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, Sunday 16 August 2026, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates opens the evening with a doubled-up hour from 6pm, Sister Boniface Mysteries takes the 8pm slot, Silent Witness runs the 9pm hour, and New Tricks closes out the night at 11:15pm.

Drama Schedule: Sunday 16 August 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete Drama schedule for Sunday 16 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 The Last Detective (series 4, episode 2), followed by New Tricks at 1:35am (series 12, episode 2) and the British Sign Language edit of Hotel Portofino at 2:40am (series 3, episode 3). Teleshopping then fills the three hours from 4am. 2point4 Children opens the daytime run at 7am (series 1, episode 4), and five episodes of The Bill carry the schedule from 7:40am through to 12:40pm. Call the Midwife follows with two episodes at 12:40pm and 1:40pm (series 11, episodes 7 and 8), and the afternoon closes out with the TV movie Catherine Cookson: The Man Who Cried from 2:40pm, running through to 6pm. Hetty Wainthropp Investigates then opens the evening with back-to-back episodes from 6pm (series 3, episodes 2 and 3).

Worth flagging: the 2:40am Hotel Portofino is the British Sign Language edit rather than the standard broadcast, and Catherine Cookson: The Man Who Cried runs for three hours and twenty minutes from 2:40pm, making it the longest single slot of the day before primetime.

Drama tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the Drama primetime line-up for tonight, Sunday 16 August 2026. It’s an all-British evening, with nothing imported anywhere in the schedule.

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates — Drama, 6pm and 7pm

Two episodes run back to back to open the night. At 6pm, a bride’s mother calls Hetty in after her daughter starts being followed in the run-up to the wedding (series 3, episode 2). The 7pm follow-up has Hetty going after a gang preying on local shopkeepers, and the case turns personal when she becomes a target herself (series 3, episode 3).

Sister Boniface Mysteries — Drama, 8pm

A toymaker turns up stabbed inside his own locked workshop, and a doll left near the body gives Sister Boniface her first real lead (series 3, episode 2).

Silent Witness — Drama, 9pm

A woman’s body is found on railway tracks in London, and the injuries don’t add up to a simple accident. The team’s forensic digging uncovers a history of abuse behind what first looked like a tragedy on the line.

New Tricks — Drama, 11:15pm

UCOS goes back over the killing of a fashion designer after a retrospective exhibition reopens old family disputes, handing the squad a fresh run of suspects to work through (series 7, episode 6).

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 a Hetty Wainthropp Investigates double bill from 6pm, then Sister Boniface Mysteries at 8pm, Silent Witness at 9pm and New Tricks closing out the night at 11:15pm. 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 is a home-grown night rather than an imported one: Hetty Wainthropp Investigates gets a rare double outing from 6pm, Sister Boniface Mysteries follows at 8pm, and Silent Witness supplies the most serious hour of the evening at 9pm. New Tricks closes proceedings at 11:15pm with a case built on old grudges rather than fresh evidence.

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