The best UK crime dramas you need to be watching right now based on their IMDb ratings

When it comes to crime series, whether it’s based on a true story or not, we lap it up like nobody is watching. The fascination with true crime series really kicked off with Netflix and since then every major streaming service has began creating crime series.

When it comes to true crime series the UK has got it locked down. Especially when it dabbles in telling the true story of some truly heinous stories. This year has seen The Sixth Commandment take viewers by storm as they discover the horrifying crimes of Ben Field. The ending of the series has seen viewers desperately try get their true crime fix.

So here are all the best rated UK true crime and fictional crime series, according to their IMDb ratings.

Then You Run

Rating: 6.0

via Sky

Then You Run is a Sky series that follows a group of teens as they flee from gangsters when one of their father’s is found dead.

The synopsis reads: “The short holiday of four teenagers in Rotterdam turns into a dark adventure; when Tara’s father is suddenly found dead, she and her friends have to flee from evil gangsters led by her uncle.”

Wolf

Rating: 6.1

vis BBC

The synopsis for Wolf reads: “Obsessed with the neighbour he believes murdered his brother in the 90s, DI Jack Caffery finds himself trying to right the wrongs of others. Meanwhile, a wealthy family in Monmouthshire are the victims of a psychopath’s cruel games.”

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Witness Number 3

Rating: 6.2

via Channel 5

Witness Number 3 is a Channel 5 original and was added to Netflix in July 2023. The series follows a woman who becomes embroiled in a criminal case as she witnesses a crime take place.

Witness Number 3 has a 6.2 rating on IMDb and has Sion Young, Nina Toussaint-White and Clare Dunne in the cast.

The synopsis reads: “A split-second means the life of single mum Jodie is about to go into free fall. She is subjected to a terrifying campaign of intimidation as a killer tries to terrorise her into silence.”

A Town Called Malice

Rating: 6.6

via Sky

A Town Called Malice revolves around a criminal family from South London who spot an opportunity to reclaimed their past glories by heading to Costa Del Sol.

The synopsis reads: “A family of petty thieves from South London decamp to Spain to profit from an unexpected windfall.”

Inside Man

Rating: 6.6

via BBC

Inside Man was released on BBC in 2022 and was later added to Netflix. The series follows the story of several different people as their lives become intertwined with one another.

The synopsis reads: “A prisoner on death row in the U.S. and a woman trapped in a cellar under an English vicarage cross paths in an unexpected way.”

You Don’t Know Me

Rating: 6.8

via BBC

You Don’t Know Me was initially on BBC One and gained further notoriety when it was moved to Netflix. The series follows a man who is on trial for murder as he tells his story to the court.

The synopsis reads:  “A young man from South London is in the dock for murder. The evidence against him is overwhelming, but rather than let one of the barristers decide what’s in his best interest, he chooses to exercise his right to tell his own story, in his own words.

“His story is extraordinary, it’s about the woman he loves, who got herself into dangerous trouble. It’s about how he risked everything to save her. He swears he’s innocent, but in the end, the only thing that matters, is if you believe his story or not.”

You Don’t Know Me has a 6.8 rating on IMDb and stars Sophie Wilde, Samuel Adewunmi and Bukky Bakray.

Steeltown Murders

Rating: 7.1

via BBC

Steeltown Murders is a new crime drama on the BBC, which aired in May 2023. The series focuses on the investigation into the murder of three women in Port Talbot, Wales. The cast featured Steffan Rhodri and Philip Glenister and it received a 7.1 rating on IMDb.

The synopsis reads: “Set in both 1973 and the early 2000s, Steeltown Murders follows the hunt for a killer in the Port Talbot area of Wales, and how in the first case of its kind, the mystery was solved nearly 30 years after the crime, using modern DNA analysis.

“Steeltown Murders contrasts police methods of the 1970s with the forensic breakthroughs of the 2000s and functions as a portrait of a town dealing with the repercussions of an unsolved case three decades later, and asks if justice can ever truly be found.”

Litvinenko

Rating: 7.3

via ITV

Litvinenko is another UK true crime series and it follows a group of detectives who work to prove who is responsible for the death of Alexander Litvinenko. The four episode series features David Tennant, Mark Bonnar and Margarita Levieva.

The Sixth Commandment

Rating: 8.1

via BBC

The Sixth Commandment is a BBC One true crime series that explores the deaths of Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin in the sleepy UK Buckinghamshire village of Maids Moreton. It follows Ben Field, as he gaslit and manipulated his victims in a bid to be written into their wills.

The official synopsis reads: “Exploring the deaths of Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin in Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire, and the events that unfolded afterwards.

“Featuring a distinguished cast and crew, The Sixth Commandment follows the meeting between an inspirational teacher and a charismatic student that led to one of the most complex and confounding criminal cases in recent memory, focusing on the suspicions that arise through inappriopriate teacher-student relationships, unlocked through a series of chilling revelations.”

The cast features Timothy Spall, Eanna Hardwicke and Anne Reid.

Blue Lights

Rating: 8.2

via BBC

Blue Lights is a BBC One TV series from the creators of The Salisbury Poisonings. The series follows fresh recruits in the Police Service of Northern Ireland in their probation period.

As they navigate their new jobs, the trio faces pressure to succeed and has to cover up who they really are from the people they love.

The synopsis reads: “Belfast based drama `Blue Lights’ follows new police recruits Grace, Annie, and Tommy, as they learn the ropes in a high-pressure environment.

“Grace is a former social worker who has decided to switch careers in her forties, Annie has had to leave everything she knows behind, and Tommy finds it challenging to be on the frontline.

“The team deal with divided communities, criminal gangs, and struggle to know who to trust, all while wondering if they have made the right choice in joining the PSNI.”

The cast features Sian Brooke, Richard Dormer and Katherine Devlin and has an impressive rating of 8.2 on IMDb.

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Featured image credit via BBC.