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

Published: 10 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 11 September 2026, three Last of the Summer Wine episodes run back to back from 6pm, opening primetime before a new episode of You’re Killing Me at 8pm, Father Brown at 9pm, and New Tricks and Copper close out the night.

Drama Schedule: Friday 11 September 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete Drama schedule for Friday 11 September 2026, on Freeview 20.

Overnight

Breakfast

Morning

Afternoon

Early evening

Primetime

Late night

What’s on Drama today

Overnight opens with Lovejoy at midnight, then Sister Boniface Mysteries at 1am and At Home with the Braithwaites at 2am, before a British Sign Language edition of The Chelsea Detective at 2:50am and Teleshopping from 4am until half past seven.

The Bill opens the broadcast day proper at 7:30am, then two Classic Doctors episodes lead into Classic Holby City and Classic Casualty through the late morning. The Bill returns at midday, two Classic EastEnders episodes and two Classic Neighbours episodes fill the early afternoon, and Sister Boniface Mysteries, Kingdom and As Time Goes By carry the schedule into early evening.

Drama tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the Drama primetime line-up for tonight, Friday 11 September 2026.

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

Three episodes run wall to wall to open the evening: series 12, episode 10 at 6pm, then two from series 13 (episodes 1 and 2) at 6:40pm and 7:20pm. The Yorkshire Dales sit-com about three ageing friends and their misadventures is Drama’s default early-evening filler, and three in a row is the usual shape rather than anything special.

You’re Killing Me — Drama, 8pm

Series 1 reaches episode 4 tonight, so this is a new instalment of an already-running series rather than a launch. The comedy-thriller follows a struggling crime writer whose plots start bleeding into real life.

Father Brown — Drama, 9pm

Series 10, episode 8 of the Cotswolds-set clerical mystery, with Mark Williams’ unassuming priest-detective doing what he does best.

New Tricks — Drama, 10pm

Series 10, episode 9. The UCOS cold-case team works through another shelved file, the format that kept this one going for years on BBC One before it settled into Drama’s evening rotation.

Copper — Drama, 11pm

Closing the night is series 1, episode 10 of the 1860s New York police drama, rounding off a schedule that leans on archive comfort viewing rather than a single big draw.

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?

Three Last of the Summer Wine episodes run back to back from 6pm to 7:20pm, then a new episode of You’re Killing Me airs at 8pm, Father Brown at 9pm, New Tricks at 10pm and Copper closes out the night at 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 filled out with archive comfort viewing. Tonight leans hard on reruns to open the evening — three Last of the Summer Wine episodes back to back — before You’re Killing Me and Father Brown give primetime some proper drama, and New Tricks and Copper close things out.

Daytime is where the channel earns its keep. The Bill gets two separate outings, morning and midday, and the Classic EastEnders and Classic Neighbours double bills either side of lunch are exactly the kind of scheduling that keeps Drama ticking over. It’s a schedule built for dropping in rather than appointment viewing, and today does that job as well as it usually does.

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