Once upon a time, I truly believed that BBC dramas were the best on earth – and well worth paying the TV licence fee for…
But, of late, I’ve just felt a crushing disappointment with the channel.
I can count on one hand the number of outstanding BBC dramas that have landed in 2023.
Meanwhile, ITV drama is wiping the floor with the BBC in the schedules.
So what’s going on?
Where have all the decent BBC dramas gone?
Happy Valley ended in February and I’ve been left with a Catherine Cawood-sized hole in my life ever since.
I’m not disputing that the BBC One detective drama was one of the best series on TV in recent years.
And I know it’s not realistic to expect a cracking drama like Happy Valley or Sherwood to land every month.
But… When you know how good BBC drama can be, it’s hard to stomach any inferior alternatives.
The Gold has now come to an end.
However, it had its fair share of critics.
Meanwhile, the ending of Better left viewers fuming.
Those who had invested five hours of their time described the finale as “lame” and “the worst ending ever”.
However, over on ITV, we’re spoilt for choice.
ITV is wiping the floor with BBC dramas
Full disclaimer: I have, in the past, been rather snobby about ITV dramas.
I have always considered the Beeb to have the upper hand.
But that’s changed of late.
Recently, ITV has aired some of the best TV shows.
There’s the feature-length films that air on a Sunday night, including Vera, Ridley, Endeavour, and Grace.
Just this week, we have continuing drama Unforgotten, The Bay, and Redemption – all of which are available to binge watch on ITVX.
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