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

Published: 12 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, Sunday 13 September 2026, there’s no standout booking either: three Hetty Wainthropp Investigates episodes run back to back from 5pm, Sister Boniface Mysteries takes the 8pm slot, and Silent Witness follows at 9pm. New Tricks closes out the night at 11:15pm. It’s another straightforward mystery evening rather than anything built around a premiere.

Drama Schedule: Sunday 13 September 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete Drama schedule for Sunday 13 September 2026, on Freeview 20.

Overnight

Breakfast

Morning

Afternoon

Early evening

Primetime

Late night

What’s on Drama today

Overnight opens with a feature-length Inspector Alleyn Mysteries at 12:10am, then New Tricks at 2:25am and a British Sign Language edition of The Chelsea Detective at 3:15am, before Teleshopping fills the small hours from 4am until nearly half past seven.

Five consecutive episodes of The Bill carry the schedule from 7:25am through to lunchtime, then two Call the Midwife episodes run from 12:15pm. Catherine Cookson’s Tilly Trotter, a two-hour period drama, takes the mid-afternoon slot from 2:55pm, ahead of Hetty Wainthropp Investigates opening this evening’s run at 5pm.

Drama tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the Drama primetime line-up for tonight, Sunday 13 September 2026.

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates — Drama, 6pm

Two more instalments of the Lancashire sleuth’s fourth run follow an earlier outing at 5pm, making three episodes in a row by the time Sister Boniface Mysteries takes over. Hetty digs into a bribery case at 6pm (series 4, episode 3), then Robert and Geoffrey get drawn into an assault investigation at 7pm (series 4, episode 4).

Sister Boniface Mysteries — Drama, 8pm

A murder at the Great Slaughter Cricket Club gives the amateur sleuth her latest case, and it turns on exactly who wanted the club’s most arrogant player gone (series 3, episode 6).

Silent Witness — Drama, 9pm

Series 24 opens with Jack and Nikki called into a high-security prison to investigate a suspicious death in custody — one of the longer outings in tonight’s line-up at over two hours.

New Tricks — Drama, 11:15pm

UCOS reopens a case with a bent-officer angle, the kind of internal-corruption story that has always suited the show’s more cynical detectives (series 10, episode 10).

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 Hetty Wainthropp Investigates episodes run from 5pm, Sister Boniface Mysteries takes the 8pm slot and Silent Witness follows at 9pm. New Tricks closes the night at 11:15pm. 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 doesn’t have a standout booking — it’s Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, Sister Boniface Mysteries, Silent Witness and New Tricks back to back, reliable crime-drama staples rather than anything new.

Daytime is where the channel earns its keep. Five episodes of The Bill anchor the morning, Call the Midwife and a Catherine Cookson adaptation carry the early afternoon, and Hetty Wainthropp Investigates eases things into evening with three episodes in a row. 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