The victims of the Post Office scandal had been fighting for justice for decades. But it took a weeknight ITV1 drama to get their fight thrust into the public eye with such force that Rishi Sunak was forced to address the injustice. If you needed proof of the power of television, this was surely it.
Mr Bates vs the Post Office was one show in an already brilliant year of TV. There have been spine-chilling stalkers in Baby Reindeer, skilled samurai in Shōgun, atomic bombs in Fallout, devastating romances in One Day, spooky folk horror in the surprisingly great new series of True Detective.
This year has seen a number of brilliant returning series, too – The Traitors, Blue Lights, Race Across the World, Doctor Who – each proving they’re just as worthy of our attention two, four or (in the Doctor’s case) 26 series in. But it’s the surprise hits that have really dominated our screens over the last six months.
And the best TV hasn’t all been drama, either. Rob Rinder and Rylan’s “grand tour” through Italy was a marvellous portrait of male friendship, while lesbian dating series I Kissed a Girl mixed all the fun of Love Island (but better) with serious, important conversations that aren’t commonplace on primetime television.
Who said TV was all the same nowadays? Here are 20 of the best programmes of 2024 so far:
20. The Jury: Murder Trial, Channel 4
Juries have long been a staple of television dramas, but never has a TV trial been manufactured to see how they really operate. In one of Channel 4’s self-proclaimed “experiments”, two juries were presented with a manslaughter case based on a real trial. Having heard the same evidence would they come up with the same verdict? No spoilers here, but the result may shock you. I’m usually wary of Channel 4’s programmes purporting to reveal the “dark side” of society, but The Jury proved to be a genuinely groundbreaking programme that will – or at least should – have sent shockwaves through the British legal system.
19. Big Mood, Channel 4
This comedy drama features another stunning turn from Nicola Coughlan, though her bipolar character Maggie couldn’t be further than shy and retiring Penelope in Bridgerton. Maggie is spiralling as she struggles with her medication, a looming deadline for her new play and a troubling relationship with alcohol and drugs. Her best friend Eddie (It’s a Sin’s Lydia West) tries her best to keep up with her increasingly erratic behaviour but is also busy trying to save her failing bar. Experimental and brave in its depiction of mental illness, Big Mood is one of the boldest comedies of the year so far.
18. The Gathering, Channel 4
Good Channel 4 dramas are few and far between, but teen thriller The Gathering bucks the trend – this one isn’t just good, it’s clever. It opens with a violent attack on teenager Kelly (Eva Morgan) during a beach party, then flashes back to weeks before when she and her best friend Jessica (Sadie Soverall) were gearing up for a gymnastics competition. From there the story spirals into a tale of pushy parents, dangerous boyfriends and teenage angst. Warning: you will be compelled to watch all six episodes in one go.
17. Doctor Who, BBC One
The stakes couldn’t have been higher for Ncuti Gatwa’s first full series as the Doctor (and showrunner Russell T Davies’ return after 14 years away) – previous showrunner Chris Chibnall had turned legions of fans away with his overcomplicated plots and the series had lost its innate sense of childish wonder. But (with an injection of Disney cash), the new series has so far been the perfect blend of Doctor Who fun escapades and earnest reflections on the meaning of life. Some of these episodes – including “73 Yards” and “Boom” – will go down in Doctor Who history. At last it feels like it’s back to its roots.
16. I Kissed a Girl, BBC Three
Last year’s I Kissed a Boy marked the first ever LGBTQ+ dating series on British TV. This time, it was lesbians and bisexual women who packed off to an Italian masseria in hopes of falling in love. And while the snogging and the budding romances propelled the necessary drama along, it was the important, too often unheard conversations around the word “lesbian”, the idea of masc/femme identities and the difficulties of coming out that really made it special. Love Island who?
15. Rebus, BBC One
Moody detectives are ten a penny on British TV, but Ian Rankin’s signature Scottish detective stands out from the dreary crowd. That’s why he’s been so ripe for adaptation and has already been played by John Hannah and Ken Stott on ITV two decades ago. But the BBC’s much younger version of Detective John Rebus is played by Richard Rankin. Rankin’s Jekyll and Hyde inspiration for the detective is much more obvious (in other words, he’s not afraid to throw a punch), giving this Rebus a sprightlier, more dangerous edge than it has had before.
14. Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour, BBC Two
Celebrity travelogues are usually bottom of the barrel TV, but Rob Rinder and Rylan Clark’s enviously close relationship is genuine enough to elevate this Italian trip above sightseeing and banter. As they follow the 16th century route from Venice to Rome via Florence, the pals reveal the deepest parts of themselves, ruminating on their sexuality, their past relationships and how their careers have defined them as people. Most wonderful however is Rob’s sheer joy in sharing his love of art with Rylan, who is surprisingly receptive to all the Romanticism movement has to offer.
13. Breathtaking, ITV1
It’s the tiny details that make Breathtaking such a compelling retelling of the Covid pandemic – the sore mask marks, the ill-fitting PPE, the eye bags sported by the overworked nurses. Set in a hospital and based on Dr Rachel Clarke’s 2021 memoir of the same name, it sees Joanne Froggatt deliver a career-defining performance as acute medicine consultant Dr Abbey Henderson (a fictional character based on Clarke). Watching it is exasperating as we witness the impact of the Government’s failures to protect those on the frontline of fighting the disease time and time again.
12. Mr and Mrs Smith, Prime Video
Donald Glover and Maya Erskine play secret agents forced into adopting new identities and an arranged marriage? Yes please. This dynamic, energetic thriller is a reboot of the 2005 film starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, but still manages to feel completely fresh and original. The action is lively, but it’s the chemistry between the two leads that makes Mr and Mrs Smith one of the best series of the year so far.
11. Bridgerton, Netflix
Fans of Shonda Rhimes’ pastel dream of a period drama have been waiting to see Penelope Featherington (yet more proof that Nicola Coughlan’s star is still on the rise) and her longtime friend Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) snog ever since the show’s premiere in 2020. It was certainly worth the wait and the third series of Bridgerton (at least the first half – we’re still waiting for the final four episodes, which will arrive next week) is as sexy and soapy as ever as we will the two young lovers to finally get it on.
10. Things You Should Have Done, BBC Three
This off-the-wall sitcom is very weird – and it certainly won’t be to everyone’s taste. Written by and starring social media comedian Lucia Keskin, it follows the astronomically – sometimes dangerously – stupid Chi, who must learn to look after herself after both her parents die in a car crash. Luckily, they left her a list of tasks they want her to complete before she can inherit their house, ranging from the very sensible “get a job” to the more benign (but hilarious) “learn how to tell the time”. I’m glad BBC Three took the chance on Keskin’s bizarre brand of pop-culture obsessive comedy – Things You Should Have Done is unlike anything else on TV.
9. Mr Bates vs The Post Office, ITV1
![ITV STUDIOS MR BATES Vs POST OFFICE EPISODE 2 Pictured: TOBY JONES as Alan Bates and JULIE HESMONDHALGH as Suzanne. This photograph is (C) ITV Plc and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Desk. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are available on the website www.itv.com/presscentre/itvpictures/terms For further information please contact: patrick.smith@itv.com Mr Bates Vs The Post Office TV still ITV](https://wp.inews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/SEI_186803532.jpg?w=760)
Perhaps not the best series of 2024’s early months, but certainly the most impactful. This emotionally charged, powerful series about the Post Office Horizon scandal has been debated in Parliament and forced the Government to launch a compensation scheme for the 900 sub-postmasters who were falsely prosecuted for stealing. The drama itself is astonishing, brought to life by some of Britain’s finest actors, including Jason Watkins, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Monica Dolan, Will Mellor and Katherine Kelly. As the scale of the injustices comes to light this drama becomes more and more enraging – and, by its culmination, vital.
8. True Detective: Night Country, Sky Atlantic/Now
When Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson were at the helm, True Detective was appointment TV. Reinventing the trope of the “troubled detective” and with a cinematic approach to, well, everything, from the knotty storytelling to the killer soundtrack, season one remains one of the 21st century’s best TV series. But as the cast has changed and the cases became more convoluted, True Detective lost its edge – until Night Country. Focused on the mysterious, spooky murders of a group of scientists, a fresh female-focus via director Issa López behind the camera and Hollywood legend Jodie Foster and newcomer Kali Reis in front of it made this unmissable folk horror television.
7. Blue Lights, BBC One
Northern Irish police procedural Blue Lights was the word of mouth hit of 2023, thanks to its loveable but flawed gang of rookie police officers and compelling storyline of a community ravaged by illegal drugs and the scars of the Troubles. Its follow up story was just as thrilling and propulsive as the first. With a new drug gang to bust and the increasingly complicated relationships between the “peelers” and the post-Troubles community they police, this second series dialled up the darkness of an intriguing criminal underworld and mixed it with the light banter between rookie coppers with brilliant results.
6. The Traitors, BBC One
How could a second series of The Traitors ever be as good as the first, we asked. We know the twists, we know how to spot a liar, we know the games they’ll be playing. How wrong we were. Sure, the challenges were superfluous as ever and the game sometimes felt it was going around in circles but that final showdown between Mollie and her best pal/ultimate Traitor Harry was a reality TV moment for the ages. I’d bet series three won’t be able to match it, but…
5. Fallout, Prime Video
Video game adaptations are very hit and miss (fantastic: The Last of Us; awful: Halo). Fallout, thankfully, falls into the former camp. Humans are attempting to rebuild society following a devastating atomic bomb, but when her dad is taken by raiders, Lucy (played by the fantastic Ella Purnell) sets out to rescue him across a now-arid America. The worldbuilding makes even the more outlandish ideas (giant murderous swamp creatures and skeleton men) seem believable – but it’s Purnell, as sheltered teenager Lucy with with convincing naivety, who really makes Fallout special.
4. One Day, Netflix
I think we all collectively groaned when we heard David Nicholls‘ novel was getting another adaptation – the 2011 film starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess was a complete letdown. But come February and the new 14-parter had the whole world in tears. Following the on-again, off-again relationship of Emma (Ambika Mod) and Dexter (Leo Woodall), One Day is a timeless story of friendship, romance – and the perils of working as a singing waitress in a Mexican restaurant. A little bit cheesy, irresistibly charming and ultimately – spoiler alert – heartbreaking, One Day rightly made stars out of Mod and Woodall (whose chemistry is off the charts).
3. Race Across the World, BBC One
Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best, and Race Across the World – in which pairs of contestants race each other from one location to another without using their phones, planes or cards – had the nation gripped for the fourth year in a row thanks to a cast of racers we immediately rooted for (though not in the case of Stephen and Viv, to our national disgrace). Starting in Hokkaido, Japan and ending across six seas and eight borders in Lombok, Indonesia, this was one of the toughest routes yet. But it was the racers themselves who made this so moving. Nowhere else on television are the tensions and supportiveness of friendships and family relationships laid so beautifully bare.
2. Shōgun, Disney+
Based on James Clavell’s 1975 novel, Shōgun explores Japan’s feudal past through the eyes of British sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), who is brought under the wing of samurai Lord Yoshi Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) in his bid to become Japan’s next military leader. With an incredible eye for detail and historical accuracy (which makes for beautiful scene-setting and stunning costumes), it’s a demanding watch, with its subtitles and violence, but is very, very rewarding once you get your head round the confusing 17th century Japanese political system.
1. Baby Reindeer, Netflix
Ignore all the noise and extraneous drama about the “real Martha” – Richard Gadd’s Netflix series is a harrowing, meaningful yet somehow still entertaining work of art. Over seven episodes the stand-up comedian tells the terrifying true story of how he was stalked and groomed, making for a radically honest depiction of mental health and an intricate exploration of how we cope with trauma. Gadd’s gut-wrenching storytelling – which gives a rare insight into the male victim point of view when it comes to stalking – is matched by future superstar Jessica Gunning, whose alarming performance as Martha sent shivers down my spine.
