You know how the saying goes: New Year, new telly to look forward to. And whatever your resolutions are for the year ahead, there’s loads of brilliant returning shows and soon-to-be-favourite series to keep you entertained.

On Netflix there’s the visually stunning live-action series Avatar: The Last Airbender, bringing Aang’s adventures to screens as you’ve never seen them before, while Michelle Yeoh takes family drama to the next level in The Brothers Sun and Nicola Coughlan looks for love in season 3 of Bridgerton.

Over on the BBC, there’s the adaptation of bestselling murder mystery A Good Girl's Guide To Murder  as well as the long-awaited return of classic game show Gladiators. Meanwhile ITV brings history to life in the gripping dramas Mr Bates Vs The Post Office and Joan, both inspired by real and shocking events.

Looking for a laugh? Then tune into Sky Max’s epic new prequel series all about the adolescent years of the world’s crudest teddy bear in Ted. And for more hilarious tales of misspent youth, head to Channel 4 for Big Mood, Queenie and the return of Big Boys.

From murder mysteries to comedy dramas, game shows to documentaries and more, we’ve got your viewing sorted for 2024 with 50 new and returning series. Read on for a sneak peek at the entertainment to come…

1. Mr Bates Vs The Post Office

Series 1 starts on ITV1 HD (CH 103) and in Apps & Games > ITVX on Monday 1 January. Mr Bates Vs The Post Office: The Real Story is on Thursday 4 January

When the Post Office was alerted to hundreds of accounting shortfalls at franchises around the country, did managers put it down to the new, glitchy IT system or accuse loyal postmasters of theft? In the most widespread miscarriage of justice in UK history, more than 700 local Post Office operators were falsely prosecuted with devastating consequences – bankruptcy, prison and, in a few instances, suicide. In this four-part drama we follow the workers, led by chief campaigner Alan Bates (Toby Jones, Detectorists) as they battle to clear their names.

2. Trigger Point

Series 2 starts on ITV1 HD (CH 103) and in Apps & Games > ITVX in January 2024. Series 1 available now

Everything that Vicky McClure (Line Of Duty) touches is guaranteed to turn into telly gold. And we have high hopes for the second run of high-octane drama Trigger Point, which sees Lana (McClure) and her team navigate a deadly terror attack in London and attempt to save their colleague who is “stood on a bomb”. Tense stuff. Nabil Elouahabi (The Tower), Eric Shango (Suspicion) and Mark Stanley (Happy Valley) also return.

3. Fool Me Once

Season 1 starts in Apps & Games > Netflix on Monday 1 January

This eight-part series, set in the UK, will be Netflix’s fourth series based on a Harlan Coben book. And it’s bound to be a goodie. Maya Stern (Michelle Keegan, Brassic) is trying to come to terms with the brutal murder of her husband, Joe (Richard Armitage, Spooks). But is he really dead? Get ready for intrigue, shocks and scene-stealing performances from national treasure Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous) and serial award-winner Adeel Akhtar (Ali & Ava).

4. The Traitors UK

Series 2 starts on BBC One HD (CH 101) and in Apps & Games > BBC iPlayer on Wednesday 3 January. Series 1 is available to stream now

Ever since the second series of this epic game of truth and lies was announced, we’ve been counting the days. In case you missed it first time round, this psychological adventure follows a group of contestants as they compete to win £120,000 by taking part in a series of challenges and missions as a team. But in the mix are a number of Traitors, whose goal it is to sabotage and eliminate their fellow competitors. The Faithfuls must root them out or risk losing everything. Can you spot the liar? Claudia Winkleman is your host once again.

5. Truelove

Series 1 starts on Channel 4 HD (CH 104/108) and in Apps & Games > Channel 4 on Wednesday 3 January

From the team behind The End Of The F***ing World comes this unexpected love story that wrestles with one of the biggest ethical questions out there – is it ever right to help end a life? Featuring a stellar cast including Lindsay Duncan (The Wheel Of Time), Clarke Peters (The Wire) and Sandra James-Young (The Following Events Are Based On A Pack Of Lies), the six-part drama follows former teen sweethearts Phil (Duncan) and Ken (Peters) who make a pact that each should experience a dignified death when the time comes. What could possibly go wrong?

6. The Brothers Sun

Season 1 starts in Apps & Games > Netflix on Thursday 4 January

Mysterious assassins, martial arts, family secrets – this eight-episode, action-packed comedy drama has it all. When the head of a powerful Taiwanese triad is taken down by an unknown killer, his eldest son Charles Sun heads to Los Angeles to protect his mother and naïve younger brother. The brilliant Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once) stars as crime matriarch Eileen, with Justin Chien (Continuum) as Charles and Sam Song Li (Better Call Saul) as baby brother Bruce.

7. Love Island: All Stars

Series 1 starts on ITV2 HD (CH 115) and in Apps & Games > ITVX in January 2024

I’ve got a text!… Kick those January blues to the kerb and jet off to South Africa with Maya Jama in Love Island: All Stars. The first run of this all-new format will reunite a whole host of legendary former Love Islanders around the fire pit, and with rumoured contestants including Georgia Steel, Ovie Soko and Faye Winters, we’re expecting a bombshell series.  

8. LOL – Last One Laughing Ireland

Series 1 starts in Apps & Games > Prime Video on Friday 19 January

In Prime Video’s first Irish Original comedy series, host Graham Norton brings together 10 comedic stars who try to make each other laugh using every trick in the book. The aim of the game is to not laugh themselves. It’s a fan-favourite franchise that’s already enjoyed huge global success and with some of Ireland’s biggest comedians taking part, from Aisling Bea and Amy Huberman to Jason Byrne, this version is sure to follow suit. Whoever outlasts their competitors wins a grand prize of €50,000 for their charity of choice.

9. Expats

Season 1 starts in Apps & Games > Prime Video on Friday 26 January

An unexpected tragedy brings a group of women together with dramatic and far-reaching consequences. Based on the best-selling novel The Expatriates by Janice Y K Lee, the series exposes the reality beneath the glittering façade of a tight-knit expat community in Hong Kong, and explores what happens when the line between victimhood and blame becomes blurred. Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies) leads a superb cast including Ji-young Yoo (The Sky Is Everywhere), Brian Tee (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Sarayu Blue (Blockers) and Jack Huston (House Of Gucci).

10. Big Boys

Series 2 starts on Channel 4 HD (CH 104/108) and in Apps & Games > Channel 4 on 14 January. Series 1 is available now

Viewers fell in love with Jack Rooke’s semi-autobiographical series when it hit screens in 2022. And the critically acclaimed comedy is back with Dylan Llewellyn (Derry Girls) and Jon Pointing (Plebs) reprising their roles as Jack and Danny respectively. The new series will follow the boys’ second year at Brent University, where they navigate virginity hang-ups, drug experimentation and learning how to deal with grief and mental health issues. 

11. Mr & Mrs Smith

Season 1 starts in Apps & Games > Prime Video on Friday 2 February

Undercover spies. An arranged marriage. A series of high-risk, deadly missions. This serialised reimagining of the 2005 film of the same name has all our binge-watch criteria ticked! It was created by Francesca Sloane (Atlanta, Fargo) and the amazingly prolific Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino), who also stars in the series alongside Maya Erskine (PEN15) as the titular couple. It’s sure to be a treat.

12. Doctor Who

Series 14 starts on BBC One HD (CH 101) in 2024. Series 1-13, the specials and classic Doctor Who are available in Apps & Games > BBC iPlayer

After Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education) made his stunning Doctor Who debut in December and followed it up with a rip-roaring Christmas Day episode, “The Church On Ruby Road”, he’s back full a full series with new companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson, Coronation Street) for more out-of-this-world adventures. And although the plot for the 14th series remains under wraps, we can confirm that the Doctor and Ruby will be making a stop in the swinging 60s on their time travels. Groovy…

13. Avatar: The Last Airbender

Season 1 starts in Apps & Games > Netflix on Thursday 22 February

Get images of James Cameron’s blue Na’vi out of your mind because we’re in very different territory here. This is a live-action reimagining of the award-winning Nickelodeon animated series, centring on the adventures of Aang, the young Avatar who must learn to master the four elements (Water, Earth, Fire, Air) to restore peace to the land. Gordon Cormier (The Stand) stars as Aang with Tamlyn Tomita (The Day After Tomorrow) as Yukari.

14. 3 Body Problem

Starts in Apps & Games > Netflix on Thursday 21 March

A fateful decision in 1960s China sets a chain of events in motion that rock humanity’s core. This new genre-bending mystery series is based on the award-winning sci-fi novel of the same name by Chinese writer Liu Cixin – part of his internationally acclaimed Remembrance Of Earth’s Past trilogy. Adapted by Game Of Thrones writers David Benioff and DB Weiss, the series stars Benedict Wong (Dr Strange), Tsai Chin (Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings) and Game Of Thrones’ Liam Cunningham and John Bradley. Settle down for a truly awesome watch.

15. Fallout

Season 1 starts in Apps & Games > Prime Video on Friday 12 April

This new series is based on the long-running Fallout video game franchise – a franchise so popular, it’s even got its own annual celebration day (it’s on 23 October, just so you know). The series is set in a future, post-apocalyptic Los Angeles where different factions battle for control of the wasteland. If the game is anything to go by, you can expect a sensational smorgasbord of mutants and monsters, and power battles galore. British actor Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets) stars alongside Walton Goggins (Justified), Moisés Arias (The King Of Staten Island) and Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks).

16. Queenie

Series 1 starts on Channel 4 HD (CH 104/108) and in Apps & Games > Channel 4 in 2024

Candice Carty-Williams’ bestselling novel of the same name is finally making its smart and sharp screen debut this year. Newcomer Dionne Brown stars as Queenie, a 25-year-old Jamaican-British woman living in south London. After a messy break-up from her long-term partner Tom (Jon Pointing, Big Boys), Queenie begins a journey of self-discovery while trying to fit into two different cultures. With a stellar supporting cast including Sally Phillips (Bridget Jones), Michelle Greenidge (After Life), Tilly Keeper (You), Mim Shaikh, What’s Love Got To Do With It?) and Samuel Adewunmi (You Don’t Know Me), this is a cert for your watchlist.

17. A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder

Series 1 starts on BBC Three HD (CH 107/113) and in Apps & Games > BBC iPlayer in 2024

Creative powerhouse Dolly Wells (Doll & Em, Inside Man) is bringing Holly Jackson’s huge-selling mystery novel to the small screen. This six-episode, star-studded series follows schoolgirl Pip (Emma Myers, Wednesday) who investigates the murder of fellow student Andie (India Lillie Davies, Call The Midwife) when she realises Andie’s boyfriend Sal (newcomer Rahul Pattni) has been falsely accused. What ensues is a twisty tale that’ll have you guessing at every turn. Anna Maxwell Martin (Motherland), Mathew Baynton (Ghosts) and Gary Beadle (The Wheel Of Time) also star.  

18. Passenger

Series 1 starts in Apps & Games > ITVX in 2024

This darkly comic thriller is set in the fictional small town of Chadder Vale, where a series of mysterious and increasingly shocking crimes has the locals in a spin. Who do they blame? Outsiders, of course – including manager of the nearby fracking site Jim Bracknell (David Threlfall, Shameless). Police detective Riya Ajunwa (Wunmi Mosaku, a BAFTA winner for Damilola, Our Loved Boy) sets her suspicions closer to home but what hidden secrets will she uncover? Written by debut screenwriter Andrew Buchan – more famous for playing Mark Latimer in Broadchurch – this is sure to be an original and gripping watch. 

19. Junior Taskmaster

Series 1 starts on Channel 4 HD (CH 104/108) and in Apps & Games > Channel 4 in 2024

Comedy giants and former Taskmaster contestants Rose Matafeo (Starstruck) and Mike Wozniak (Man Down) are joining forces to bring the first-ever Junior Taskmaster to Channel 4. Matafeo will be acting as the Taskmaster who, with the help of her loyal assistant Wozniak, will score the efforts of five plucky junior contestants. As with the adult version, they’ll face a series of bonkers challenges that will require all their smarts and creativity.

20. Katherine Ryan: Parental Guidance

Series 1 starts on W HD (CH 125) in 2024

Should you let your kids sleep in your bed? What about potty training at eight months? In this brand-new docuseries, comedian Katherine Ryan invites TV cameras into her home to explore and evaluate a host of extreme parenting techniques. As well as being a gripping fly-on-the-wall peek into Ryan’s own family life, it’s also the chance to view those perennial parenting dilemmas through her searingly honest comedic lens. Parenthood may never be the same.

21. Ted

Season 1 starts on Sky Max HD (CH 111) in 2024

Following the huge success of the global-hit film franchise, Sky Max is bringing Ted the bear to the small screen. In this prequel series, we find 1993 Ted (voiced by writer and director Seth MacFarlane) living back home in Massachusetts with his best friend, 16-year-old John Bennett, and John’s parents. According to MacFarlane, the story is based on the timeless truth that “being 16 sucks. The only thing that makes it tolerable is going through it with a friend, even if that friend is a has-been magical teddy bear with a foul mouth and a proclivity for drug use.”  

22. Dead Hot

Season 1 starts in Apps & Games > Prime Video in 2024

We’re super-excited about this upcoming comedy thriller from the teams behind It’s A Sin and Stay Close. Set in present-day Liverpool, the six-parter delves into the universal themes of class, love and identity as 20-somethings Elliott (Bilal Hasna, Extraordinary) and Jess (Vivian Oparah, Rye Lane) are united by the grief of losing Peter – Elliott’s first love and Jess’ twin brother. When Elliott meets someone new, life starts to look up, but things are never as simple as they seem…  

23. Alice & Jack

Series 1 starts on Channel 4 HD (CH 104/108) in Apps & Games > Channel 4 in 2024

The course of true love never did run smooth, as the Bard once wrote, and this new original drama from writer and film director Victor Levin (Mad Men) is a case in point. When Alice (Andrea Riseborough, To Leslie) meets Jack (Domhnall Gleeson, Ex Machina), it seems a match made in heaven. But can their powerful connection stand the test of time? This is honest, intimate and surprisingly funny stuff that’s sure to have us hooked.

24. Mr Bigstuff

Series 1 starts on Sky Comedy (CH 112) in 2024

Diamond geezer Danny Dyer dips his toe in the comedy world with this new series telling the story of two estranged brothers. When alpha male addict Lee (Dyer) moves in with nervy Glen (Ryan Sampson, Brassic) and his shoplifting fiancée Kirsty (Harriet Webb, I May Destroy You), it’s only a matter of time until things get messy… A dysfunctional family, an Essex cul-de-sac, fragile masculinity and carpet sales: this sounds like telly gold. 

25. This Town

Series 1 starts on BBC One (CH 101) and in Apps & Games > BBC iPlayer in 2024

From prolific Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight comes this Brummie family saga set in the early 80s. With exhilarating ska and two-tone music at its heart, the series tells the story of a band’s formation against the backdrop of burgeoning social unrest. Knight describes it as a “love letter to Birmingham and Coventry” with a great cast – including Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) – and an incredible soundtrack, as well as original songs from artists such as Kae Tempest. Dust off your pork pie hats – you’re in for a treat. 

26. Playing Nice

Series 1 starts in Apps & Games > ITVX in 2024

How would you feel if the child you were raising turned out not to be yours at all? That’s the dilemma facing Pete (James Norton, Happy Valley) and Maddie (Niamh Algar, Mary And George), whose toddler – switched at birth in a hospital mix-up – is being brought up by Miles (James McArdle, Life After Life) and Lucy (Jessica Brown Findlay, Harlots). At first, all four seem agreed on a solution but then things get complicated… and disturbing.  

27. The Jetty

Series 1 starts on BBC One HD (CH 101) and in Apps & Games > BBC iPlayer in 2024

Jenna Coleman (Wilderness) takes centre stage as rookie detective Ember Manning in this twisty four-part thriller. When a fire breaks out in a holiday home in a scenic Lancashire town, Manning is left to uncover its connection to a missing person’s cold case and an illicit love triangle. Along the way, she has to face big questions about sexual morality, identity and memory, as the case threatens to destroy both her life and the town she’s always called home.

28. Big Mood

Series 1 starts on Channel 4 HD (CH 104/108) and in Apps & Games > Channel 4 in 2024

Playwright Camilla Whitehill and Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan have been friends for years and have creatively collaborated in this coming-of-age comedy. The six-part series explores the evolving friendship between Maggie (Coughlan) and Eddie (Lydia West, It’s A Sin), who have spent their chaotic youth together through thick, thin and multiple eyebrow challenges. Now, with change looming, careers hanging in the balance and Maggie’s bipolar disorder returning, Eddie begins to question the future of their friendship.

29. Showtrial

Series 2 starts on BBC One HD (CH 101) and in Apps & Games > BBC iPlayer in 2024. Series 1 is available to stream now

If you couldn’t get enough of courtroom drama Showtrial the first time round, then you’re in luck. After a three-year hiatus, a new instalment of this anthology series is bound for our telly screens with a brand-new criminal trial for audiences to sink their teeth into. The second run follows the investigation into the murder of high-profile climate activist Marcus Calderwood. The twist? He identifies his killer – a serving police officer – with his final breath. Adeel Akhtar (Back To Life), Nathalie Armin (Unforgotten) and Michael Socha (The Gallows Pole) star.

30. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Season 1 starts in Apps & Games > Paramount+ in 2024

Having debuted way back in 1966, the much-loved sci-fi behemoth that is Star Trek shows every sign that it will contoinue to live long and prosper. With 46 seasons of telly already under its belt, the Trek team has announced this new live-action series. The story will follow a class of Starfleet cadets as they attempt to exceed their physical, mental and spiritual limits so they can boldly go where no man has gone before. You’ll have to watch it; resistance is futile.

31. Bridgerton

Part 1 of season 3 starts in Apps & Games > Netflix on Thursday 16 May. Part 2 will be released on Thursday 13 June. Seasons 1+2 and Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story are available now

Gentle reader, we come bearing good news. Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) is finally getting the screen time she deserves in the third season of Netflix’s hot and heavy bodice-ripper. Picking up where season 2 left off, we find Penelope has given up her unrequited crush on Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) for a husband who’ll give her enough independence to continue her double life as Lady Whistledown. And when Colin aids Penelope in her search for true love, he begins to grapple with his own feelings towards her. Eek!

32. Small Town, Big Story

Series 1 starts on Sky Max HD (CH 111) in 2024

Created by comedian, writer and actor Chris O’Dowd (The IT Crowd), this new Sky Original series is set in the fictional Irish village of Drumbán – a placed filled with rattled misfits. When a Hollywood production rolls into town, things are bound to kick off – especially when it brings a long-hidden secret to light… Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks stars as a hotshot TV producer with Paddy Considine (Hot Fuzz) as the local doctor.

33. Four Kings

Season 1 starts in Apps & Games > Prime Video in 2024

This new four-part Prime Video documentary examines the rivalry between British boxing legends Chris Eubank, Nigel Benn, Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno. Hailing from the same area of London, these four titans of the ring ruled the boxing world in the 1990s and changed the way Britain viewed its Black athletes. In new interviews, the retired fighters open up about their famous feuds, as well as their personal struggles outside the ring. A must-watch for boxing fans everywhere. 

34. Squid Game 

Season 2 starts in Apps & Games > Netflix in 2024. Season 1 and Squid Game: The Challenge are available now

Attention all players. After a three-year hiatus, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) is back in the game. While the plot for the second season of this award-winning drama is remaining tightly under wraps, we suspect we’ll be picking up with Gi-hun exactly where he left off: determined to make those behind the deadly competition pay for their atrocities. And even though Gi-hun has won the Squid Game, will he be able to survive all the cruel and chilling challenges that lie ahead? Tune in to find out. 

35. The Way

Series 1 starts on BBC One HD (CH 101) and in Apps & Games > BBC iPlayer in 2024

How would you feel if you had to leave your home to seek refuge from violence? This new political drama from creators James Graham, Adam Curtis and Michael Sheen brings this very real dilemma to the British Isles, as the Driscoll family – caught up in growing local unrest – must decide whether to stay or go. It’s ambitious, powerful and surprising, with a cast that includes Sheen (Good Omens), Steffan Rhodri (Gavin & Stacey), Sophie Melville (The Pact) and Callum Scott Howells (It’s A Sin).

36. Funny Woman

Series 2 starts on Sky Comedy HD (CH 112) in 2024. Find series 1 in On Demand now

Based on the brilliant book Funny Girl by Nick Hornby, the first series of this comedy drama introduced us to 1960s beauty queen Barbara Parker (Gemma Arterton, The King’s Man) as she headed to London to seek fame and fortune as a comic. In this follow-up, she discovers that fame is a fickle friend, and finds ways to gain public attention on her own terms. 

37. Hot Mess Summer

Series 1 starts in Apps & Games > Prime Video in 2024

Hot on the tails of Sex Rated comes another cringeable, bingeable reality TV series hosted by Rylan Clark. Eight party-loving Brits, who think they’re off for a summer of fun in Greece, will be challenged to run a bar (and clean the toilets) in one of Zante’s busiest party spots. Start mixing those cocktails.

38. Battle In The Box

Series 1 starts on Dave HD (CH 127) in 2024

The premise of this new comedy reality series, based on a hit Korean gameshow format, already has us hooked. Two pairs of comedians will move into a giant box with just a toothbrush. They’ll have to earn their home comforts by winning a series of physical and mental challenges. Easy, right? But  – and here’s the jeopardy extraordinaire – there’s a sliding wall between the two teams so, as the task winners get more space, the losers automatically get less. Master of the proceedings is Jimmy Carr, who is bound to relish in their discomfort as much as we do.

39. Accused

Season 1 starts on Paramount+ on Friday 4 January

Based on the BBC’s BAFTA-winning crime anthology and adapted by veteran writer David Shore (House, The Good Doctor), this new series takes on the hottest topics of our time in a succession of intense and beautifully told human stories. Every episode is like a mini thriller. We’re in a different court case investigating a different crime. It’s a different city and there’s a new defendant on the stand. Even the cast is different. The only thing that each has in common is the charge – murder. Through a series of flashbacks we discover what’s led up to the trial and how the defendants find themselves in such a perilous position.

40. Gladiators

Series 1 starts on BBC One HD (CH 101) and in Apps & Games > BBC iPlayer in 2024

“Gladiators, ready?” Nearly two decades after the original UK series ended, Gladiators is back, now with The Chase presenter Bradley Walsh and his son Barney are at the helm. Each episode will see four contenders compete in a series of speed and strength events, including both new challenges and classic games. As if that wasn’t exciting enough, the new line-up of Gladiators includes powerlifting champion Karenjeet Kaur Bains, multi-sport Olympian Montell Douglas and Team GB sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeetey.

41. Rob Beckett’s Smart TV

Series 1 starts on Sky Max HD (CH 111) in 2024

Following a successful pilot, get ready for a full series of this laugh-a-minute comedy quiz. Bringing together three TV treasures – Beckett, plus team captains Josh Widdicombe (The Last Leg) and new queen of The Great British Bake Off Alison Hammond – this is a show all about the magic of the small screen. Actors, comics, presenters and personalities will be asked to compete across a series of funny and chaotic rounds to find out who knows the most about telly. We’re in for a treat.

42. The Marlow Murder Club

Series 1 starts on Drama HD (CH 116) in 2024

From Death In Paradise creator Robert Thorogood comes this mystery series that follows retired archaeologist Judith (Samantha Bond, Downton Abbey), unfulfilled vicar’s wife Becks (Cara Horgan, The Sandman) and dog-walker Suzie (Jo Harris, Doctor Who) as they try to solve a series of fiendishly puzzling murders. Thorogood’s book of the same name has had ace reviews for the compelling plot and great characters, so this will be a must-watch for anyone who loves a Miss Marple-esque story.

43. The Devil’s Hour

Season 2 starts in Apps & Games > Prime Video in 2024. Season 1 is available now

The first season of this supernatural crime thriller had us on the edge of our seats (and praying not to wake up at 3.33am – the so-called “devil’s hour”), so we’re gripped to discover it will soon be back on our screens. Will there be more spine-tingling déjà vu scenarios for overstretched social worker Lucy (played again by the brilliant Jessica Raine, Becoming Elizabeth)? Will her detached eight-year-old son Isaac meet more spooky “imaginary friends”? And what will Gideon (the super-sinister Peter Capaldi, Doctor Who) do on his release from prison? You’ll have to watch to find out…

44. Kidnapped

Series 1 starts on BBC One HD (CH 101) and in Apps & Games > BBC iPlayer in 2024

Written by Georgia Lester (Killing Eve, Skins), this new factual drama series is based on the true story of Chloe Ayling, a British model abducted in Italy in 2017. Including information from Chloe’s own book Kidnapped, as well as extensive interviews and legal proceedings, the series goes behind the headlines to reveal the extent of Chloe’s harrowing ordeal, both during and after her abduction. Nadia Parkes (The Spanish Princess) as Chloe is supported by Adrian Edmonson (Rain Dogs), Nigel Lindsay (The Capture) and Olive Gray (Halo), among others.

45. Joan

Series 1 starts on ITV1 HD (CH 101) and in Apps & Games > ITVX in 2024

Known as “The Godmother”, notorious diamond thief Joan Hannington was a key player in London’s criminal underworld during the 1980s. Glamorous, charming and continually underestimated, she became a mistress at her game. This six-part drama, starring Sophie Turner (X-Men: Dark Phoenix) follows the twists and turns of Joan’s life as she tries to secure a stable future for herself and her daughter. Based on her 2004 memoir, it’s an emotional rollercoaster of a story that promises to have you hooked.

46. Secret World Of Sound With David Attenborough

Series 1 starts on Sky Nature HD (CH 189) and in On Demand in 2024

We’re used to the spectacular visuals that come with David Attenborough nature documentaries but in this innovative, immersive series, sound is put front and centre for the first time. Using cutting-edge recording technology and 360° Dolby Atmos soundscapes, each episode will transport viewers into a world of audio wonder. We’ll discover how baby caimans communicate with each other from within the egg, find out how hyenas use sound to fight in the dark and hear incredible avian mimicry.  

47. The Red King

Series 1 starts on Alibi HD (CH 114) in 2024

Posted to the small, antiquated island of St Jory, inner-city police sergeant Grace Narayan (Anjli Mohindra, The Lazarus Project) soon gets embroiled in the unsolved case of a missing teenage boy. Coming up against scarce evidence, eccentric locals and the island’s past devotion to a pagan god, she has to battle against the odds to uncover the truth. This six-part crime drama, written by Toby Whithouse (Being Human, The Game), has all the genre-bending ingredients of a true must-watch.

48. Ainsley’s Taste Of Malta

Series 1 starts in Apps & Games > ITVX in early 2024

Kicking off this new foodie travelogue franchise, national treasure Ainsley Harriott introduces us to the eclectic fare of this Mediterranean isle. Heading off the beaten track to find hidden gems, Harriott will visit Valletta, Gozo, Comino, Mdina and Birgu while meeting some real characters along the way. And what Maltese mouthfuls will he be demystifiying? We’re hoping for lampuki pie (aka fish pie) and soppa tal-armla (that’s the tempting-sounding “widow’s soup” to you and me).

49. Toxic Town

Season 1 starts in Apps & Games > Netflix in 2024

In the 1980s and 90s, Britain experienced its biggest ever case of child poisoning when toxic dust from a former steelworks in Corby contaminated the local community, causing 19 children to be born with deformities. This hard-hitting four-part drama shares this story through three funny, courageous and determined women as they battle for justice. Penned by award-winning writer Jack Thorne (Best Interests) and with an all-star cast including Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who), Robert Carlyle (Cobra) and Rory Kinnear (The Diplomat), it’s sure to be gritty, compelling viewing.

50. Yellowstone

Season 5 part 2 starts in Apps & Games > Paramount+ in 2024. Season 1-5 part 2 available now

Pushed back by the Hollywood strikes, the second part of this final season of Yellowstone is tipped to hit our screens in November (our fingers are crossed). A global hit franchise with over 100 million fans around the world, this big budget family drama follows the Dutton family as they fight to preserve their vast Montana ranch from oil barons, expanding townships and an Indian reservation. After rumours of feuds and creative conflict, the big question is, will Kevin Costner – who plays patriarch John Dutton III – make an appearance?