British TV shows tend to come in two ways: very long or very short. There is a great miniseries culture in the United Kingdom, mainly because many great actors tend to leave for Hollywood early in their careers. Tying them to long-term TV contracts thus becomes difficult. On the other hand, longevity is a familiar trend in the British television industry, where networks aren’t normally as trigger-happy as those in the US.
If the viewership figures are decent enough and the showrunner is keen on keeping things going, the networks won’t interfere. Besides that, there is a loyalty culture among audiences. Viewers rarely get tired of watching anything as long as it’s on air. Many shows have thus lasted for several years and maintained strong fan bases. These small-screen projects have evolved with time, maintaining the basic elements that attracted early eyeballs while introducing new elements to attract modern viewers.
The following are the longest-running British TV shows of all time.
10
‘Silent Witness’ (1996 – Present)
29 years
Created by Nigel McCrery, a former murder squad detective based in Nottingham, England, Silent Witness is about a team of forensic pathologists who investigate the most complex deaths for the police. Combining science and intuition, they always get the job done. The show relies on multi-episode arcs, laying out the hidden motives, bureaucratic failures, and the societal reverberations stemming from violent acts.
A rotating cast has helped keep Silent Witness fresh over the years. And it helps that each of the new faces (playing the investigators) scores in their roles; their characters are first puzzled, then intrigued by the cases they are presented with. There’s something about the writing, too. The crime drama will make you hate the lost, shattered souls obsessed with violence. But it’ll also make you pity them. Beyond that, the forensics-first angle helps distinguish this gem from other popular British detective shows. Viewers enjoy seeing the intellectual side of crime-solving, not just the shoot-em-up side of it.
9
‘Hollyoaks’ (1995 – Present)
30 years
Set in the fictional Chester suburb of Hollyoaks, Hollyoaks centers on the dramatic lives of the area’s families, professionals, and students, many of whom have a calm and composed demeanor that masks massive trauma. The show has been anchored by a few iconic families over the years: the McQueens, Osbornes, Hutchinsons, and Lomaxes anchor the show.
Issue-based plots, constant cliffhangers, and a tendency to tackle taboo subjects have made Hollyoaks a never-fading staple. The writers and directors often return to the recurring theme of troubled individuals, victimized by institutions and society, struggling to survive. For this reason, the soap opera remains relatable. And no specific cast member carries the show. Everyone delivers a nuanced, BAFTA-caliber performance. You’ll appreciate the characters who come off as barely contained powder kegs, their over-the-top fastidiousness and delusion key coping mechanisms.
8
‘Rownd a Rownd’ (1995 – Present)
30 years
Rownd a Rownd (Round and Round) is a Welsh-language soap opera set in the fictional harbour town of Glanrafon in Anglesey. It dwells on the intertwined lives of local families, youngsters, and business owners, with most of the events unfolding in cafés, shops, schools, and community gathering centers.
This joyous soap opera never feels chaotic, even when it pits the younger characters, played with salty glee by the cast, against the adults. The show captures the hearts of viewers by promoting contentment, as we constantly meet a harmonious clique of residents intent on remaining part of this community and staying in their not-so-grand abodes. Rownd a Rownd also explores everyday challenges while addressing thorny social issues like mental health, bullying, financial strain, insecurity, and evolving cultural values.
7
‘Casualty’ (1986 – Present)
Casualty, the longest-running primetime medical drama series in the world, takes viewers to the emergency department of Holby City Hospital, where medical personnel confront life-or-death situations and personal issues, all while bearing the emotional strain that stems from constantly being on the hospital frontline.
There are plenty of directions that a medical emergency can go, so Casualty is never short of interesting plots. The drama’s status as a flagship BBC project has also shielded it from cancellation over the years. Additionally, accuracy is a major part of the appeal. Several parties have pointed out the realism of the medical scenarios, particularly nurses at the Royal College of Nursing. So heavy is the show’s fictional world that two spin-offs have been made so far (Holby City and Holby Blue), with three more reported to be in development.
6
‘Last Summer of Wine’ (1973 – 2010)
39 years
Last Summer of Wine presents the adventures of three mischievous elderly men — Clegg (Peter Sallis), Compo (Bill Owen), and Blamire (Michael Bates), later joined by Foggy (Brian Wilde), Truly (Frank Thornton), and Alvin (Brian Murphy), whose sullied attempts to recapture their youth days result in plenty of slapstick moments. The men totally refuse to grow up, and as they engage in their stunts, they get to interact with fellow townspeople in unique ways.
In the early 1970s, Roy Clarke crafted a small wonder of a show that never faded, reportedly inspired by the experiences of some of his family members. All the characters remain a certain formal remove, which works brilliantly in portraying the messy aspects of elderly life. The quality was a major reason why the comedy lasted so long, but it helps when members of the Royal family are fans, too. According to the Huddersfield Daily, the queen and her family never skipped an episode.
5
‘EastEnders’ (1985 – Present)
40 years
EastEnders centers on a few iconic families—including the Beales, Watts, Fowlers, Mitchells, Brannings, and Slaters — in London’s fictional borough of Walford. Members often have complicated relationships, resenting each other for various reasons. As we track everyone’s growth and development over the years, we witness new forms of dysfunction. And there’s hardly anyone immune to all the pain and frustration around them.
Here, we don’t get a pretty picture of society, but the numerous showrunners invite us in and make us care. New characters get introduced all the time, all of them inheriting older conflicts, so viewers never feel like the larger plot is fading. Beyond that, EastEnders has benefited from many controversial storylines that became national talking points, drawing in more viewers. These include the 2010 baby swap storyline, which attracted more than 6,000 complaints, and the “Who Killed Lucy Beale?” mystery.
4
‘Doctor Who’ (1963–1989, 1996, 2005 – Present)
46 years
Doctor Who depicts the wild adventures of an extraterrestrial being called the Doctor, belonging humanoid species called Time Lords. The Doctor (portrayed by various actors over the years) travels through the universe and across time using a time-travelling spaceship called the TARDIS, which takes the appearance of a British police box. During his journeys, the Doctor works to save lives and change the course of history.
Unlike any sci-fi show you’ve seen, this stinging parable about change and morality is an engaging yet occasionally disturbing and skin-crawling ride. Shot in a great variety of close-ups and wide views, it makes the viewer feel like just another victim who can’t escape their predicament. Overall, Doctor Who’s longevity can be credited to its engaging plots that blend science with various other genres. The idea to have a protagonist who has the ability to regenerate was also a genius one, preventing the all-too-common problem where a show has to wrap up because an actor has aged or moved on to other things.
3
‘Pobol y Cwm’ (1974 – Present)
51 years
Filmed in Welsh with English subs, Pobol y Cwm is all about small-town life. The show bases its proceedings in the fictional village of Cwmderi in Gwendraeth Valley. At first, most of the events took place around a popular nursing home, but at the moment, most of the interactions play out at the village pub, Y Deri, as well as nearby farms and homes. The comprehensive school, Ysgol y Mynach, is another recurring setting.
If you can, don’t miss this daring, heartwarming, highly original soap opera, which has a lot to say about the human capacity for interaction, avoidance, tolerance, and suppression. Most striking is how the biggest revelations are never fully acknowledged by all the residents. There are many doubters, just as there are in the real world. But why the long run? Well, there aren’t many Welsh soap operas in existence, so, as one of the few present, Pobol y Cwm stays valuable.
2
‘Emmerdale’ (1972 – Present)
52 years
Set in the quiet village of Emmerdale in the Yorkshire Dales, Emmerdale initially seems like a show about paradise but few episodes in, you realize that there is plenty of mayhem in rural England. Many of the villages have vices that leave them in poor shape for working and parenting. But therein lies the fun.
This gushy British tale of devotion to society is unabashedly tame by American standards, but it still intrigues while occasionally getting the tear ducts flowing. Over the years, constant shocks have increased the appetite for more episodes. One memorable scene even involves a sudden plane crash that kills four beloved villagers. Additionally, there are numerous innovative episodes, including one with an entirely female cast, addressing gender imbalance. Beyond that, the soap opera is primarily filmed outdoors, resulting in the kind of visual magnificence rarely seen.
1
‘Coronation Street’ (1960 – Present)
65 years
The majority of Coronation Street’s characters are residents of a cobbled, chaotic, terraced street in the fictional town of Weatherfield in Greater Manchester. The feuds never end, so much so that there are dozens of spinoff films centering around the characters. Additionally, there are plenty of documentaries that summarize earlier seasons.
With its gritty feel and knockout cliffhangers, Coronation Street is an undisputed winner. Initially reliant on kitchen-sink realism, the soap opera has excelled by depicting a working-class community using humor. And fans can always count on the long-running series to tackle many serious issues, including bigamy, emotional abuse, racism, and politics. Keeping key characters has helped, too. For example, Elsie Tanner (Pat Phoenix), Ena Sharples (Violet Carson), and Annie Walker (Doris Speed) remained with the show for 20 years, becoming archetypes of British soap opera, their characterizations often being emulated by other productions.
