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, Monday 10 August 2026, the evening opens with three episodes of Last of the Summer Wine from 6pm. The Brokenwood Mysteries takes on a suspected serial killer at 8pm, then New Tricks digs into a psychic’s claims at 10pm before Luther rounds off the night from 11:20pm.

Drama Schedule: Monday 10 August 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete Drama schedule for Monday 10 August 2026, on Freeview 20.

What’s on Drama today

Today opens just after midnight with Call the Midwife at 12:40am (series 11, episode 5), Trixie assigned to help a paraplegic crane driver whose wife won’t accept assistance. Two episodes of 2point4 Children follow at 2am and 2:30am, then the British Sign Language edit of Hotel Portofino takes the 3am slot before teleshopping fills the hours from 4am to 7:15am. The Bill opens the daytime proper at 7:15am and comes round again at 11:40am, and it’s the same episode both times (“Out of the Frying Pan”), with Classic Doctors (two episodes), Classic Holby City and Classic Casualty sitting between the pair. Classic EastEnders runs twice from 12:40pm, Classic Neighbours twice from 2pm, and Whitstable Pearl at 3pm, Lovejoy at 4:05pm and As Time Goes By at 5:20pm carry the schedule on into early evening.

Two things worth flagging: the 3am Hotel Portofino is the British Sign Language edit rather than the standard broadcast, and the 7:15am and 11:40am editions of The Bill are the identical episode repeated, not two different instalments. The listings data also tags Classic Doctors, Classic EastEnders and Classic Neighbours as “New” today; all three are archive repeats from decades back, and that flag looks like a feed error rather than a genuine premiere.

Drama tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the Drama primetime line-up for tonight, Monday 10 August 2026.

Last of the Summer Wine — Drama, 6pm, 6:40pm and 7:20pm

Three archive episodes run back to back to open the evening. “Cheering Up Gordon” opens with a seaside trip built around Compo’s nephew. “The Kink in Foggy’s Niblick” turns on whether Foggy can still play golf, not having picked up a club since 1939. The block closes with “Going to Gordon’s Wedding”: Gordon finally marries Josie, and Compo weighs up whether a bath is really called for beforehand.

The Brokenwood Mysteries — Drama, 8pm

“Stone Cold Dead” opens with a woman found killed by an arrow, and Mike Shepherd’s team have to work out whether there’s a serial killer loose in the small New Zealand town. Neill Rea plays Shepherd as a wine-loving, unhurried detective, and the show has grown into one of the channel’s most reliable imports rather than a stopgap acquisition. It runs at a gentler pace than most British procedurals, with the case built up over the full two-hour slot rather than resolved inside an hour.

New Tricks — Drama, 10pm

“Dead Man Talking” centres on a psychic who insists a recently deceased wealthy man is still reaching out from beyond the grave. Amanda Redman and James Bolam’s UCOS team have to work out whether there’s a real case buried underneath the claim.

Luther — Drama, 11:20pm

Luther closes the night with an early outing for Idris Elba’s DCI, wrongly suspected of murder and on the run while he tries to clear his name, before the schedule loops back round to Call the Midwife just after midnight.

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?

Tonight, Drama runs three episodes of Last of the Summer Wine from 6pm, The Brokenwood Mysteries at 8pm, New Tricks at 10pm and Luther from 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

Drama does one thing and does it well: British mysteries and archive drama, filled out with newer acquisitions solid enough to hold their own against the reruns. Tonight’s pick is The Brokenwood Mysteries, with the New Zealand team chasing a possible serial killer in “Stone Cold Dead”, followed by New Tricks as UCOS takes on a psychic’s claims in “Dead Man Talking” before Luther’s early Idris Elba outing closes out the night.

The trade-off is a daytime schedule that repeats itself heavily and a three-hour block of teleshopping before breakfast. Regular viewers put up with both because the evenings are worth it.

Related: Freeview Channel Guide | Dave TV Guide | Films on TV This Week