British shows to try

The series comprises adaptations of the works of Ruth Rendell, many of which are based on her extensive range of short stories. In some cases, the stories were expanded from Rendell's original material or elements from a number of stories were woven together into one episode. A smaller number of episodes were based on Rendell's full-length novels, starring James Callis and Front seat, starring Janet Suzman. There were a total of 55 episodes centering on the Detective Inspector Wexford stories, starring George Baker, Louie Ramsay and Christopher Ravenscroft, and an additional 29 episodes did not feature Wexford.

Based on Dame Agatha Christie's crime novels and short stories, this show followed the adventures of Miss Jane Marple, an elderly spinster living in the quiet little village of St. Mary Mead. During her many visits to friends and relatives in other villages, Miss Marple often stumbles upon mysterious murders which she helps solve. Although the Police are sometimes reluctant to accept Miss Marple's help, her reputation and unparalleled powers of observation eventually win them over.

Series 1 follows the early police career of young Endeavour Morse, who upon leaving his Oxford College without a degree, spending time in the Royal Signal Corps., and eventually joining the Oxfordshire Police, is transferred to CID, attaining the rank of Detective Constable. Originally starting out his career at Carshall-Newtown Police, Morse transfers to the Oxford City Police in 1965 following a murder investigation during the pilot episode. While with the Oxford City Police, Morse is taken under the wing of veteran Detective Inspector Fred Thursday. Inspector Thursday names Morse his designated "bag man" and shows him the ropes as Morse begins to solve a string of complex murders, much to the envy and annoyance of some of his superiors, particularly Detective Sergeant Jakes and Chief Superintendent Bright. Thursday and Morse's fellow officer, Police Constable Strange, try to steer the young Endeavour into taking his Sergeant's exam, so that he may be relieved of "General Duties" and become Thursday's official "bag man" with the appropriate rank and title.

When the body of a young man is discovered in a derelict building, Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Cassie Stuart is called in to investigate with her partner, Detective Sergeant (DS) Sunil "Sunny" Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar). Jimmy Sullivan was a homeless runaway away boy, murdered in 1976 when the building was a hostel. His diary implicates four suspects; a clergyman, an eminent entrepreneur, a community worker, and a disabled house-bound husband caring for his wife. Each has a secret to hide. As their lies unravel, the people they love most begin to wonder what else they might be capable of. Nothing in this case is black and white. Can you ever really know the people closest to you? What secrets have they buried?.

Dark and twisting mystery series based on the characters created by Scottish crime writer Val McDermid. Set in the fictional English city of Bradfield, clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Hill is recruited as a criminal profiler for the police department. Aiding DCI Carol Jordan (and DI Alex Fielding in later episodes), the doctor's eccentric methods and deep understanding of the criminal mind help track down vicious serial killers and solve the most gruesome of crimes.

Despite the red robe and wig, Judge John Deed is no average high court judge. Good-looking, fit and fifty-something, he has a rakish charm that belies his sharp intellect. His passion for justice and his maverick approach set him at odds with the Lord Chancellor's department. This judge's individual approach too often flies in the face of convention for his own good as he determinedly avoids the traditionalism the system tries to force upon him.

During WWII, men and women working at Bletchley Park played a vital role, breaking the codes used by the German military. Nine years later, former codebreaker Susan is a housewife and mother, but she continues to recognize patterns that surround her in everyday life. When a series of women are brutally murdered around London, Susan sees a pattern emerging. However, when a police-search for what Susan believes to be an overlooked victim turns up nothing, she realizes she cannot solve this puzzle alone. Enlisting three former Bletchley Park colleagues: Millie, Lucy, and Jean; Susan knows they have little time to break this code before the killer strikes again.

Drawing on her love of theatre and art, New Zealand author Ngaio Marsh created elegant crime-puzzlers full of quirky characters with hidden agendas, all brought meticulously to life in this BBC series.

Touching Evil is a crime drama following the exploits of a crack squad on the Organised & Serial Crime Unit, a rapid response police force that serves the entire county.

Set in the leafy suburbs of 1950s London, the Beresfords find themselves in need of some adventure in their lives. With Tommy undertaking a variety of business opportunities, and Tuppence trying to dissuade him, the couple find themselves in the wrong place at the right time to solve a mystery - or two - and perhaps save someone's life. They are about to enter a world of espionage and skulduggery guided by Tommy's mysterious Uncle, Major Carter. It is a world which will prove easier to enter than to leave.

First broadcast in 1987, the Inspector Morse series is a crime drama based on the Colin Dexter novels of the same name. The show is based around the exciting exploits of Chief Inspector Morse (John Thaw), a senior officer within the Criminal Investigation Department of the Oxford Police, as he investigates heavy crimes in and around Oxford with his sidekick, Detective Sergeant Lewis (Kevin Whately). Morse is a grumpy classical music aficionado who loves beer, and who frequently loses patience with the earnest, but somewhat slow, Lewis.

Six years after a sinister drugs trial in India goes horribly wrong, a young teacher is found dead. Two investigators - trainee Detective Constable Arrash 'Rash' Sayyad and junior Serious Fraud Office investigator Stefan Kowolski - are separately drawn in, investigating different strands of the same case under the watch of their respective bosses, DS Derek Sands and Eleanor Davies. As a war begins to rage between two major pharmaceutical companies and with two hit-women on their trail, Rash and Stefan's paths unexpectedly cross, forcing them to join together to uncover the truth.

British crime investigation series based around aristocratic, Oxford-educated Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley (

After two horribly mutilated bodies are discovered, DCI Red Metcalfe is assigned to the case and plunged head-on into a nightmare.

Lives of three siblings are disrupted when their recently widowed mother declares she's in love with a new man. Tangled web of secrets, lies, rivalries and betrayals eventually leads to a murder.

When a body is found on a beach in North Devon, DI Matthew Venn tackles a case that has no witnesses, no forensics and no motive. Matthew is also dealing with the death of his father and being thrust back into a community he was forced to leave.

The show throws Chief Inspector George Gently into a maelstrom of murders and mayhem, whilst lovingly recreating the swinging sixties as it finally hits the North-East, in perfect and nostalgic detail. With his sidekick, the ambitious and undisciplined Detective Sergeant John Bacchus, they make the perfect police partnership, full of warmth and humour.

In order to make ends meet, and to stop a local teenage runaway from becoming a juvenile delinquent, Hetty Wainthropp, a sprightly and intelligent 60-year-old pensioner looking for a new challenge, decides to become a private investigator much to the chagrin of her unemployed husband. Once she makes up her mind, she becomes an unstoppable force, and, led by Hetty, the three set forth to investigate crimes of less interest to the local police force in and around their little village in the beautiful Lancashire countryside.