The Best TV Shows on BBC Two

Every BBC Two Show Ranked From Best To Worst

With its programming history stretching from 1962 to 2022, BBC Two offers an impressive lineup of over 20 shows. Icons of BBC Two, University Challenge and Match of the Day made their debut in 1962 and 1964, setting industry standards. Explore our list of the top rated shows up to date from April 2026 that includes over 20 unique series.

  • 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.

  • Line of Duty
    Line of Duty (2012)8.2

    A drama about the investigations of AC-12, a controversial police anticorruption unit.

  • The Last Kingdom
    The Last Kingdom (2015)8.2

    A show of heroic deeds and epic battles with a thematic depth that embraces politics, religion, warfare, courage, love, loyalty and our universal search for identity. Combining real historical figures and events with fictional characters, it is the story of how a people combined their strength under one of the most iconic kings of history in order to reclaim their land for themselves and build a place they call home.

  • Ready, Steady, Cook
    Ready, Steady, Cook (1994)8.0

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

  • QI
    QI (2003)8.0

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

  • Match of the Day
    Match of the Day (1964)7.6

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

  • Top Gear
    Top Gear (2002)7.6

    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.

  • Horizon
    Horizon (1964)7.4

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

  • Torchwood
    Torchwood (2006)7.3

    The exploits of a team of people whose job is to investigate the unusual, the strange and the extraterrestrial.

  • Theatre 625
    Theatre 625 (1964)7.2

    Theatre 625 is a British television drama anthology series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC2 from 1964 to 1968. It was one of the first regular programmes in the line-up of the channel, and the title referred to its production and transmission being in the higher-definition 625-line format, which only BBC2 used at the time.

  • Have I Got News for You
    Have I Got News for You (1990)7.2

    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.

  • 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.

  • Never Mind the Buzzcocks
    Never Mind the Buzzcocks (1996)7.1

    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.

  • Playhouse
    Playhouse (1974)7.0

    A one-hour anthology television series of one-off contemporary and classic dramas produced by the BBC.

  • University Challenge
    University Challenge (1962)6.2

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

  • Newsnight
    Newsnight (1980)6.0

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

  • Later... with Jools Holland
    Later... with Jools Holland (1992)5.6

    Later... with Jools Holland is a contemporary British music television show hosted by Jools Holland.

  • Countryfile
    Countryfile (1988)5.4

    The people, places and stories making news in the British countryside.

  • The Boys from Brazil: Rise of the Bolsonaros
    The Boys from Brazil: Rise of the Bolsonaros (2022)5.4

    The remarkable rise of one of the world’s most controversial leaders, Jair Bolsonaro, from obscurity to the presidency of Brazil.

  • Teletubbies
    Teletubbies (1997)4.5

    Pre-school fun, fantasy and education with colourful rotund characters Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po in a magical land called Teletubbyland.