The Best TV Shows on Channel 5

Every Channel 5 Show Ranked From Best To Worst

Discover the best of Channel 5 with our list of over 20 series, meticulously updated for May 2026. From 1984 through to 2024, Channel 5 has accumulated a diverse collection of over 20 television shows. Premiering in 1984 and 1987, Thomas & Friends and Fireman Sam are among Channel 5’s most celebrated shows.

  • Mayday
    Mayday (2003)8.2

    Major real-life air disasters are depicted in this series. Each episode features a detailed dramatized reconstruction of the incident based on cockpit voice recorders and air traffic control transcripts, as well as eyewitnesses recounts and interviews with aviation experts.

  • All Creatures Great & Small
    All Creatures Great & Small (2020)8.2

    The heartwarming and humorous adventures of a young country vet in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1930s. A remake of the 1978 series.

  • The Hardacres
    The Hardacres (2024)7.9

    The sweeping rags to riches story of the Hardacres, a working-class family in 1890s Yorkshire who strike it rich and move from a grimy fish dock to a vast estate.

  • The Adventures of Paddington
    The Adventures of Paddington (2019)7.8

    Journey to London for heart-warming adventures with beloved British bear Paddington in this CG-animated series, which centres on a younger Paddington as he writes letters to Aunt Lucy celebrating the new things he has discovered through the day’s exciting activities.

  • Gadget & the Gadgetinis
    Gadget & the Gadgetinis (2002)7.3

    Having been recruited by an elite international peacekeeping group called the World Organization of Mega Powers (WOMP), Inspector Gadget is now Lieutenant Gadget, and fights crime with a pair of mechanical assistants called Gadgetinis, who are small robot versions of the Inspector created by his niece, 12-year-old Penny (due to Brain retiring from active duty).

  • The Tribe
    The Tribe (1999)6.9

    The Tribe is a New Zealand/British post-apocalyptic fictional TV series primarily aimed at teenagers. It is set in a near-future in which all adults have been wiped out by a deadly virus, leaving the children of the world to fend for themselves. The show's focus is on an unnamed city inhabited by tribes of children and teenagers. It was primarily filmed in and around Wellington, New Zealand. The series was created by Raymond Thompson and Harry Duffin and was developed and produced by the Cloud 9 Screen Entertainment Group in conjunction with the UK's Channel 5. It has aired on over 40 broadcast networks around the world.

  • Thomas & Friends
    Thomas & Friends (1984)6.8

    Thomas & Friends is a British children's television series, which had its first broadcast on the ITV network on 4 September 1984. It is based on The Railway Series of books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry. These books deal with the adventures of a group of anthropomorphised locomotives and road vehicles who live on the fictional Island of Sodor. The books were based on stories Wilbert told to entertain his son, Christopher during his recovery from measles. From Series one to four, many of the stories are based on events from Awdry's personal experience.

  • Dalgliesh
    Dalgliesh (2021)6.8

    A recent widower and acclaimed poet, enigmatic Inspector Adam Dalgliesh employs his exceptional empathy and insight to plumb the darker depths of the human psyche while investigating complex crimes in 1970s England.

  • The Gadget Show
    The Gadget Show (2004)6.7

    The Gadget Show is a British television series which focuses on consumer technology. The show, which is broadcast on Channel 5 is currently presented by Jason Bradbury and Rachel Riley with Jon Bentley and Pollyanna Woodward. Originally a thirty-minute show, it was extended to forty-five minutes, then later to sixty minutes. Repeats have also aired on the digital channel 5*, syndicated broadcasts on Discovery Science and Dave, and Channel 5's Internet on-demand service Demand 5. In Australia, it is aired on The Lifestyle Channel.

  • Peppa Pig
    Peppa Pig (2004)6.5

    Peppa Pig is an energetic piggy who lives with Mummy, Daddy, and little brother George. She loves to jump in mud puddles and make loud snorting noises.

  • Captivated
    Captivated (2024)6.5

    Single mum Rachel is on the poverty line, leaving her working all hours of the day as a cleaner to provide for her son. Out of the blue, she is approached by a wealthy businessman offering her a new job with better pay and shorter hours. However, after accepting she gets drawn further into his life and begins to question his motives.

  • Fireman Sam
    Fireman Sam (1987)6.1

    Follow the adventures of fireman Sam and his colleagues as they protect the citizens of the Welsh town of Pontypandy. Whenever the alarm sounds, brave Sam and his co-workers can be counted on to jump into a fire engine, hop onto a helicopter, or even launch an inflatable lifeboat to battle blazes, mount rescue missions, or provide medical attention to those in need.

  • The Good Ship Murder
    The Good Ship Murder (2023)5.9

    Former police detective Jack Grayling, pursuing his dream of becoming a cabaret singer on a luxury Mediterranean cruise ship, investigates a series of murders on board with the help of the ship's first officer, Kate Woods.

  • Fifth Gear
    Fifth Gear (2002)5.7

    Getting viewers up to speed on all the latest automotive information, with new car reviews, second hand bargains and industry tidbits being the focus of this magazine show.

  • Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom
    Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom (2009)5.7

    The friendship between fairy princess Holly and Ben Elf in an enchanted magical kingdom of elves and fairies.

  • A Girl's Guide to 21st Century Sex
    A Girl's Guide to 21st Century Sex (2006)5.2

    A Girl's Guide to 21st Century Sex is a documentary TV series about sex, which ran in eight episodes on Channel 5 and was presented by Dr Catherine Hood. The 45-minute long episodes were broadcast on Monday nights. The series started on 30 October 2006, with the final programme broadcast on 18 December 2006. Each episode explained a sex position and covered a sexually transmitted disease. Additionally, the following topics were discussed: sex among handicapped and overweight people, penis enlargement devices, penis enlargement surgery, sexual violence against men and penis removal, tantric sex, the g-spot, erectile dysfunction, sex reassignment surgery, cosmetic surgery of the vagina, swinging, lichen sclerosus, the use of recreational drugs during sex, male homosexual sex in public toilets, full body plastic wrap bondage, and sex dolls.

  • 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's Bit on the Side
    Big Brother's Bit on the Side (2011)4.9

    The place to catch up on all things Big Brother UK! Join Emma Willis for the best mix of exclusive clips, news and reactions from the house, plus celebrity guests and live debates in the studio.

  • 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.

  • Family Affairs
    Family Affairs (1997)3.7

    Focuses on the lives of residents in the fictional London suburb of Charnham.