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, Saturday 15 August 2026, two episodes of Darby and Joan open the evening from 5pm, The Brokenwood Mysteries takes its usual 7pm slot, Kenneth Branagh’s Wallander runs the 9pm hour, and Outrageous closes out its first series at 11pm.

Drama Schedule: Saturday 15 August 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete Drama schedule for Saturday 15 August 2026, on Freeview 20.

Overnight

Breakfast

Morning

Afternoon

Early evening

Primetime

Late night

What’s on Drama today

Today’s schedule opens just after midnight with Lovejoy at 12:40am, its Venice-set finale wrapping up an art scam plot for the run. Sister Boniface Mysteries follows at 1:50am, a German mayor’s visit to a war memorial ceremony in Great Slaughter turning to tragedy, and the British Sign Language edit of Hotel Portofino takes the 2:50am slot as Marco’s proposal forces Bella to be honest with her own family. Two teleshopping blocks then fill 4am to 7am. Birds of a Feather runs four episodes back to back from 7am to 9:40am, taking Sharon and Tracey from a life-changing decision through a pregnancy scare to a bleak festive season with both their other halves behind bars. Jonathan Creek follows with three cases in a row to 1:40pm — Angel Hair, with Jack Dee guest starring, then The Tailor’s Dummy and The Seer of the Sands — before Father Brown’s tenth series opens with a killer using Kembleford’s model village to plan their next move. New Tricks closes the afternoon with two episodes from 2:40pm, Gerry fighting to clear his name against a London crime family before a new UCOS boss unsettles the team on a vicar’s murder, and Darby and Joan opens the evening from 5pm with its first two episodes, Joan’s inquiries into her late husband’s death leading her and her new Australian detective partner into a banana farm theft as well.

Worth flagging: the 2:50am Hotel Portofino is the British Sign Language edit rather than the standard broadcast, and tonight’s Outrageous at 11pm closes out its first series rather than sitting mid-run.

Drama tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the Drama primetime line-up for tonight, Saturday 15 August 2026.

Darby and Joan — Drama, 5pm & 6pm

Two episodes open the evening. At 5pm, retired nurse Joan enlists a retired Australian detective to dig into her late husband’s movements after his suspicious death; the 6pm follow-up detours into a theft on a friend’s banana farm instead.

The Brokenwood Mysteries — Drama, 7pm

The Brokenwood Mysteries serves up “Sour Grapes” (series 1, episode 2) at 7pm: a wine critic is pulled dead from a vat of fermenting pinot at Brokenwood’s annual show, leaving Mike Shepherd with a town full of sore losers to work through. The New Zealand whodunnit has become one of Drama’s steadiest imports rather than a filler acquisition.

Wallander — Drama, 9pm

Kenneth Branagh’s Kurt Wallander returns at 9pm for “Firewall” (series 1, episode 2), chasing what links a body slumped at a cashpoint to the killing of a taxi driver. The original run picked up a clutch of BAFTAs, including best drama series and a best actor award for Branagh, and it still plays as one of the more atmospheric imports on British TV: grey Swedish skies and a detective barely holding himself together.

Outrageous — Drama, 11pm

Outrageous wraps its first series at 11pm with “Point of No Return”: Nancy has to face Peter about where they stand, Diana and Mosley marry in secret, and Joss gets pulled into the growing unrest around Mosley’s rallies. It is a lot to close out in fifty minutes, which rather suits the Mitfords.

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 opens with two episodes of Darby and Joan from 5pm, then The Brokenwood Mysteries at 7pm, Wallander at 9pm and the series finale of Outrageous at 11pm. 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 leans harder into that cosy-crime identity than most: two episodes of Darby and Joan open the evening, The Brokenwood Mysteries brings its dependable New Zealand puzzle-solving at 7pm, and Wallander’s Kenneth Branagh supplies some proper Scandi atmosphere at 9pm. Outrageous closes out its first series at 11pm rather than just adding another episode to the pile.

The trade-off is a daytime schedule that repeats itself heavily and three hours of teleshopping before 7am. Regular viewers put up with both because the evenings are worth it.

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