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

Published: 3 September 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, Friday 4 September 2026, three episodes of Last of the Summer Wine run straight through from 6pm to 8pm — series 11’s second, third and fourth outings, back to back with no gap. You’re Killing Me takes the 8pm slot with a new episode: a copycat killer starts working through the murders described in Allie’s own books. Father Brown follows at 9pm, New Tricks takes the 10pm hour, and Copper closes out the night at 11pm — six programmes end to end, nothing splitting the evening in two.

Drama Schedule: Friday 4 September 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete Drama schedule for Friday 4 September 2026, on Freeview 20.

Overnight

Breakfast

Morning

Afternoon

Early evening

Primetime

Late night

What’s on Drama today

Friday’s overnight on Drama opens with Lovejoy at midnight (series 3, episode 2), then Sister Boniface Mysteries at 1am and At Home with the Braithwaites at 2am (both series 1, episode 3), before the British Sign Language edition of You’re Killing Me at 3am — episode 2 of the run, not tonight’s new instalment — sees out the small hours. Teleshopping then carries the schedule from 4am to 7:35am.

The Bill opens the daytime at 7:35am (series 17, episode 28) and the same episode repeats at noon. Between the two showings, the archive strand runs two Classic Doctors episodes (8:30am and 9:05am), one Classic Holby City (9:40am) and one Classic Casualty (11am). The daytime soap archive that follows runs its two Classic EastEnders in the right order today: 1pm has Roxy visiting Ronnie in prison as Jane turns 40, and 1:40pm has Ian playing Jane at her own game alongside Heather’s search for an online boyfriend. Two Classic Neighbours follow at 2:15pm and 2:45pm (series 1, episodes 69 and 70). Sister Boniface Mysteries repeats at 3:20pm, Kingdom takes 4:20pm 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 — series 11’s second, third and fourth episodes, with no series break across the run. Jonathan Creek doesn’t feature today.

Drama tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the Drama primetime line-up for tonight, Friday 4 September 2026. Three episodes of Last of the Summer Wine open the evening, then three unrelated hours carry it to a close — a plain, tidy night with nothing splitting an episode in two.

Last of the Summer Wine — Drama, 6pm

Series 11’s second episode opens the evening: Clegg does his best to dodge being paired off with a former school acquaintance.

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

The third episode of series 11 follows straight after, with a group of Japanese tourists catching an unusual piece of Yorkshire life.

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

The block closes out at 7:20pm with the fourth episode of the series: Nora Batty causes a stir around the village by being seen without her stockings.

You’re Killing Me — Drama, 8pm

A new episode of You’re Killing Me takes the 8pm slot (series 1, episode 3, “The Copycat”). A killer begins working their way through the murders described in Allie’s own novels.

Father Brown — Drama, 9pm

Father Brown follows at 9pm (series 10, episode 6, “The Royal Visit”). A caretaker’s murder threatens to overshadow a royal visit.

New Tricks — Drama, 10pm

The 10pm hour belongs to New Tricks (series 10, episode 4, “The Little Brother”). Brian helps track down a missing person after being forced out of the force.

Copper — Drama, 11pm

Copper closes out the night at 11pm (series 1, episode 5). Security worries surface around a fundraiser for New York’s wealthiest families. The feed marks it “New” as the first showing in this run, not a new commission — Copper is a 2012 series.

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 opens with three episodes of Last of the Summer Wine (6pm-8pm), the second, third and fourth of series 11. You’re Killing Me follows at 8pm with a new episode, then Father Brown, New Tricks and Copper close out the night at 9pm, 10pm and 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 procedurals filled out with newer acquisitions solid enough to hold their own against the archive material. Tonight’s evening has a clean shape: three episodes of Last of the Summer Wine open primetime, then You’re Killing Me, Father Brown, New Tricks and Copper run through in turn to close out the night. No film interrupts any of it — six programmes, back to back, nothing split in two.

The trade-off is a daytime schedule built largely from reruns — The Bill’s early showing repeated at midday, Classic Doctors, Classic Holby City, Classic Casualty, Classic EastEnders and Classic Neighbours archive strands filling the morning and early afternoon, and a run of teleshopping before any of it starts. Jonathan Creek doesn’t feature today. 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