We’ve rounded up the best dramas based on true stories that are impossible to tear yourself away from. From jaw-dropping legal battles and unbelievable heists to real-life survival stories and extraordinary personal journeys, these UK-based series and films based on true events will have you laughing, crying, gasping, and watch all in one sitting.
Whether you’re into gripping true crime dramas, inspiring stories, or shocking historical events, this list has something for everyone!
The Salisbury Poisonings
Watch on BBC iPlayer
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 🍅100%
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When former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a Salisbury bench in 2018, nobody realised they were witnessing the beginning of one of the biggest international incidents in modern British history. Rather than focusing on politics, The Salisbury Poisonings tells the extraordinary story of the local people, healthcare workers, police officers and public health officials who suddenly found themselves at the centre of a nerve agent attack.
Starring Anne-Marie Duff, Rafe Spall and MyAnna Buring, this gripping BBC drama transforms an event that dominated global headlines into a deeply human story about resilience, community and courage.
Litvinenko
Available on ITVX
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 🍅88%
Before the Salisbury poisonings shocked Britain, there was another poisoning case that made headlines around the world. Litvinenko tells the story of former Russian intelligence officer Alexander Litvinenko, who was poisoned with radioactive polonium-210 in London in 2006.
Starring David Tennant in one of his most acclaimed dramatic performances, the four-part ITV series follows Litvinenko's final days and the decade-long quest by detectives and his wife Marina to uncover the truth. Equal parts political thriller and true crime drama, it's utterly absorbing television.
Dirty Business
Stream on Channel 4
If you enjoyed Mr Bates vs The Post Office then Channel 4s latest docu-drama Dirty Business is a show you will not want to miss. Diving deep into the murky world of the sewage industry, this show introduces us to two neighbours who team together to discover why their local river in Oxfordshire has gone completely brown. What starts as a few simple questions to Thames Water, ends up as a decades long investigation into illegal intreated sewage that even resulted in a fatality. Starring David Thewlis, Jason Watkins and Charlotte Ritchie.
Little Boy Blue
Watch on ITVX
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 🍅100%
Few dramas are as heart-breaking as Little Boy Blue. Written by true-crime specialist Jeff Pope, the series tells the devastating story of 11-year-old Rhys Jones, who was shot and killed while walking home from football practice in Liverpool in 2007.
Starring Stephen Graham, the four-part drama follows both Rhys's family and the detectives tasked with bringing his killer to justice. Emotional, powerful and impossible to forget, it's one of ITV's finest true-crime dramas.
Believe Me
Stream on ITVX and STV Player
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 🍅100%
Written by acclaimed screenwriter Jeff Pope, this powerful four-part drama tells the story of the women who survived attacks by notorious serial rapist John Worboys.. Rather than focusing on the crimes themselves, the series shines a spotlight on the survivors and their extraordinary fight for justice after repeated police failures allowed Worboys to remain free for years. Starring Aimée-Ffion Edwards, Aasiya Shah, Miriam Petche and Daniel Mays, Believe Me is as infuriating as it is compelling.
Mr Bates vs The Post Office
Stream now on ITVX
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 🍅95%
Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or completely off the Wi-Fi grid), you must have heard whispers of the jaw-dropping Post Office scandal… right? Well, buckle up, because this shocking drama plunges headfirst into one of the most extraordinary miscarriages of justice in British legal history!
Mr Bates vs The Post Office chronicles the ongoing scandal in which hundreds of sub-postmasters were wrongly accused, prosecuted, and financially ruined, all thanks to the infamous Horizon IT system. By the final episode, you’ll be cheering for justice, gasping at the ridiculousness of it all, and maybe even questioning how something so catastrophic could ever happen in the first place. Starring Toby Jones, Will Mellor, Katherine Kelly and Shaun Dooley, it's a must-watch UK legal drama!
The Gold
Stream now on BBC iPlayer
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 🍅96%
Imagine 6,800 gold bars, six daring robbers, and a heist so legendary it’s still surrounded in mystery decades later – this is The Gold in a nutshell. Inspired by the infamous 1983 Brink’s-Mat robbery, the drama follows six armed men who stormed the Brink’s Mat security depot and walked away with gold bars worth a staggering £26 million. Over two seasons, the story unfolds as a police investigation hunts not only the robbers but also the elusive network of people who handled the stolen gold. With a star-studded cast including Hugh Bonneville, Dominic Cooper, Tom Cullen, and Jack Lowden, the tension, betrayals, and twists will have you glued to your screen, wondering if the full story will ever truly be uncovered!
I Fought the Law
Stream on ITVX
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 🍅100%
I Fought the Law tells the jaw-dropping true story of Ann Ming (Sheridan Smith) and her relentless quest for justice after her daughter Julie was brutally murdered in 1989, only to be let down not once, but twice, by the law. With the archaic double jeopardy rule blocking a retrial, Ann refused to back down, campaigning tirelessly for years to change the law and finally give Julie’s killer a second chance in court. This drama beautifully captures an extraordinary battle for truth, hope, and justice to show how Ann’s fight ultimately reshaped British legal history forever!
Quiz
Stream on ITVX
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 🍅95%
What happens when a primetime game show turns into one of the biggest scandals in TV history? Quiz takes you right into the madness behind the infamous Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? “coughing” scandal. The drama follows Charles Ingram (Matthew Macfadyen), a seemingly mild-mannered army major, and his wife Diana (Sian Clifford), as their obsession with winning big spirals wildly out of control. Quiz is part true crime, part high-stakes drama, and every bit as addictive as the game show itself!
The Hack
Stream on ITVX and STV Player
The Hack dives headfirst into the explosive phone-hacking scandal that rocked the UK tabloids in the early 2000s. With David Tennant playing relentless journalist Nick Davies, uncovering the truth piece by piece, and Robert Carlyle as former Met Police detective chief superintendent Dave Cook, steering the investigation, you’re in for a whirlwind of tension, twists, and jaw-dropping reveals. From shocking exposés to courtroom battles, this true crime drama pulls you behind the headlines and into a world where secrets, lies, and ambition collide.
Read more about The Hack here!
A Cruel Love: Ruth Ellis Story
Stream on ITVX
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 🍅94%
Step into post-war 1950s London, where jealousy, love, and heartbreak collide in the tragic true story of Ruth Ellis. Inspired by Carol Ann Lee’s A Fine Day for Hanging: The Real Ruth Ellis Story, this captivating ITV drama introduces you to Ruth (Lucy Boynton) and the torment she endured at the hands of her abusive lover David Blakely. Prepare to be gripping your seat as the layers of this tale reveal the secrets, heartbreak and the complexities of a woman caught in a society designed to turn against her.
Interested? We've done a deep dive into this show and we even have some exclusive quotes!
Joan
Stream on ITVX
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 🍅81%
Drama, glamour, and diamonds. Joan sweeps you straight into the criminal underworld of the 1980s. Sophie Turner shines as Joan Harrington, an infamous jewel thief whose story sparkles with danger and heartbreak in equal measure. Fleeing a violent husband and putting her daughter into care, Joan’s life takes a dramatic turn when she starts working at a jeweller’s… and makes one life-changing choice: to steal her first diamonds. From that moment, she dives deeper into a dazzling, dangerous world of high-stakes crime alongside her charismatic partner, Boise (Frank Dillane).
Want to discover who else is in Joan?
Four Lives
Stream on BBC iPlayer
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 🍅82%
Four Lives is the kind of true story drama that will stay with you longggg after the credits roll. It follows the courage and determination of the families of four young gay men who lost their lives to killer Stephen Port, played chillingly by Stephen Merchant. This deeply human series exposes the shocking failings of the police investigation as the families refuse to give up their fight for justice.
Starring: Sheridan Smith, Leanne Best and Tim Preston.
If you're a Sheridan Smith fan, we've assembled some of her best shows!
The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe
Stream on ITVX
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 🍅83%
This bizarre true story follows John (Eddie Marsan) and Anne Darwin (Monica Dolan), who faked John’s death in a canoeing accident to claim life insurance. The drama follows their lies spiralling out of control as they live in secret for years, fooling friends, family, and authorities!
If you're looking for eveeeen more recommendations of shows to watch on your Freely TV then why not check out our top drama recommendations!
