The Best TV Shows on Channel 4

Every Channel 4 Show Ranked From Best To Worst

Showcasing over 20 shows from 1982 up until 2016, Channel 4 stands as a beacon of television excellence. Brookside and The Comic Strip Presents... represent the pinnacle of Channel 4’s programming, launching in 1982 and 1982. As of July 2026, our compilation of Channel 4’s top-rated series boasts over 20 unique shows.

  • Globe Trekker
    Globe Trekker (1994)8.3

    Globe Trekker is an adventure tourism television series produced by Pilot Productions. The British series was inspired by the Lonely Planet travelbooks and began airing in 1994. Globe Trekker is broadcast in over 40 countries across six continents. Each episode features a host, called a traveller, who travels with a camera crew to a country—often, a relatively exotic locale—and experiences the sights, sounds, and culture that the location has to offer. Special episodes feature in-depth city, beach, dive, shopping, history, festival, and food guides. The show often goes far beyond popular tourist destinations in order to give viewers a more authentic look at local culture. Presenters usually participate in different aspects of regional life, such as attending a traditional wedding or visiting a mining community. They address the viewer directly, acting as tourists-turned-tour guides, but are also filmed interacting with locals and discovering interesting locations in unrehearsed sequences. Globe Trekker also sometimes includes brief interviews with backpackers who share tips on independent travel in that particular country.

  • Black Mirror
    Black Mirror (2011)8.3

    Twisted tales run wild in this mind-bending anthology series that reveals humanity's worst traits, greatest innovations and more.

  • Taskmaster
    Taskmaster (2015)8.3

    Greg Davies is the Taskmaster, and with the help of his ever-loyal assistant Alex Horne, they will set out to test the wiles, wit, wisdom and skills of five hyper-competitive comedians. Who will be crowned the Taskmaster champion?

  • The IT Crowd
    The IT Crowd (2006)8.2

    The comedic misadventures of Roy, Moss, and their grifting supervisor Jen, a 'motley crew' of IT support workers at a large corporation headed by a hotheaded yuppie.

  • Peep Show
    Peep Show (2003)8.0

    Peep Show follows the lives of two men from their twenties to thirties, Mark Corrigan, who has steady employment for most of the series, and Jeremy "Jez" Usbourne, an unemployed would-be musician.

  • Shameless
    Shameless (2004)7.6

    The story of a young group of siblings pretty much abandoned by their parents, surviving by their wits - and humor - on a rough Manchester council estate. Whilst they won't admit it, they need help and find it in Steve, a young middle class lad who falls for Fiona, the oldest sibling, and increasingly finds himself drawn to this unconventional and unique family. Anarchic family life seen through the eyes of an exceptionally bright fifteen year old, who struggles to come of age in the context of his belligerent father, closeted brother, psychotic sister and internet porn star neighbors.

  • Coach Trip
    Coach Trip (2005)7.5

    The show's format consists of four to seven teams of two undertaking a coach tour principally of continental Europe. The tours have usually lasted 30 or 50 days, with passengers remaining on the tour only until they are ejected by their companions on one day, to be replaced by a new couple the following day. The travellers are accompanied by tour guide Brendan Sheerin, who appears in every episode.

  • Humans
    Humans (2015)7.5

    In a parallel present where the latest must-have gadget for any busy family is a 'Synth' - a highly-developed robotic servant that's so similar to a real human it's transforming the way we live.

  • The Comic Strip Presents...
    The Comic Strip Presents... (1982)7.4

    The Comic Strip is a group of British comedians, who do parodies of films, literature and sometimes major events.

  • 8 Out of 10 Cats
    8 Out of 10 Cats (2005)7.2

    A weekly, topical panel show based around a huge series of opinion poll surveys carried out around Britain.

  • Dispatches
    Dispatches (1987)6.7

    Long-running Channel 4 documentary series covering issues about British society, politics, health, religion, international current affairs and the environment. Known for featuring a mole inside organisations under journalistic investigation.

  • Eurotrash
    Eurotrash (1993)6.5

    The likes of Antoine de Caunes, Jean Paul Gaultier, Davina McCall, and Lolo Ferrari are your guides to the weird and wonderful in Europe and beyond. How else would you learn about pubic hairdressers, the Penis Olympics, or the latest Japanese sex toys?

  • Brookside
    Brookside (1982)6.2

    The ground-breaking soap set in a housing estate on the outskirts of Liverpool.

  • Naked Attraction
    Naked Attraction (2016)6.0

    The show looks at whether a partner can be found based solely on the naked body and animal magnetism. Two singletons join host Anna Richardson as they seek to choose a date from a selection of six naked people, who will be revealed to them one body part at a time. They then get dressed and head off on a date, to see if there is any chemistry when the clothes come on.

  • The Last Leg
    The Last Leg (2013)5.7

    Adam Hills and co-hosts Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker provide some offbeat commentary on the significant moments of the past seven days.

  • Come Dine with Me
    Come Dine with Me (2005)5.3

    Amateur chefs compete against each other by hosting a dinner party for the other contestants. Each competitor then rates the host's performance with the winner winning a £1,000 cash prize. An element of comedy is added to the show through comedian Dave Lamb, who provides a dry and "bitingly sarcastic" narration.

  • Hollyoaks
    Hollyoaks (1995)5.2

    The daily soap that follows the loves, lives and misdemeanours of a group of people living in the Chester village of Hollyoaks where anything could, and frequently does, happen...

  • Celebrity Big Brother
    Celebrity Big Brother (2001)5.0

    Celebrity Big Brother is a British reality television game show in which a number of celebrity contestants live in an isolated house trying to avoid being evicted by the public with the aim of winning a large cash prize being donated to the winner's nominated charity at the end of the run.

  • Big Brother
    Big Brother (2000)4.4

    A British reality television game show in which a number of contestants live in an isolated house for several weeks, trying to avoid being evicted by the public with the aim of winning a large cash prize at the end of the run.

  • Richard & Judy
    Richard & Judy (2001)3.4

    Richard & Judy was a British chat show presented by the married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. The show originally aired on Channel 4, from 2001 to 2008, but later moved to digital channel, Watch, in October 2008. The programme featured a number of celebrities and a book club. Its final episode aired in July 2009 due to low ratings.