First Netflix, then Disney+ and now Apple TV+ – it feels like every single streaming service has upped its prices in the past few months. Don’t they know we’re going through a cost of living crisis?
But watching good television doesn’t always mean you have to shell out a tenner a month for a flashy streaming service. There are plenty of ways to watch TV online for free, including without a licence fee.
Amazon Freevee, Channel 4 and ITVX are just a handful of the streaming services with some of the best comedies and dramas ever made available to watch for free. As long as you don’t mind watching adverts and have an internet connection, of course.
Here are 30 of the best TV series available to watch without you needing to spend a penny:
Jury Duty, Amazon Freevee
One of my favourite TV programmes of 2023 is this off-piste mockumentary about a fictional (and really silly) criminal trial. Everyone is in on the joke except loveable everyman Ronald Gladden, a jury member who thinks he’s taking part in a documentary about the process when in reality it’s an entirely staged comedy series hinged on his reactions to increasingly wild scenarios. It’s both hilarious and heartening, and the best thing to come out of Freevee yet.
Scandal, Channel 4
One of Shonda Rhimes’s biggest hits (following Bridgerton, of course), Scandal follows crisis management genius Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington), whose firm is hired to protect the President of the United States and the rest of the White House from, well, scandal. Loosely based on the experiences of one of George H. W. Bush’s deputy press secretaries, Scandal sees Olivia tackle affairs and election rigging over seven seasons – although I imagine (and hope) the murder rate on this drama is much higher than in real life.
Broadchurch, ITVX
Two titans of British television join forces on one of the best crime dramas of the decade. Olivia Colman and David Tennant play a frosty pair of detectives (Ellie Miller and Alec Hardy, respectively) tasked with solving the killing of an 11-year-old boy in the tight-knight and grey coastal town of Broadchurch. When the first series premiered in 2013, it felt like the entire nation was hooked on the murder mystery – an average of 9.37 million watched the drama unfold across eight episodes – and 10 years on it hasn’t lost any of its compelling intrigue.
The Bill, UKTV Play
Television is awash with police procedurals nowadays, but nothing has ever come close to The Bill (no, not even Line of Duty, which I’d argue wouldn’t exist without this original blueprint of a cops and robbers drama). For those unfamiliar – after all, it did leave our TV screens 13 years ago – the soapy series focuses on the police officers working from London’s Sun Hill police station and has one of the most iconic theme tunes in history. Unfortunately, only series 20 to 29 are available to stream for free (the first three series are available to buy on Prime Video) – all other episodes have been lost to the sands of time.
The West Wing, Amazon Freevee
Okay, so Aaron Sorkin’s romantic, idealistic vision of what American politics could be didn’t quite pan out. But what a behemoth this was – and what a world it would have been if Martin Sheen’s Jed Bartlet had been president. Allison Janney, Rob Lowe, Stockard Channing and Bradley Whitford made up one of the greatest ensemble casts in a drama that kick-started TV’s “golden age”.
Stath Lets Flats, Channel 4
Jamie Demetriou’s hapless estate agent Stath Charalambos became an instant comedy classic thanks to his idiotic ideas and quotable speech (“the best thing since sliced veg” is now a regular part of my vocabulary). His equally incompetent colleagues, among them wet lettuce Al (Al Roberts), jobsworth Carole (Katy Wix) and nonplussed Dean (Kiell Smith-Bynoe), and his dance-loving sister Sophie (Natasia Demetriou) round out one of the best ensemble casts in recent memory.
Wuthering Heights, ITVX
Before Tom Hardy swaggered onto Peaky Blinders as gangster Alfie Solomons or became anti-hero Venom, or, er, read children’s bedtime stories on CBeebies, he was tortured romantic icon Heathcliffe in this 2008 version of Wuthering Heights. Starring opposite Charlotte Riley (who ended up marrying Hardy in real life) as Cathy Earnshaw, Hardy is almost unrecognisable with his long floppy hair – although his signature hard stare suits Heathcliffe’s sense of danger perfectly.
Neighbours: The Next Chapter, Amazon Freevee
When long-running Australian soap Neighbours was cancelled last year, fans around the world were devastated. But their despair needn’t have lasted long and Amazon soon announced it would be reviving the series for a new era, subtitled The Next Chapter. All the old favourites – Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis), Toadie Rebechi (Ryan Maloney), plus Susan and Karl Kennedy (Jackie Woodburne and Alan Fletcher) – were back, along with some fresh faces including The OC actor Mischa Barton.
Mad Men, UKTV Play
The series that made a star out of Jon Hamm sees the usually cheery actor play stern and stoic advertising boss Don Draper, who smokes, drinks and shags his way through the Sixties. Opposite him is Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale) as the heart of the show, Peggy Olsen, who learns the hard way how horrifically women were treated in male-dominated offices. That is, until Don takes her under his wing and supports her dream of becoming an ad exec.
Quiz, ITVX
Succession‘s Matthew Macfadyen plays Major Charles Ingram, who has gone down in history as the man who cheated his way to a million pounds on quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Based on the play by James Graham (who also wrote this three-parter), it also stars the spectacular Sian Clifford (Fleabag) as Ingram’s wife Diana, who helped him by coughing on the right answer from the live studio audience, but it’s Michael Sheen as Chris Tarrant who steals every scene he’s in.
Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, Amazon Freevee
There’s no one working in TV today who can match the late, great Anthony Bourdain’s understated passion for dining around the world. This iconic series, arguably one of the best food-travel programmes ever made, sees the chef travel to Peru, Canada, Myanmar, Tangier, Colombia, LA, Congo and Libya, where he discovers local dining traditions and meets an array of people who teach him their foodie customs.
Doctor Foster, UKTV Play
The original “unlikeable woman”, Suranne Jones’s jilted GP changed what it meant to be a woman scorned on television. Not just a one-dimensional “bunny boiler”, Gemma Foster got us all on side when she discovered her husband (Bertie Carvel) was having an affair with a much younger woman (Jodie Comer) and instead of confronting him, set about proving herself right.
Bosch: Legacy, Amazon Freevee
Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver) was a detective at the centre of 2014 police procedural Bosch, but this sequel follows his post-LAPD years as a private investigator. The two series available to watch for free are based on the 19th and 22nd books in Michael Connelly’s crime novels, and see Bosch investigate an attempted hit on a defense lawyer and take on some shadowy jobs from a mysterious billionaire. Soon, he finds himself too embroiled in the criminal underworld and it’s his nearest and dearest who suffer the consequences.
I Am…, Channel 4
Kate Winslet, Lesley Manville, Vicky McClure, Gemma Chan, Letitia Wright, Suranne Jones and Samantha Morton are the powerhouse actors who each lead an episode of this striking and often heartbreaking anthology series. Written by Dominic Savage in conjunction with each of the drama’s stars, each episode explores a different aspect of womanhood, from being a mother to a depressed teenager, to growing older and feeling invisible, to domestic abuse.
Spooks, UKTV Play
Perhaps one of the best British dramas ever made (and certainly one of the most popular), Spooks launched the careers of many of the actors we hold up as superstars today: Matthew Macfadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo and Nicola Walker to name but a few. They play MI-5 spies working in counter-terrorism, but their personal lives and relationships are just as interesting as the international plots that threaten the British population they’re designated to protect.
Liar, ITVX
When heartbroken teacher Laura Nielson (Joanne Froggatt) goes on a date with widowed surgeon Andrew Earlham (Ioan Gruffudd), she starts to believe that perhaps she will find love again. But the morning after their night together, she realises she has been raped. Over two series we follow Laura’s plight to convince the police, her friends and even her family members that the seemingly perfect doctor had drugged and attacked her, culminating in quite the heart-stopping finale.
Parks and Recreation, Amazon Freevee
Fans of The Office (the US version, at least) will adore Parks and Rec – it is written by the same person after all. Amy Poehler plays Leslie Knope, a mid-level civil servant working in the parks and recreation office of the local government in Pawnee, Indiana. She might love her job (a little too much), but not all of her colleagues – and indeed, the residents she endeavours to serve – share her passion. All seven seasons of the hilarious mockumentary are streaming for free on Freevee.
Come Dine with Me, Pluto TV
There is nothing more relaxing at the end of a taxing day than turning on the TV to be greeted with a random episode of Come Dine with Me. FAST service Pluto TV has an entire channel dedicated to constantly streaming the cooking competition, meaning you can capture that calm feeling at any time. If you’d rather choose your episode, however, the platform also has episodes from series seven and eight available on demand, while the most recent series is streaming on Channel 4.
ER, Channel 4
The greatest medical drama of all time – and the show that changed television for ever in the 90s (and not just because it gave the world George Clooney). All 15 seasons are available to stream, if you can bear to go through all that brilliant, devastating, engrossing trauma all over again
Classic Coronation Street, ITVX
Of course the currently airing episodes of Corrie are also available to watch on demand on ITVX, but why not take the opportunity to wind back the clock and watch some of the most memorable moments on the cobbles from years gone by? Currently available episodes include Steve and Karen’s race to call off their divorce, Shelley’s fallout with ex-husband Peter, the arrival of heartthrob builder Charlie Stubbs and Todd’s coming out to girlfriend Sarah. I recommend just choosing one at random and letting the memories come flooding back.
The Americans, Channel 4
I recently rewatched spy thriller The Americans and found that not only is it still fantastic television a decade after it first premiered, but that it’s also strangely (perhaps worryingly) prescient. Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys play Elizabeth and Phillip, two Russian spies who are operating undercover in the US, posing – along with their two children, who are none the wiser about their parent’s true nationality – as the perfect all-American family. Tense, gripping and astoundingly based on real-life events, this is a must-watch drama.
Last Tango in Halifax, UKTV Play
Another fantastic BBC series that has wound its way onto UKTV’s streaming service is this gentle yet still compelling familial drama starring Nicola Walker and Sarah Lancashire as unexpected sisters-in-law. When former childhood sweethearts Celia (Anne Reid) and Alan (Derek Jacobi) rekindle their love for one another following the death of their previous partners, the rest of their families are forced to get along whether they like it or not (and for most of the time, they don’t).
Peep Show, Channel 4
Arguably one of the best comedies to ever grace Channel 4, Peep Show is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. And unlike other classic British comedies that usually call it a day after one or two times around the block, there are nine series of Mark (David Mitchell) and Jeremy’s (Robert Webb) squabbling to enjoy on Channel 4. Start at the beginning and watch them all in order, or follow my lead and choose an episode at random. Mark’s wedding to Sophie (Olivia Colman) on episode six of series four is a personal highlight.
The Long Shadow, ITVX
I shuddered when I heard ITV was going to make yet another drama about the disturbing Yorkshire Ripper murders, but The Long Shadow was far from the exploitative horror show I expected. The focus is not on the murderer, rather his victims and the families they left behind. It’s also a rare and damning indictment of the attitudes police officers had towards the targeted women, who were dismissed as they were often thought to be sex workers. If you often find yourself disappointed by true crime dramas, this is on the more subtle, respectful end of the scale.
Derry Girls, Channel 4
When Lisa McGee’s hit coming-of-age comedy arrived on Netflix, it attracted an entire new audience. But there’s no need to pay for a subscription when all three series are available for free on its original home channel of Channel 4. The sitcom follows four teenage girls – Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), Orla (Louisa Harland), Clare (Nicola Coughlan) and Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell) – and their honourary English boy mate James (Dylan Llewellyn) as they navigate growing up alongside the warzone of the Troubles.
This is England, Channel 4
Shane Meadows’s spectacular 2006 film could have stood on its own, but I’m very glad the filmmaker decided to follow up with his cast of ragtag characters with a TV series. The first is set in 1986 and catches up with the gang as Lol (Vicky McClure) and Woody (Joseph Gilgun) are preparing to get married, while the ’88 series picks up at Christmastime when Lol is struggling to cope with the trauma of her past. My favourite has to be the final series set in 1990, though, when the younger members of the group fully embrace rave culture.
Mr Robot, ITVX
When Mr Robot arrived in the UK it was only available on Prime Video, but now all four series are streaming for free on ITVX. Oscar winner Rami Malek plays hacker Elliot, with a day job as a cyber-security engineer. Addicted to drugs and a loner with chronic social anxiety, Elliot attracts the attention of the titular Mr Robot – an “insurrectionary anarchist” – who recruits him to his team of hacktivists, which aim to take on corporate America by exposing and taking down shady business practices online.
Des, ITVX
David Tennant won a Bafta for his portrayal of Dennis Nilsen, otherwise known as the Muswell Hill murderer – and rightly so; his performance was so disturbing I often had to look away from the TV. It takes three episodes to tell the story of how police caught Nilsen, who was responsible for the killing of at least 12 young men and boys 1978 and 1983. Des is by no means an easy watch, nor is it for the faint-hearted, but its culmination in a tense criminal trial in which justice is finally served makes for fantastic television.
Top of the Lake, UKTV Play
When a 12-year-old pregnant girl goes missing in a small New Zealand town, obsessive detective specialising in sexual assault, Robin Griffin (Elisabeth Moss), finds herself unable to let the case go. This murder mystery is written by Oscar-winner Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog), so expect lots of intricate twists and turns as well as a dark, brooding atmosphere. The second series, set in Sydney five years later and concerned with the death of an Asian woman whose body has washed up on Bondi beach, is just as good.
Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, UKTV Play
Only the first four series of Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse’s equally relaxing and hilariously silly fishing series are available to watch for free, but that’s still 12 hours of TV to enjoy. The series sees the comedy pals head out across the UK to catch fish, eat heart-healthy food and stay at some of the country’s most spectacular retreats. As stunning as the bucolic scenes are, it’s the wholesome, genuine friendship between Mortimer and Whitehouse that really knits this series together.
![Article thumbnail: From Lifted Entertainment I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! SR23 on ITV1 and ITVX Pictured: Nigel Farage. This photograph is (C) ITV Plc and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Desk. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are available on the website www.itv.com/presscentre/itvpictures/terms For further information please contact: michael.taiwo1@itv.com](https://wp.inews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SEI_180066063.jpg?crop=0px%2C49px%2C2500px%2C1411px&resize=640%2C360){kind=small}
![Article thumbnail: From Lifted Entertainment I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! SR23 on ITV1 and ITVX Pictured: Nigel Farage. This photograph is (C) ITV Plc and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Desk. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are available on the website www.itv.com/presscentre/itvpictures/terms For further information please contact: michael.taiwo1@itv.com](https://wp.inews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SEI_180066063.jpg?crop=356px%2C0px%2C1665px%2C1665px&resize=155%2C155){kind=small}