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, Friday 21 August 2026, is the channel’s biggest primetime moment in months: Brooke Shields launches You’re Killing Me at 8pm, a genuine new series rather than another archive rerun, following a mystery novelist who ends up investigating a friend’s death at a book convention. Three episodes of Last of the Summer Wine open the evening from 6pm, Father Brown follows the premiere at 9pm, New Tricks takes the 10pm slot and Luther closes out primetime at 11:20pm.

Drama Schedule: Friday 21 August 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete Drama schedule for Friday 21 August 2026, on Freeview 20.

Overnight

Breakfast

Morning

Afternoon

Early evening

Primetime

Late night

What’s on Drama today

Friday’s schedule opens with Lovejoy at 12:40am (series 2, episode 4), Ian McShane’s antiques dealer getting mixed up with a cursed Mayan statue blamed for two deaths, followed by Sister Boniface Mysteries at 1:50am (series 2, episode 3), built around a locked-room case tied to a supermodel’s return to Great Slaughter, and the British Sign Language edit of The Chelsea Detective at 2:50am (series 1, episode 2). Teleshopping then runs from 4am until 7:20am. The Bill opens the daytime run at 7:20am (series 17, episode 18) and repeats the same episode at 11:45am, while Classic Doctors airs twice from 8:15am (series 7, episode 153, then series 9, episode 151), Classic Holby City follows at 9:25am (series 8, episode 40) and Classic Casualty at 10:45am (series 27, episode 29). Classic EastEnders — the archive strand, not tonight’s soap — runs a double bill from 12:50pm (series 2011, episodes 54 and 55), Classic Neighbours does the same from 2pm (series 1, episodes 49 and 50), and the afternoon closes out with Whitstable Pearl at 3:05pm (series 2, episode 5), Kingdom at 4:10pm (series 1, episode 1) and As Time Goes By at 5:20pm (series 3, episode 4).

Worth flagging: The Bill’s 7:20am episode repeats at 11:45am rather than being followed by something new, and the teleshopping block running through the small hours is the longest single stretch of the day. Whitstable Pearl’s 3:05pm case has Pearl fitting security cameras at a worried neighbour’s house and turning up more than she bargained for, before Kingdom takes the old Lovejoy teatime slot at 4:10pm with the small-town solicitor carrying on despite his brother’s continued disappearance. As Time Goes By closes out the daytime schedule at 5:20pm (“Covering Up”), with Jean’s sister-in-law turning up wanting to see a picture-perfect couple just as Jean and Lionel have had a falling out, 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, Friday 21 August 2026.

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

Three episodes run back to back to open the evening. “The Waist Land” at 6pm (series 7, episode 3) has Foggy running a food scam on the residents of a health farm; “Cheering Up Ludovic” at 6:40pm (series 7, episode 4) puts Clegg behind the wheel of Ludovic’s new van; and “The Three Astaires” at 7:20pm (series 7, episode 5) has the trio roped into a church concert.

You’re Killing Me — Drama, 8pm

Drama’s headline arrival tonight is You’re Killing Me (series 1, episode 1, “The Beginning”), a genuine series opener rather than another rerun. Brooke Shields plays Allie Chandler, a mystery novelist whose career has gone quiet. When a friend dies in suspicious circumstances during a convention for crime writers, she starts digging. The investigation pulls in a new local detective, Jack Kerrigan, and a young true-crime podcaster called Andi who’s chasing a story of her own. All six episodes land as a box set on U from tonight, so a slow start doesn’t mean waiting a week for the rest.

Father Brown — Drama, 9pm

Father Brown (series 10, episode 4, “The Beast Of Wedlock”) sees the priest-detective drawn into a case that reaches back into his own past: a missing person, a killing, and rumours of a mythical wild cat stalking the area.

New Tricks — Drama, 10pm

New Tricks (series 7, episode 10, “The Fourth Man”) has the UCOS team reopening a robbery from thirty years ago and turning up evidence of police corruption, with someone determined to keep the old case buried for good.

Luther — Drama, 11:20pm

Luther (series 4, episode 1) pulls Idris Elba’s detective away from a coastal retreat to hunt down a killer with a taste for cannibalism, closing out the night on Drama’s darkest note.

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 You’re Killing Me launches as a genuine new series at 8pm, with Brooke Shields investigating a friend’s death at a book convention. Father Brown follows at 9pm, New Tricks takes the 10pm slot 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 is the exception that proves the rule. Last of the Summer Wine gets a rare triple outing from 6pm, then the channel breaks from its usual archive diet altogether for You’re Killing Me at 8pm, a proper series premiere built around Brooke Shields rather than another rerun. Father Brown takes the 9pm slot, New Tricks follows at 10pm, and Luther closes the night at 11:20pm with Idris Elba’s detective hunting a killer with a taste for cannibalism.

The trade-off is a daytime schedule that repeats itself heavily, and well over three hours of teleshopping before 7:20am. Regular viewers put up with both because nights like tonight’s are worth it.

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