The best sci-fi series on Netflix

Black Mirror

With each episode of Black Mirror, Charlie Brooker creates a unique dystopian universe, which, eerily, is never too distant from our own. One minute, a foul-mouthed cartoon celebrity is running for president (ring any bells?), the next people are vying against one another for Uber-like ratings on social media which have major real-life consequences.

The show smartly touches upon our anxieties about the future of society, blending dark humour, drama and psychological thrills into hour-long vignettes. You won’t be able to look away.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

The series that launched Sir Patrick Stewart’s transformation from “an unknown British Shakespearean actor” into the global superstar that he is today. Star Trek: The Next Generation is held as dearly as the original series by the die hard fans, and offers more than double the amount of episodes, accommodating a long and fruitful binge.

Sense8

The presence of Lost’s Naveen Andrews (Sayid) is a minor clue into the intricacies of Sense8, another sprawling sci-fi piece from the minds of The Wachowskis (The Matrix series, Jupiter Ascending). It follows a group of eight strangers from different corners of the globe who are connected by shared prophetic visions, known as Sensates. What follows is a tailspin of sex, acrobatic fight scenes and endless intrigue – all sadly cancelled after two seasons.

Doctor Who

Now is as good a time as any to explore the NuWho back catalogue, with eight seasons of adventures through space and time loaded up and ready to go, featuring a pre-The Crown Matt Smith, David Tennant and the current Time Lord, Peter Capaldi.