Radio Times and Latitude Festival launch vote to find the greatest TV show of the past 20 years

Radio Times has partnered with Latitude Festival to ask one big question: which television series has truly defined the past two decades?

From gripping prestige dramas to era-defining comedies and global streaming sensations, the last 20 years have delivered an extraordinary range of storytelling – and now viewers are being invited to choose the one programme that stands above the rest.

Fans can cast their votes now, after which a jury of TV personalities, writers and producers will decide the final winner. The result will be revealed live on stage at Latitude Festival at Henham Park later this summer as part of the anniversary celebrations.

Television audiences have watched empires rise and fall in Game of Thrones and Succession, stepped inside the corridors of power with The Crown, and witnessed the devastating realities of Baltimore’s drug trade in The Wire.

Closer to home, viewers have been hooked by the nerve-shredding tension of Line of Duty and Happy Valley, while Breaking Bad stunned with its brutal brilliance and Fleabag left audiences reeling with its emotional honesty.

International hits have also reshaped the TV landscape. South Korea’s Squid Game became a global phenomenon, Germany’s Dark redefined sci-fi storytelling, and Spain’s Money Heist proved subtitles were no barrier to worldwide success.

Comedy has flourished on both sides of the Atlantic. British favourites such as Gavin & Stacey, Derry Girls, Taskmaster and Inside No. 9 have delivered laughs in very different ways, while US hits including The Office, Parks and Recreation, Schitt’s Creek and Ted Lasso showed comedy can be both hilarious and heartfelt.

Landmark factual and entertainment shows such as Strictly Come Dancing, The Great British Bake Off and Sir David Attenborough’s Planet Earth II have brought audiences together, while drama has continued to push boundaries, with Peaky Blinders, Luther, Black Mirror, I May Destroy You, Mad Men, The Handmaid’s Tale, The White Lotus, Slow Horses and It’s a Sin all staking their claim as defining works of their era.

The vote arrives at a fitting moment, as Latitude Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2026. Voting remains open until Wednesday 9 July.

Whatever your choice might be - cast your vote now.

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