Drama TV Guide: Listings, Schedule & What’s On Drama Tonight

Drama launched on 8 July 2013 and is owned by BBC Studios as part of the UKTV stable alongside Dave, Yesterday and W. It was rebranded U&Drama on 16 July 2024, though most viewers and on-screen guides still call it Drama. Tonight, Thursday 15 October 2026, is three episodes of Last of the Summer Wine from 6pm, Sister Boniface Mysteries at 8pm, the serial mystery A Remarkable Place to Die at 9pm and New Tricks at 10pm, with Shakespeare & Hathaway to close at 11:20pm. Channel numbers are further down the page.

Drama Schedule: Thursday 15 October 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete Drama schedule for Thursday 15 October 2026, on Freeview 20.

Overnight

Breakfast

Morning

Afternoon

Early evening

Primetime

Late night

Also on TV tonight at 9pm

• BBC One: The Celebrity Traitors (from 8pm)
• ITV1: Long Lost Family
• BBC Two: Surgeons: At the Edge of Life
• Channel 4: Our Tiny Islands (from 8pm)
• Channel 5: Love Nature
• Film4: Wrath of Man
• E4: Gogglebox
• ITV2: Big Brother
• ITV3: Vera (from 8pm)
• ITV4: Benidorm

Every channel tonight, side by side · Films on TV tonight · Tomorrow’s TV

What’s on Drama today

Overnight is Judge John Deed at 12:20am, As Time Goes By at 2:25am and a signed Copper at 2:55am, with Teleshopping from 4am.

The day proper starts at 7:35am with The Bill, then a run of Classic Doctors, Holby City and Casualty, and a second helping of The Bill before midday. Classic EastEnders and Classic Neighbours fill the early afternoon, Shakespeare & Hathaway Private Investigators is on at 3:20pm, and Father Brown follows at 4:20pm before As Time Goes By at 5:20pm.

Drama tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the Drama primetime line-up for tonight, Thursday 15 October 2026.

Last of the Summer Wine — Drama, 6pm

Three back-to-back episodes of the Yorkshire sitcom open the evening, at 6pm, 6:40pm and 7:20pm. The first, from series 20, sends Compo, Truly and Barry looking for Smiler after he overdoes the home-made wine. The next two, from series 21, turn to Barry and Marina’s gossip-fuelled marriage and a parcel Clegg would rather Pearl never saw.

Sister Boniface Mysteries — Drama, 8pm

A ceilidh band member is found dead in this episode, and the nun-sleuth has to work out who did it while Mrs Clam’s birthday party carries on around her. Expect the usual cheerful tone, with the crime handled lightly and the Scottish setting doing most of the work.

A Remarkable Place to Die — Drama, 9pm

This is a serial rather than a standalone mystery, so the 9pm slot picks up mid-story. Anais presses Luke about his possible links to the case, and turns to Ihaka after an unwelcome discovery. If you have missed the earlier episodes, it is not the best place to start.

New Tricks — Drama, 10pm

Series one of the Amanda Redman, James Bolam, Alun Armstrong and Dennis Waterman cold-case drama is still in its early weeks. Tonight’s case involves a painting from the royal collection that turns out to be a fake, and a forger believed killed in a studio fire. Gerry Standing also gives up his Triumph Stag for a pushchair, which is the kind of sentence that sums up the show.

Shakespeare & Hathaway Private Investigators — Drama, 11:20pm

A woman dies mid-trick in a stage act that went wrong, which gives Frank and Lu a magician’s circle to work through. It is the same episode Drama also showed at 3:20pm.

What kind of shows are on Drama

Classic BBC and ITV archive drama

The backbone of the schedule is British drama from the last forty-odd years. Jonathan Creek, New Tricks, Lovejoy, Birds of a Feather and Miss Marple all get regular daytime and early-evening outings, most of them first shown on BBC One or ITV. The whole point of the channel is that you can drop in at almost any hour and land on something you half-remember.

Cosy crime and international mysteries

Drama also runs a decent sideline in gentler, often overseas, crime. The Brokenwood Mysteries from New Zealand and Harry Wild from Ireland are the two regulars: puzzle-driven, light on violence, usually tied up within the hour or two.

Newer acquired and prestige drama

The Count of Monte Cristo and The Boy That Never Was are newer, high-profile productions in the schedule alongside all the archive material.

How to watch Drama

Channel numbers

Drama’s channel numbers across the main UK platforms:

Drama is free on all of the above platforms, with no subscription required. Drama+1 on Freeview is a limited-reach service, so availability can depend on your transmitter; your on-screen guide is the definitive source if these don’t match.

Streaming online

Drama streams live at u.co.uk and via the U app on smart TVs, iOS, Android and Freeview Play devices. You’ll need a free U account, and a large on-demand library sits alongside the live stream.

Drama +1 and sister channels

Drama+1 carries the same schedule an hour behind, for catching whatever’s just been missed on the main channel.

Drama sits inside the wider UKTV portfolio, which includes U&Dave for comedy and panel shows, U&Yesterday for history and factual programming, and U&W for factual entertainment, all free-to-air, plus the pay channels U&Alibi, U&Eden and U&Gold. Dave is the nearest alternative on the electronic programme guide for comedy rather than mystery.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s on Drama tonight?

Last of the Summer Wine runs from 6pm, followed by Sister Boniface Mysteries at 8pm, A Remarkable Place to Die at 9pm and New Tricks at 10pm, with Shakespeare & Hathaway to close at 11:20pm. Check the schedule table above for the full day’s listings.

What channel is Drama on Freeview?

Drama is on channel 20 on Freeview, BT TV, TalkTalk TV and YouView. Drama+1 is on Freeview channel 60 as a limited-reach service. Both are free.

What channel is Drama on Sky, Virgin Media and Freesat?

Sky channel 143, Virgin Media channel 116, and Freesat channel 158. Drama+1 is on Sky 243 and Virgin Media 316.

Can I watch Drama for free on U?

Yes. It streams live at u.co.uk and through the U app, with a large on-demand archive alongside it. You’ll need a free U account, but there’s no subscription fee.

Is Drama free to watch?

Yes, completely free to air on every platform, with advertising breaks during and between programmes but no subscription cost.

Verdict

Three Last of the Summer Wine episodes lead into Sister Boniface Mysteries at 8pm, then the serial mystery A Remarkable Place to Die at 9pm. New Tricks at 10pm is early in its first series, which makes it an easy place to join, and Shakespeare & Hathaway rounds the night off at 11:20pm.

Daytime is The Bill, the Classic soaps and Father Brown. It suits dropping in rather than planning around.

Related: Freeview Channel Guide | Dave TV Guide | Tonight’s Films on Freeview