2024 was another strong year for UK drama, with new shows and returners pleasing critics and audiences alike.

From the headline-grabbing (and lawsuit-inducing) Baby Reindeer to the glittering reimagining of Greek mythology, Kaos (who wouldn’t want to see Jeff Goldblum as a tracksuit-wearing Zeus?), 2024 was a buzzy year for UK-produced scripted titles hitting our screens.

Here we bring you a round-up of the Knowledge team’s favourites…

Sherwood – Nia Daniels (editor, The Knowledge and Production Intelligence)

The pressure of delivering a second series when your first was met with critical rapture is pretty high, but James Graham came through with Sherwood 2.

So tense you felt your nerves would give way in every scene, the drama played out the horrific localised violence against a state-of-the-nation backdrop.

Graham’s taut writing was simply a gift for a roll-call for the best of the UK’s acting talent, with crime-family matriarchs Daphne Sparrow (Lorraine Ashbourne) and Ann Branson (Monica Dolan) further ramping up the pressure in their show-stealing scenes.

Roll on Series 3, currently in development…

Slow Horses – Sarah Keegan (senior sales manager)

The narrative remains strong even in this fourth series.

The acting is exceptional and the dialogue razor-sharp. It’s a pleasure to follow a story that stays cliché-free and unpredictable. Who could resist the ghastly seediness and deadly humour of Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb and Christopher Chung’s Roddy Ho is delusional and magnetically repulsive.

What a pleasure to have a show with intelligent and intelligible dialogue on our screens.

[Series 5 and 6 are in production now – Ed]

Rivals – Jacqui Bickles-Smith (data content manager)

Being born in 1986, I missed out on much of the epic decade that was the 1980s, and nothing makes this more evident than the magnificent Rivals.

This romp of a series absolutely knocked my socks off and has left me obsessed with all things 80s – the music, the TV, the fashion…oh, and I have a new-found admiration for a certain Mr Danny Dyer, who blew me away as the whizzkid gentleman, Freddie Jones, a far cry from the Cockney gangsters he usually plays.

It’s over the top, it’s shocking, it made me laugh, cry, and fall in love with each and every member of the exquisite cast – whilst you’re sitting with a mulled wine this Christmas, please put it at the top of your TV viewing list!

[Rivals has just been commissioned for a second series – Ed]

Sweetpea – Katherine Munden (Production Intelligence researcher/ Knowledge reporter)

One of the standout dramas I enjoyed in 2024 was Kirstie Swain’s Sweetpea. The series expertly blends dark comedy and thrilling drama, showcasing lead actor Ella Purnell’s range as Rhiannon Lewis, a complex anti-villain with a twisted sense of justice.

The sharp, witty writing creates both hilarious and unsettling situations. I loved following Rhiannon’s journey through moral grey areas; the blend of suspense and satire made Sweetpea a must-watch, leaving me and I’m sure a few others – thinking about right and wrong in a whole new way.

With Series 2 in development, I’m excited to see what happens next!

[Sweetpea was recently greenlit for a second run – Ed]

More on all these dramas can be found on Production Intelligence – our team will be back in January, ready to show you round the site – book a demo here!