The Best TV Shows on BBC Two

Every BBC Two Show Ranked From Best To Worst

For top-tier entertainment, BBC Two delivered University Challenge and Match of the Day in 1962 and 1964. BBC Two’s extensive portfolio includes more than 20 shows, spanning the years from 1962 to 2013. Peruse our comprehensive roster of BBC Two’s top shows, encompassing over 20 distinct series as of May 2025.

  • Peaky Blinders
    Peaky Blinders (2013)8.5

    A gangster family epic set in 1919 Birmingham, England and centered on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby, who means to move up in the world.

  • QI
    QI (2003)7.9

    Comedy quiz show full of quirky facts, in which contestants are rewarded more if their answers are 'quite interesting'.

  • The Old Grey Whistle Test
    The Old Grey Whistle Test (1971)7.5

    The Old Grey Whistle Test is an influential BBC2 television music show that ran from 1971 to 1987. It took over the BBC2 late night slot from "Disco Two", which had been running since January 1970, while continuing to feature non-chart music. It was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers. According to presenter Bob Harris, the programme derived its name from a Tin Pan Alley phrase from years before. When they got the first pressing of a record they would play it to people they called the old greys—doormen in grey suits. The songs they could remember and whistle, having heard it just once or twice, had passed the old grey whistle test.

  • Top Gear
    Top Gear (2002)7.5

    This fast-paced and stunt-filled motor show tests whether cars, both mundane and extraordinary, live up to their manufacturers' claims. The long-running show travels to locations around the world, performing extreme stunts and challenges to see what the featured cars are capable of doing. The current hosts are Paddy Mcguinness, Chris Harris and Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff.

  • Match of the Day
    Match of the Day (1964)7.4

    BBC's football highlights and analysis. "The longest-running football television programme in the world" as recognised by Guinness World Records in 2015.

  • Horizon
    Horizon (1964)7.3

    Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.

  • The Graham Norton Show
    The Graham Norton Show (2007)7.2

    Each week celebrity guests join Irish comedian Graham Norton to discuss what's being going on around the world that week. The guests poke fun and share their opinions on the main news stories. Graham is often joined by a band or artist to play the show out.

  • Natural World
    Natural World (1983)7.1

    Natural World is a nature documentary television series broadcast annually on BBC Two and regarded by the BBC as its flagship natural history brand. It is currently the longest-running series in its genre on British television, with more than 400 episodes broadcast since its inception in 1983. Natural World is produced by the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol, but individual programmes can be in-house productions, collaborative productions with other broadcasters or films made and distributed by independent production companies and purchased by the BBC. Natural World programmes are often broadcast as PBS Nature episodes in the USA. Since 2008, most Natural World programmes have been shot and broadcast in high definition.

  • Have I Got News for You
    Have I Got News for You (1990)7.1

    Hilarious, totally-irreverent, near-slanderous political quiz show, based mainly on news stories from the last week or so, that leaves no party, personality or action unscathed in pursuit of laughs.

  • Never Mind the Buzzcocks
    Never Mind the Buzzcocks (1996)7.0

    Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game show with a pop and rock music theme. The show is infamous for its dry, sarcastic humour and scathing, provocative attacks on the pop industry.

  • Match of the Day 2
    Match of the Day 2 (2004)6.9

    A light-hearted look at the United Kingdom's Premier League action, rounding-up the weekend's football action.

  • Who Do You Think You Are?
    Who Do You Think You Are? (2004)6.7

    A British genealogy documentary series in which celebrities trace their ancestry, discovering secrets and surprises from their past.

  • Great British Menu
    Great British Menu (2006)6.4

    Britain's top chefs compete for the chance to cook a four-course banquet for a high-profile figure.

  • Newsnight
    Newsnight (1980)6.2

    A daily BBC Television current affairs programme which specialises in analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians.

  • University Challenge
    University Challenge (1962)6.0

    Academic quiz show where teams of students from UK universities answer questions on all manner of subjects.

  • TOTP2
    TOTP2 (1994)5.5

    Fast-moving music show mixing classic performances from the Top of the Pops archives with exclusive live performances.

  • Escape to the Country
    Escape to the Country (2002)5.3

    The property show that helps prospective buyers find their dream home in the country.

  • Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two
    Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two (2004)5.0

    The companion show to the popular BBC One programme Strictly Come Dancing which features interviews and training footage of the couples competing in the main Saturday night show, opinions from the judges on the previous Saturday show and the training footage for the next, and interviews with celebrities who have been watching the show.

  • Thirty-Minute Theatre
    Thirty-Minute Theatre (1965)3.8

    Thirty-Minute Theatre is an anthology drama series of short plays shown on BBC Television between 1965 and 1973, which was used in part at least as a training ground for new writers, on account of its short running length, and which therefore attracted many writers who later became well known. Thirty-Minute Theatre followed on from a similarly named ITV series, beginning on BBC2 in 1965 with an adaptation of the black comedy Parsons Pleasure. In 1967 BBC2 launched the UK's first colour service, with the consequence that Thirty-Minute Theatre became the first drama series in the country to be shown in colour.

  • Ready Steady Cook
    Ready Steady Cook (1994)N/A

    Talented chefs battle it out against the clock, creating delicious dishes in 20 minutes