 4th
In what is possibly the most expensive British drama yet made we find Claire Foy rising to the challenge of portraying our current queen. With Matt Smith as Prince Philip, this ten-parter is written by Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon). Hopefully, by the final credits we won’t have seen anyone sent to the Tower.
15. The Young Pope (Sky Atlantic)
October
Jude Law and Diane Keaton take top billing in the fictional tale of the first American Pope. This eight-parter follows his attempts to settle into the job with much wiggle room for mistakes.
16. The Collection (Amazon Prime)
September 2nd
It’s Paris 1948 and the storyline bubbles around the centre of a family fashion empire. Expect drama and glamour in the mix — it’s created by Oliver Goldstick, showrunner of Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty.
17. Westworld (Sky Atlantic)
October
Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris and Thandie Newton are just a few of the gems in this show developed by JJ Abrams (Lost, Star Wars). Inspired by the 1973 film, it’s set in a futuristic theme park staffed by robotic hosts.
