Drama TV Guide: Listings, Schedule & What’s On Drama Tonight

Published: 31 August 2026

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, Tuesday 1 September 2026, is the best-shaped evening on the whole Freeview grid: three consecutive episodes of Last of the Summer Wine run from 6pm to 8pm, closing series 9 and opening series 10, then three episodes of ‘Allo ‘Allo! do exactly the same from 8pm to 9:55pm, ending series 5 and starting series 6. New Tricks takes the 9:55pm hour, Copper follows at 10:55pm, and Lovejoy closes out the night at 11:55pm.

Drama Schedule: Tuesday 1 September 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete Drama schedule for Tuesday 1 September 2026, on Freeview 20.

Overnight

Breakfast

Morning

Afternoon

Early evening

Primetime

Late night

What’s on Drama today

Tuesday’s overnight on Drama opens with Lovejoy at 12:20am (series 2, episode 11) and Sister Boniface Mysteries at 1:30am (series 2, episode 10), before the British Sign Language edition of The Chelsea Detective at 2:35am (series 2, episode 4) and Birds of a Feather at 3:25am (series 6, episode 10) see out the small hours. Three and a half hours of teleshopping then carry the schedule to 7:25am.

The Bill opens the daytime at 7:25am (series 17, episode 25) and the same episode repeats at 12pm, with two Classic Doctors episodes, Classic Holby City and Classic Casualty filling the late morning between the two showings. The channel’s daytime soap archive runs Classic EastEnders at 1pm and 1:40pm (series 2011, episodes 68 and 69), and Classic Neighbours follows at 2:15pm and 2:50pm (series 1, episodes 63 and 64). Whitstable Pearl and Kingdom hold mid-afternoon, and As Time Goes By closes out the early evening at 5:20pm before three episodes of Last of the Summer Wine lead into primetime. Jonathan Creek doesn’t feature today, though Birds of a Feather gets its brief early-hours outing at 3:25am.

Drama tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the Drama primetime line-up for tonight, Tuesday 1 September 2026 — the best-shaped evening on the whole grid, with two comedy strands each crossing a series boundary back to back.

Last of the Summer Wine — Drama, 6pm-8pm

Three episodes in a row, and they span a series handover. “Wind Power” at 6pm and a second episode at 6:40pm close out series 9, then series 10 opens at 7:20pm with “The Experiment”. A finale and a launch in the same hour and a half.

‘Allo ‘Allo! — Drama, 8pm-9:55pm

The same shape again straight after. Series 5 wraps up with “Enigma’s End” at 8pm, then series 6 begins at 8:35pm and continues at 9:15pm. Two sitcoms, two series changeovers, one evening.

New Tricks — Drama, 9:55pm

New Tricks takes the post-9pm hour with “The Rock”, part one (series 10, episode 1). It’s an archive series opener rather than a new commission — the show ended its original run in 2015.

Copper — Drama, 10:55pm

Copper (series 1, episode 2, “Husbands and Fathers”) follows. The “New.” flag on this one means it’s the first showing in this run on Drama, not a new series — Copper itself is a 2012 production.

Lovejoy — Drama, 11:55pm

The night closes with Lovejoy, the second half of a two-part story (series 2, episode 12).

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 turns on two series handovers back to back: three episodes of Last of the Summer Wine (6pm-8pm) close series 9 and open series 10, then three episodes of ‘Allo ‘Allo! (8pm-9:55pm) do exactly the same, ending series 5 and starting series 6. New Tricks, Copper and Lovejoy fill out the rest of the night. 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 procedurals filled out with newer acquisitions solid enough to hold their own against the archive material. Tonight is the best-shaped evening on the whole grid: Last of the Summer Wine and ‘Allo ‘Allo! each cross a series boundary back to back, before New Tricks, Copper and Lovejoy carry the night through to midnight. No film interrupts any of it — five programmes, back to back.

The trade-off is a daytime schedule built largely from reruns — The Bill’s early showing repeated at midday, Classic EastEnders and Classic Neighbours archive strands, and a run of teleshopping before the evening line-up starts. Jonathan Creek doesn’t feature today, though Birds of a Feather gets a brief early-hours outing at 3:25am. Regular viewers put up with Drama’s rerun-heavy daytime because the evening line-up is reliably well chosen.

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