17 returning British period drama TV series coming back in 2022
2022 is lining up to be another incredible year for fans of British period dramas on television.
Here, in alphabetical order, are all the returning British historical and period drama series coming our way this year!
You can read our massive previews of this year’s British period drama movies and new British period drama TV mini-series too.
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All Creatures Great and Small – Season 3
What’s it about?
Based on author James Herriot’s much-loved collection of stories, Channel 5’s hit revival of All Creatures Great and Small follows the heartwarming and humorous adventures of a young country vet in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1930s.
It’s now spring 1939 and, as a potential Second World War looms, all of our Skeldale family have to consider their purpose in Darrowby and beyond.
What did the reviews say?
“There’s nowt more comforting than a Yorkshire vet’s wedding … If you needed cheering up after recent events, this should have done the trick.” ★★★★★ – Daily Mail
“Nostalgic throwback to a simpler age is just the tonic … The remake has had massive wellington boots to fill in the wake of the original … and it continues to do so beautifully.” ★★★★ – The Times
All Creatures Great and Small is available on DVD.
Bridgerton – Season 2
What’s it about?
Based on the bestselling novels by Julia Quinn, Netflix’s hit historical romance series follows eight close-knit siblings as they look for love and happiness in Regency London high society in early 1800s England.
The second season of Bridgerton focuses on the efforts of Anthony Bridgerton, played Jonathan Bailey (Broadchurch), to find himself a wife.
What did the reviews say?
“Ravishing love story eventually finds its stride in swoonworthy return on Netflix.” ★★★★ – Metro
“Bridgerton doesn’t disappoint with its highly-anticipated second season thanks to Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey’s electrifying chemistry.” ★★★★ – Radio Times
Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton novels are available on Amazon.
Call the Midwife – Season 11
What’s it about?
Having celebrated a decade on air last year, the BBC’s long-running period drama series about a group of nurse midwives in the East End of London continues with its eleventh season.
Season 11 opens during Easter 1967, with celebrations underway for an exciting Easter bonnet parade outside Nonnatus House, while Lucille and Cyril are enjoying married life.
What did the reviews say?
“Most dramas flag after a few series, but Call the Midwife is better than ever in its eleventh year. Very impressive.” – Daily Star
“Heidi Thomas’s well-judged script finds hope amongst the wreckage and light in the darkness as another triumphant series comes to a close.” – The Daily Telegraph
Season 11 is available on DVD.
The Crown – Season 5
What’s it about?
Netflix’s award-winning period drama series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom once again introduces an entirely new cast with its fifth season.
Taking over from Olivia Colman as the Queen is Imelda Staunton (Cranford), joined by Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes) as Prince Phillip, Lesley Manville (World on Fire) as Princess Margaret, Elizabeth Debicki (The Night Manager) as Princess Diana, Dominic West (The Pursuit of Love) as Prince Charles, and Elementary star Jonny Lee Miller as Prime Minister John Major.
What did the reviews say?
“Despite a slow start and some occasional missteps, Season 5 of The Crown proves to be as addictive and captivating as ever.” ★★★★ – Empire
“[The] fifth season of The Crown is the show’s weakest outing yet: A generally scattered and unfocused show is less disciplined than ever…” – Variety
The Crown is available on DVD.
Derry Girls – Season 3
What’s it about?
Set in Derry, Northern Ireland in the mid-1990s, Channel 4’s hit comedy series follows a group of four best friends, along with hapless English cousin James, as they navigate their teenage years in a Catholic girls’ secondary school during the end of the Troubles.
The third and final season of Derry Girls sees that “while Northern Ireland is growing up, this gang of eejits certainly aren’t anytime soon.”
What did the reviews say?
“Everything that made the past two seasons of Lisa McGee’s comedy series magic is back.” ★★★★★ – Radio Times
“A fitting, side-splitting farewell … the funniest, sharpest sitcom on TV is bowing out on a high.” ★★★★★ – NME
Doctor Who
What’s it about?
The BBC’s long-running time travel drama series continues in 2022 with a final trio of specials for Broadchurch star Jodie Whitaker as the Thirteenth Doctor.
The second of three new adventures sees the TARDIS travel to 19th century China for an encounter with real-life Chinese pirate leader Zheng Yi Sao, while Whitaker’s last ever episode finds the Master disguised as Rasputin in 1916.
What did the reviews say?
“A moody and oddly melancholic episode wrapped in the trappings of a grand pirate adventure it doesn’t quite have the capacity to live up to.” – Den of Geek
“All aboard, me hearties: the Doctor is back, with pirates … this special episode is an Easter treat.” ★★★ – Evening Standard
Season 13 is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.
Father Brown – Season 9
What’s is about?
Set in the Cotswolds in the 1950s and based on the stories by GK Chesterton, the BBC’s hit daytime drama series returns for a ninth season – including a very special 100th episode!
Harry Potter actor Mark Williams reprises his role as the crime-busting Roman Catholic priest, alongside regulars Sorcha Cusack, Emer Kenny, Jack Deam, and John Burton.
What did the reviews say?
“The BBC’s highest-rating daytime drama returns with its winning formula – bucolic village life plus homicidal naughtiness – firmly intact.” ★★★★ – The Daily Telegraph
Father Brown is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.
Gentleman Jack – Season 2
What’s it about?
Based on the diaries of remarkable Regency landowner Anne Lister, the BBC’s Gentleman Jack returns to Halifax, West Yorkshire for a second season.
Yorkshire, 1834. All eyes are on Anne Lister and Ann Walker as they set up home together at Shibden Hall as wife and wife, determined to combine their estates and become a power couple. Anne Lister’s entrepreneurial spirit frightens the locals as much as her unconventional love life and, with Halifax on the brink of revolution, her refusal to keep a low profile becomes provocative and dangerous.
What did the reviews say?
“Suranne Jones returns in style in this rip-roaring romp … Love in peril, beautiful vistas, a witty script, and the Olympic speed-walking of Jones as ‘Britain’s first modern lesbian’ – Jack’s back!” ★★★★ – The Telegraph
“One of the greatest British period dramas of our time … Suranne Jones is an alchemical force of nature in the gleeful, radical return of this rollicking, romantic and exquisitely scripted show.” ★★★★★ – The Guardian
Gentleman Jack is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.
Grantchester – Season 7
What’s it about?
Tom Brittney (Outlander) and Robson Green (Soldier Soldier) are back as Will Davenport and DI Geordie Keating in six brand new episodes of ITV’s popular 1950s crime drama series.
As the Reverend Will Davenport unites happy couples in holy matrimony, Detective Inspective Geordie Keating is busy as ever investigating a range of local murder cases.
What did the reviews say?
“For its seventh series, Grantchester took us back to the sweltering summer of 1959, but as ever in this Cambridgeshire village, nothing was hotter than Reverend Will Davenport.” – iNews
Grantchester is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.
The Larkins – Season 2
What’s it about?
Bradley Walsh (Doctor Who, Law & Order: UK) and Joanna Scanlan (Notes on a Scandal) return in six new episodes of ITV’s popular comedy-drama series set in 1950s Kent.
Based on the novels by H.E. Bates, which were previously adapted in the classic Darling Buds of May series, the second season of The Larkins sees the Jerebohm family at war with the Larkins following their arrival in the village.
What did the reviews say?
“…the show is playing to its strengths: broad comedy and sweet romance. It also serves as a nice hour of escapism – imagine yourself in a world where you can afford to have a table full of food, and where it never seems to fall below cardigan-wearing weather so there’s no need to worry about heating bills.” ★★★★ – The Telegraph
The Larkins is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.
The Last Kingdom – Season 5
What’s is about?
The Last Kingdom returns for a fifth and final season.
Set in the late 9th century AD, when England is divided into seven separate kingdoms, Netflix’s epic historical drama series is based on the Saxon Stories novels by English author Bernard Cornwell.
What did the reviews say?
“Danes-and-Saxons saga hurtles towards an epic climax.” ★★★★★ – The Arts Desk
“The culmination of this epic journey will provide long-time fans more than enough to be satisfied with.” – Flick Fan Nation
The Last Kingdom is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.
Malory Towers – Season 3
What’s it about?
Based on the classic novels by English author Enid Blyton, Malory Towers follows the adventures of Darrell Rivers as she leaves home for the first time to attend an all girls’ boarding school.
Set in post-war Britain on the sun-drenched cliffs of the Cornish coast, the children’s series returns with another 13 episodes to explores a nostalgic world of midnight feasts, lacrosse, pranks, a mystery ghost and lasting friendships.
When will it air?
“Malory Towers is a remarkably relevant show for modern girls, while retaining all the things that made the books popular more than 50 years ago.” – Stuff
“The CBBC adaptation of Enid Blyton’s boarding-school classic bowls along so smoothly and sweetly, it’s hard not to love it.” ★★★★ – The Guardian
Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers books are available on Amazon.
Miss Scarlet and The Duke – Season 2
What’s it about?
Miss Scarlet and The Duke stars Kate Phillips (Wolf Hall, The Crown) as Eliza Scarlet, the fictional first ever female detective in 1800s London.
The second season sees Eliza continue to grow her private detective firm with the somewhat reluctant help of her friend (or more-than-friend?) police detective William “The Duke” Wellington, played by Stuart Martin (Jamestown).
What did the reviews say?
“The will-they-or-won’t-they romantic tension between Miss Scarlet and the Duke that comes with this territory is complicated by her ambitions and his career drive … Eliza Scarlet may be ahead of her time, but she’s perfect for ours.” – TV Insider
“Kate Phillips’ performance is so enthralling it brings thrills on its own.” – IndieWire
Miss Scarlet and The Duke is available on DVD on Amazon.
Outlander – Season 6
What’s it about?
The new season of Starz’s historical fantasy drama series is based on the sixth book in author Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, ‘A Breath of Snow and Ashes.’
Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan are back as Claire and Jamie in 8 new episodes of Outlander, fighting time, space, and history to protect their family.
What did the reviews say?
“It had everything – action, drama, romance, sex, and even a little time travel discussion.” – Daily Record
“Outlander season 6 has finally reached its pretty dramatic denouement, plunging fans back into another Droughtlander (again) – but it was a bit of rickety eight-episode ride to get there.” – Metro
Outlander is available on DVD on Amazon.
Peaky Blinders – Season 6
What’s it about?
The BBC’s hit period drama series about a crime family in Birmingham, England in the early 20th century returns for a final season.
Season 6 opens with Tommy embarking on a trip to North America, where the end of Prohibition presents some new opportunities. However, danger looms in the form of an old enemy who is finally making his move.
What did the reviews say?
“The gangster saga bows out in a blaze of glory, giving all our fan favourites their moment in the sun … and leaving plenty of feuds for the future.” – The Guardian
“Peaky Blinders says goodbye without really saying goodbye in a minor-key finale that turns explosive, with a thrilling twist.” – Den of Geek
Peaky Blinders is available on DVD on Amazon.
Sanditon – Season 2
What’s it about?
Based on Jane Austen’s unfinished final novel, Sanditon has been revived by PBS and BritBox despite its cancellation in 2020.
Season 2 picks up with heroine Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) returning to the picturesque coastal resort, as the town is growing in popularity.
What did the reviews say?
“The canceled PBS series got a second life thanks to Bridgerton fans hungry for more Regency-era romance. Season two doesn’t disappoint.” – Glamour
“Further, Season 2 continues with Season 1’s weakness of uneven writing that is simply ludicrous sometimes, but the show—clearly needing to regroup after the loss of James’ Sidney—finds stronger footing as it progresses.” – Paste Magazine
Sanditon is available on DVD on Amazon.
Vienna Blood – Season 3
What’s it about?
Adapted from Frank Tallis’s best-selling Liebermann novels by Sherlock writer Steve Thompson, the BBC’s hit period crime drama returns for a third season.
Matthew Beard (The Imitation Game) and Austrian actor Juergen Maurer will both reprise their roles as brilliant young English doctor Max Liebermann and Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt.
What did the reviews say?
“Like the previous two series, the plotting is generally solid (even if red herrings are blindingly obvious), but the characters and script are never quite as engaging as Sherlock… With 90 minute episodes, Vienna Blood is a fairly slow-moving show that revels as much in being a period drama as it does in being a crime thriller.” – ★★★ – iNews
Vienna Blood is available on DVD on Amazon.
Take a look back at our list of 2021’s best British period drama TV series here!