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, Wednesday 19 August 2026, three episodes of Last of the Summer Wine run back to back from 6pm, then The Chelsea Detective fills the whole 8-10pm hour with a new feature-length case, New Tricks takes the 10pm slot and Luther closes out primetime at 11:20pm.

Drama Schedule: Wednesday 19 August 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete Drama schedule for Wednesday 19 August 2026, on Freeview 20.

Overnight

Breakfast

Morning

Afternoon

Early evening

Primetime

Late night

What’s on Drama today

Wednesday’s schedule opens with Sister Boniface Mysteries at 1:05am (series 2, episode 1), followed by the British Sign Language edit of Hotel Portofino at 2:15am (series 3, episode 6) and 2point4 Children at 3:10am (series 6, episode 3). Teleshopping then runs from 4am until 7:15am. The Bill opens the daytime run at 7:15am (series 17, episode 16) and repeats the same episode at 11:40am, while Classic Doctors airs twice from 8:10am (series 11, episodes 17 and 18), Classic Holby City follows at 9:20am (series 8, episode 38) and Classic Casualty at 10:40am (series 27, episode 27). Classic EastEnders runs a double bill from 12:40pm (series 2011, episodes 50 and 51), Classic Neighbours does the same from 2pm (series 1, episodes 45 and 46), and the afternoon closes out with Whitstable Pearl at 3pm (series 2, episode 3), Lovejoy at 4:05pm (series 6, episode 9) and As Time Goes By at 5:20pm (series 3, episode 2).

Worth flagging: The Bill’s 7:15am episode repeats at 11:40am rather than being followed by something new, and the teleshopping block from 4am to 7:15am is the longest single stretch of the day. As Time Goes By closes out the daytime run at 5:20pm with ‘Rocky’s Wedding Day’, in which Jean finds herself lined up as bridesmaid for Lionel’s father’s wedding, forty minutes before Last of the Summer Wine opens the evening.

Drama tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the Drama primetime line-up for tonight, Wednesday 19 August 2026.

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

Early evening belongs to a Last of the Summer Wine triple bill (series 6, episodes 4 to 6). Foggy, Clegg and Compo squeeze onto one bicycle in a country ditch at 6pm, Compo talks his way into Nora Batty’s bedroom for a photo at 6:40pm, and Clegg heads for the hills with a metal detector at 7:20pm. Gentle, familiar stuff, and the closest thing Drama has to a Wednesday ritual.

The Chelsea Detective — Drama, 8pm

Tonight’s flagship is a new, feature-length Chelsea Detective case split across two hours, “Everyone Loves Chloe”. DI Max Arnold is called in when a former pop star turns up dead just before Christmas; what looks like an overdose turns out, once forensics get involved, to be a drowning. Max and his colleague Layla spend the first hour narrowing down who was in the water with her.

The Chelsea Detective — Drama, 9pm

Part two runs straight on at 9pm. The suspect list widens to a manager with plenty to lose, a journalist who’d been digging around, and a Conservative MP who didn’t want to be connected to any of it. Worth clearing the full two hours rather than dipping in partway through.

New Tricks — Drama, 10pm

New Tricks follows at 10pm with “Coming Out Ball” (series 7, episode 8), the UCOS team looking into the abduction of an arms manufacturer’s 18-year-old daughter.

Luther — Drama, 11:20pm

Idris Elba’s Luther closes primetime at 11:20pm (series 3, episode 3), pulled into a case against a vigilante working through a list of past offenders while he wrestles with his own history.

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 Last of the Summer Wine triple bill from 6pm, then The Chelsea Detective takes the whole 8-10pm hour with a new, feature-length case, New Tricks follows at 10pm and Luther closes out primetime 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

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 on the channel’s oldest material to open the evening, with Last of the Summer Wine getting a rare triple outing from 6pm, before The Chelsea Detective takes over for a proper two-hour event: a new, feature-length case rather than the usual single-episode slot. New Tricks follows at 10pm, and Luther closes the night at 11:20pm with Idris Elba’s detective squaring up to a vigilante working through old scores.

The trade-off is a daytime schedule that repeats itself heavily and well over three hours of teleshopping before 7:15am. Regular viewers put up with both because the evenings are worth it.

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