BBC - Programmes categorised as Drama: Classic & Period

A Simple Heart by Gustave Flaubert
Julian Barnes reads the story of a stoical woman living in 19th century Normandy.
BBC Radio 4 Extra
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The Other Bennet Sister
A reimagining of Austen's Pride and Prejudice, told throught the lens of Mary Bennet.
BBC One
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Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh
1928. London. The decadent exploits of the Bright Young Things socialites.
BBC Radio 4 Extra
The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh
Hollywood, 1947. Failed writer Dennis Barlow disgraces the English community...
BBC Radio 4 Extra
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The Taste of Things
Romance set in 1889 France about the bond between a gourmet chef and his cook of 20 years.
BBC Four
Lord of the Flies
Stranded on an island, a gang of schoolboys create their own community.
BBC One
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Rosalie
France,1870. Rosalie, a bearded lady, marries and decides to reveal her true self.
BBC Four
Mrs Robinson by Helen Cross
At the height of a TB epidemic, Mrs Robinson meets dissolute poet Branwell Brontë.
BBC Radio 4
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King & Conqueror
A clash that defined the future of a country – and a continent – for a thousand years.
BBC One
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Towards Zero
Murder strikes at a coastal estate, where a volatile mix of guests have gathered.
BBC One
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Dope Girls
Soho, 1918 - London's decadent clubland comes alive.
BBC One
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Miss Austen
Will Cassandra send her sister Jane's legacy up in flames?
BBC One
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Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
1805. Chasing an enemy ship, Jack Aubrey demands much of his crew – perhaps too much.
BBC Two
Sister Boniface Mysteries
The police's secret weapon in fighting crime – new force of habit, Sister Boniface.
BBC One
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Nineteen Eighty-Four
Special readings from Orwell's dystopian classic, now celebrating its 75th anniversary.
BBC Radio 4
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Under Milk Woods
For the 70th anniversary of Under Milk Wood, five short drama portraits of Wales in 2024.
BBC Radio 3
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Murder Is Easy
One death is a tragedy – are four deaths a crime?
BBC One
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Belfast
Belfast, 1969. Young Buddy’s happy home life is rocked by the eruption of the Troubles.
BBC Two
Hamlet from Bristol Old Vic
Billy Howle stars in a bold stage adaptation of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy.
BBC Four
The Gallows Pole
David Hartley assembles a gang to bring comfort and dignity back to his community.
BBC Two
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Ten Pound Poms
You can make your own world when you leave the past behind.
BBC One
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Moths
Lady Dolly Vanderdecken is horrified when her daughter arrives for the season.
BBC Radio 4 Extra
Marie Antoinette
The tumultuous early years of the Austrian princess who became the queen of France.
BBC Two
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A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story
Mark Gatiss's fantastic theatrical production of Dickens’s classic winter ghost story.
BBC Four
The English
Two strangers are drawn together in a violent landscape built on dreams and blood.
BBC Two
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Emma
Emma Woodhouse becomes an incorrigible matchmaker, oblivious to the consequences.
BBC One
Life After Life
The story of Ursula Todd, who has an infinite number of chances to live her life.
BBC Two
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Harriet O'Carroll - Minuet
A young Jane Austen falls in love fuelling her desire to become a writer.
BBC Radio 4 Extra
Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Sian Thomas reads Virginia Woolf's classic modernist novel, set over one day in 1923.
BBC Radio 4
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Dangerous Liaisons
Tanya Moodie, Nicola Coughlan and Ray Fearon star in this scandalously funny classic romp.
BBC Radio 4
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Animal Farm by George Orwell
The landmark allegory about hypocrisy and corruption of power.
BBC Radio 4 Extra
A Suitable Boy
In 1951, in newly independent India, student Lata is torn between family duty and romance.
BBC One
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Victoria and Abdul
Abdul, a clerk, is taken from his job at a prison to present a coin to Queen Victoria.
BBC Two
The Pale Horse
When a young woman is murdered, a mysterious list of names is discovered.
BBC One
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Gentleman Jack
Anne Lister determines to restore the fortunes of Shibden Hall and find herself a wife.
BBC One
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The King's Speech
The true story of a king who tried to overcome his stutter so he could address the nation.
BBC One
Far from the Madding Crowd
Romantic drama adapted from the classic novel by Thomas Hardy, starring Carey Mulligan.
BBC Two
Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
Rachel Joyce adapts Anne Bronte's debut novel about self-discovery and the search for love
BBC Radio 4
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To Walk Invisible
The story of the Bronte sisters, who overcame a life of hardship to become great writers.
BBC One
The Witness for the Prosecution
Thrilling two-part drama about a man accused of killing his lover.
BBC One
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Rillington Place
Three-part drama series based on the true story of serial killer John Christie.
BBC One
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Blood and Milk by Gregory Evans
By Gregory Evans. Thriller set in 1890s Whitechapel.
BBC Radio 4 Extra
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
Classic Shakespeare play adapted for television by Russell T Davies.
BBC One
War and Peace
Leo Tolstoy's epic story of life, love and loss in nineteenth-century Russia.
BBC One
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And Then There Were None
Period murder mystery based on Agatha Christie's novel.
BBC One
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Dickensian
Drama set within the fictional realms of Charles Dickens's critically acclaimed novels.
BBC One
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Partners in Crime
1950s spy drama, adapted from Agatha Christie's classic books.
BBC One
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The Provok'd Wife by John Vanbrugh
A gloriously outspoken 18th-century comedy of sex, marriage, debauchery and revenge
BBC Radio 4 Extra
Wolf Hall
Acclaimed adaptation of Hilary Mantel's tales from the dark heart of Tudor history.
BBC One
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Peaky Blinders
An epic gangster drama set in the lawless streets of 1920s Birmingham.
BBC One
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Categories: Drama: Classic & Period - Available now