The Best TV Shows on ITV1

Every ITV1 Show Ranked From Best To Worst

With its programming history stretching from 1960 to 2011, ITV1 offers an impressive lineup of over 20 shows. Stay up-to-date with over 20 of ITV1’s elite series, with our list refreshed for August 2026. Among ITV1’s finest offerings are Coronation Street and The Avengers, which debuted in 1960 and 1961, respectively.

  • Sherlock Holmes
    Sherlock Holmes (1984)8.2

    Sherlock Holmes uses his abilities to take on cases by private clients and those that the Scotland Yard are unable to solve, along with his friend Dr. Watson.

  • Agatha Christie's Poirot
    Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989)8.2

    From England to Egypt, accompanied by his elegant and trustworthy sidekicks, the intelligent yet eccentrically-refined Belgian detective Hercule Poirot pits his wits against a collection of first class deceptions.

  • Downton Abbey
    Downton Abbey (2010)8.1

    A chronicle of the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era—with great events in history having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy.

  • The Avengers
    The Avengers (1961)7.8

    A quirky spy show of the adventures of eccentrically suave British Agent John Steed and his predominantly female partners. Jonathan Steed - an urbane, proper gentleman spy - teams with various assistants throughout the series' run, including Dr. David Keel, Cathy Gale, Emma Peel and Tara King, to repeatedly save the world from diabolical schemes plotted by equally diabolical evil-doers (among them robots and man-eating monsters).

  • Agatha Christie's Marple
    Agatha Christie's Marple (2004)7.8

    The adventures of Miss Jane Marple, an elderly spinster living in the quiet little village of St Mary Mead. During her many visits to friends and relatives in other villages, Miss Marple often stumbles upon mysterious murders which she helps solve. Although the police are sometimes reluctant to accept Miss Marple's help, her reputation and unparalleled powers of observation eventually win them over.

  • Midsomer Murders
    Midsomer Murders (1997)7.5

    The peacefulness of the Midsomer community is shattered by violent crimes, suspects are placed under suspicion, and it is up to a veteran DCI and his young sergeant to calmly and diligently eliminate the innocent and ruthlessly pursue the guilty.

  • The Saint
    The Saint (1962)7.4

    Simon Templar is The Saint, a handsome, sophisticated, debonair, modern-day Robin Hood who recovers ill-gotten wealth and redistributes it to those in need.

  • Vera
    Vera (2011)7.4

    A sharp detective with a messy life, DCI Vera Stanhope patrols her “patch” of northeast England, pursuing the truth in cases of murder, kidnapping, and blackmail. Vera is obsessive about her work and faces the world with caustic wit, guile and courage.

  • Minder
    Minder (1979)7.2

    Roguish comedy drama following the misadventures of small-time crook Arthur Daley.

  • Heartbeat
    Heartbeat (1992)7.2

    Set during the 1960s in the fictional North Yorkshire village of Aidensfield, this enduringly popular series interweaves crime and medical storylines.

  • World in Action
    World in Action (1963)7.0

    World in Action was Granada Television’s flagship ITV current affairs series, running from 7 Jan 1963 to 7 Dec 1998, and built a reputation for film-led investigative reporting and a forceful editorial stance. Its journalism produced major public and political repercussions—including investigations associated with miscarriages of justice such as the Birmingham Six—and it also served as a platform for landmark documentary projects, including the first broadcast of “Seven Up!” as part of the strand in 1964.

  • 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.

  • University Challenge
    University Challenge (1962)6.5

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

  • Tonight
    Tonight (1999)6.0

    Compelling current affairs stories that get to the heart of what matters most to viewers.

  • The South Bank Show
    The South Bank Show (1978)5.6

    The South Bank Show is a television arts magazine show produced by ITV between 1978 and 2010. A new series began on Sky Arts from 27 May 2012. Presented by Melvyn Bragg, the show aims to bring both high art and popular culture to a mass audience.

  • Coronation Street
    Coronation Street (1960)5.3

    The residents of Coronation Street are ordinary, working-class people, and the show follows them through regular social and family interactions at home, in the workplace, and in their local pub, the Rovers Return Inn. Britain's longest-running soap.

  • The X Factor
    The X Factor (2004)5.2

    The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent, contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions.

  • Emmerdale
    Emmerdale (1972)4.3

    The lives of several families in the Yorkshire Dales revolve around a farm and the nearby village. With murders, affairs, lies, deceit, laughter and tears, it's all there in the village.

  • Loose Women
    Loose Women (1999)3.4

    A panel of four women discuss topical issues, ranging from daily politics and current affairs to celebrity gossip.

  • Peter Andre's 60 Minute Makeover
    Peter Andre's 60 Minute Makeover (2004)N/A

    Peter Andre's 60 Minute Makeover is a British popular daytime home interior design television programme broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom, SBS6 in the Netherlands, and Vitaya in Flanders. It was first aired on 19 April 2004.