Detective series filmed in the UK have always attracted the attention of the audience. After all, as a rule, these television projects have absolutely everything that real connoisseurs can like. The hardest puzzles, unpredictable plot twists, non-standard investigation methods, unexpected endings and, of course, incredibly charismatic heroes. Here is a small part of what makes viewers freeze at the screens and closely follow the development of events. Our list contains the best British detective series that few people know about, but in vain. After all, the directors of Foggy Albion know how to shoot really good and exciting films.
The Stranger (2020)
- Genre: thriller, detective
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 7.2, IMDb - 7.3.
In the center of this confusing detective story with a rating above 7, an ordinary British family: husband, wife and two sons. It seems that their life is perfect. But one day an unknown woman approaches the head of the family, Adam Price, and gives shocking information. It turns out that Karina, his wife, has been lying to him for many years, and the children, whom he considers his own, are not at all from him.
When a man tries to ask his wife and find out the truth, she avoids answering, and then disappears altogether in an unknown direction. Soon after the incident, Adam realizes that he is at the center of a conspiracy, and he is in mortal danger.
Criminal: UK (2019)
- Genre: crime, detective
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 7.1, IMDb - 7.4.
The original series from streaming platform Netflix chronicles the everyday life of British police investigators. Spectators will not see any chases, or shootings, or any action at all. All actions are concentrated in one room, where interrogations of the detainees take place.
The immediate circumstances of what happened in the film appear in the form of photographs attached to the case. Investigators talk with suspects, try to find out about the reasons that prompted the commission of crimes, try to establish the degree of guilt and obtain a confession. Interrogations turn into a kind of duel between a detective and an intruder or a detective and a lawyer, and the intensity of passions grows by the minute and makes the audience wait for the denouement, literally holding their breath.
Shetland (2013-2020)
- Genre: detective, crime, drama
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 7.2, IMDb - 8.1.
This highly rated series is based on the novels of the British writer Ann Cleaves. Events unfold on the sparsely populated islands of the Shetland archipelago. At the center of the story is Police Inspector Jimmy Perez, who heads the crime investigation department. The members of his small but close-knit team are duty officer Billy McCabe, female investigator Alison O'Donnell and newcomer Sandy Wilson. The central police office is located in the town of Lerwick, the largest on the islands, but Perez and his subordinates have to travel throughout the archipelago to investigate mysterious and frightening crimes, including the murder of not only adults, but even children.
Murder on the Beach / Broadchurch (2013-2017)
- Genre: detective, drama, crime
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 8.0, IMDb - 8.4.
This is a must-see detective series. Events unfold in a small town, whose calm and measured life was once disrupted by a tragic event. In broad daylight, an 11-year-old boy named Denny disappears on one of the local beaches. Beth, his mother, beside herself with grief, begins an independent search for her son, and local residents help her in this. But their efforts do not lead to any results.
Then the inconsolable woman turns to her best friend, who is a police officer, for help. Ellie Miller, along with detective Alec Hardy, embark on an investigation, and soon they manage to find the body of a dead boy. The terrible news instantly scatters around the town and triggers a chain of events, as a result of which almost all adult residents are suspected of committing a crime.
Hinterland (2013-2016)
- Genre: Crime, Detective, Drama
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 6.7, IMDb - 7.6.
This atmospheric series immerses viewers in the life of the British countryside. Inspector Tom Mathias moves from London to the Welsh city of Abercisstwith. On the first day of work in a new place, he immediately encounters a mysterious case: an elderly lady disappeared from his own house. The matter is complicated by the fact that there are no traces at all at the scene of the alleged crime, so it is not clear in which direction the search should be started. But Tom is a professional in his field. He quickly realizes that the clue lies in the missing woman's past.
Safety / Safe (2018)
- Genre: detective, drama
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 7.1, IMDb - 7.3.
If you like to watch intricate stories in which the action develops without much action, chases and shootings, we recommend this project, where one of the central characters was played by the magnificent Michael C. Hall, who became famous for his role as Dexter. The series takes place in the prestigious area of the English city of Warrington, which has the symbolic name "Security".
But, as it turns out later, no fences, high walls and advanced security systems are able to protect people from loss and even murder. This is exactly what happens to the main character Tom Delaney, whose daughter one day disappears in an unknown direction, and her boyfriend is found dead. The man himself takes up the investigation and soon finds himself on a trail that leads to the distant past.
Dublin Murders (2019)
- Genre: detective, drama, crime
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 7.1, IMDb - 7.1.
Here is another series that few people have heard of. It was based on the works "In the Woods" and "Are the Dead Returning?", Written by the Irish writer Tana French. The events of the picture begin with a terrible incident. The corpse of a teenage girl was found in a forest on the very outskirts of Dublin. Young police officers Rob Riley and Cassie Madox are charged with investigating the crime.
During the inquiry, the heroes come to the conclusion that this murder is connected with a case twenty years ago. Then, under unclear circumstances, three children disappeared without a trace. The cops begin to unravel the tangle of mysteries, and the facts that open before them make them face the trauma of their own childhood.
What will remain after you? / What Remains (2013)
- Genre: detective, drama
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 7.6, IMDb - 7.4.
This series is an example of the classic detective story. In the attic of a small house in London, an almost decayed corpse was found. After the examination, it becomes clear that it belongs to the young lady Melissa Young, who lived in this building. Neighbors claim that the girl disappeared a few years ago, but none of them paid any attention to this fact, believing that she simply moved. But police officer Len Harper, who took up the investigation, does not believe the words and suspects them all of a criminal conspiracy.
House on the outskirts / Marchlands (2011)
- Genre: Drama, Detective
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 7.0, IMDb - 7.4
This project completes our list of the best British detective series that few people know about, but in vain. This crime story, interspersed with mysticism, tells the story of three families who lived in the same house, but at different periods of time. They are all linked by a common secret. In the 60s of the last century, a little girl disappeared in this building under mysterious circumstances. Since then, her ghost appears at regular intervals, as if demanding that the secret of her disappearance be revealed.