It may appear as if the BBC has a lot more drama series in comparison to other networks. But don't be mistaken, most of them are miniseries. Series that never were supposed to have a second season. The story is finished, and honestly, it is pretty much a stretched out movie. A lot of these shows are relatively old, and thus they may be a bit difficult to track down. If you can't, usually you're still able to buy DVDs somewhere. If you can find them, I'd watch them. These types of series don't take a lot of time and are often very good.
5. Collateral
A refugee who delivers pizzas is shot dead at a delivery address. And it is strange as nobody knew he was going there. Nonetheless, plenty of people seem to have a motive for wanting this young man dead. Throughout four episodes, the police tries to figure out the truth, while at the same time, the writers manage to sketch a nuanced image of the current refugee situation.
4. State of Play
This is an older series from 2003. I found a DVD of this series at my parents. In this miniseries, journalist Cal McCaffrey (John Simm) investigates the death of a civil servant who worked for the well-respected Stephen Collins (David Morrissey). It isn't a coincidence at all, but Cal and Stephen happened to be former college friends. State of Play managed to discuss all kinds of political problems from that era with its exciting murder mystery story. In 2009, this series was adapted for the big screen, which featured Russel Crowe, Rachel McAdams and Ben Affleck.
3. Bodyguard
This was the big thing in Fall 2018. War veteran David Budd (Richard Madden) prevents a terror attack and is tasked with keeping the home secretary (Keeley Hawes) safe. She, however, wants to implement a new law, which causes her to have many enemies. Even David thinks that this law stands against everything he fought for in Afghanistan and thus he doubts himself and his loyalty. You can expect some solid acting and a high level of intensity and excitement. At the end of this series, you won't have any nails left.
2. The Game (2014)
In 1972, the British secret service figured out that the Russians were working on a dangerous plan called Operation Glass. The head of MI5 put together a team, in secret, to figure out what the Soviets were planning and how they could be stopped. There is one problem, though; someone in the team is a mole. The Game (2014) is incredibly exciting, is well put together, atmospheric and takes us from the modern society back into an era of old fashioned espionage in a way that would make the creators of The Americans proud.
1. Our Zoo
Our Zoo revolves around the founding of the world-famous Chester Zoo in 1930. Veteran George Mottershead (Lee Ingleby) still suffers from WW1 traumas several years after it ended. When he buys a couple of animals that were supposed to be put down, he decides to purchase a plot of land to fulfil a lifelong dream. He was going to start a zoo. Local authorities aren't particularly happy, and they try to stop the construction of said zoo. Our Zoo is atmospheric, heart-warming and filled with beautiful moments.
This isn't all the BBC has to offer. You've also got Informer, Black Earth Rising, Giri/Haji and The Nest. And even all of this is just the tip of the iceberg. Is that one series you're looking for not here? Don't worry. There will be a lot more top-five lists coming soon.