## UK TV Dramas to Watch in 2025 and Beyond: A Den of Geek Guide
2025 promises a bumper year for British television, with a diverse range of new dramas set to grace our screens. From established screenwriters like Jack Thorne and Sally Wainwright to exciting new voices, the year’s offerings span genres and styles, ensuring something for everyone. Netflix kicks off the year with *Missing You*, the latest Harlan Coben thriller, followed by a slew of intriguing projects including the crime dramas *Patience* and *Prime Target*, the historical action series *A Thousand Blows*, and a reboot of the 1980s classic *Bergerac*. Many more untitled dramas, including projects from Jimmy McGovern and Guy Ritchie, are also in development or production, promising a year of captivating television. This list will be continuously updated as more details and release dates emerge.
### New Dramas Arriving in 2025:
Missing You (Netflix, January 1, 2025): Binge-watching a Harlan Coben thriller on New Year’s Day is quickly becoming a tradition. Following *Stay Close* and *Fool Me Once*, *Missing You* follows a detective whose missing fiancé resurfaces on a dating app a decade later. Her investigation unearths secrets about her father’s murder and her own past. The star-studded cast includes Ashley Walters, James Nesbitt, Rosalind Eleazar, and Sir Lenny Henry.
Lockerbie (Sky Atlantic, January 2, 2025): This five-part drama recounts the devastating Pan Am Flight 103 bombing of 1988. Adapted from Jim Swire and Peter Biddulph’s *The Lockerbie Bombing: A Father’s Search for Justice*, it stars Colin Firth as Jim Swire. This is the first of two Lockerbie-based dramas slated for 2025; a BBC/Netflix co-production is also in the works.
Playing Nice (ITV, January 5, 2025): James Norton and Niamh Algar lead this psychological thriller, based on JP Delaney’s novel. Two couples discover their toddlers were switched at birth, forcing them to confront a horrifying choice.
Patience (Channel 4, January 8, 2025): Ella Maisy Purvis stars in this crime drama as Patience, a self-taught criminologist with autism whose exceptional instincts aid crime scene investigations.
Prime Target (BBC iPlayer, January 8, 2025): This horror-comedy, set during the 1985 home video boom, follows three teenagers on a quest to complete a cult horror VHS collection, only to become entangled in a murder investigation.
A Thousand Blows (BBC Alba, BBC iPlayer, BBC Four, January 14, 2025): Billed as the UK’s first high-end Gaelic drama series, this murder mystery follows Kat Crichton, a Family Liaison Officer, as she investigates the brutal murder of a woman on the Isle of Lewis and Harris.
Prime Target (Apple TV+, January 22, 2025): This eight-part conspiracy thriller from Steve Thompson (*Sherlock*, *Vienna Blood*) stars Leo Woodall as a brilliant mathematician on the brink of a groundbreaking discovery, and the enemies who will stop at nothing to prevent him.
The Veil (Disney+, February 21, 2025): From *Peaky Blinders* creator Steven Knight, this 12-part historical drama set at the turn of the 20th century follows the story of “The Forty Elephants,” a real-life all-female shoplifting gang in East End London.
Bergerac (U and U&Drama, February): Damien Moloney takes on the iconic role of Detective Inspector Jim Bergerac in this reboot of the 1980s series, written by Toby Whithouse.
(Untitled) Stephen Graham & Philip Barantini Netflix Drama (Netflix, TBA): An ambitious four-part crime drama, filmed in real-time and one continuous shot, from the creators of *Boiling Point* and featuring Jack Thorne.
A Matter of Blood (TBA): A TV adaptation of Sarah Pinborough’s *Dog Faced God* trilogy, a genre-bending supernatural crime series set in a dystopian near-future London.
(Untitled) Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe Drama (TBA): A four-part series based on the forthcoming book by Nazanin and Richard Zaghari-Ratcliffe, detailing Nazanin’s six-year detention in Tehran.
Anansi Boys (TBA): A modern fantasy drama incorporating West African mythology, starring Malachi Kirby. Release delayed due to allegations against creator Neil Gaiman.
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