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

Published: 15 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, Wednesday 16 September 2026, there’s an actual highlight: three Last of the Summer Wine episodes open the evening from 6pm, then The Chelsea Detective returns for a new series at 8pm. Father Brown, New Tricks and Copper see out the rest of the night.

Drama Schedule: Wednesday 16 September 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete Drama schedule for Wednesday 16 September 2026, on Freeview 20.

Overnight

Breakfast

Morning

Afternoon

Early evening

Primetime

Late night

What’s on Drama today

Overnight opens with Lovejoy just after midnight, then Sister Boniface Mysteries and At Home with the Braithwaites, before a British Sign Language edition of Sister Boniface Mysteries at 3:10am and Teleshopping fills the small hours from 4am until half past seven.

The Bill opens the day proper at 7:30am and returns at midday, with two Classic Doctors episodes, Classic Holby City and Classic Casualty filling the morning in between. Two Classic EastEnders episodes and two Classic Neighbours episodes carry early afternoon, Sister Boniface Mysteries and Father Brown take mid-afternoon, and As Time Goes By leads into this evening’s run of Last of the Summer Wine at 6pm.

Drama tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the Drama primetime line-up for tonight, Wednesday 16 September 2026.

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

Three episodes run back to back to open the evening, series 14’s third, fourth and fifth instalments carrying the schedule from six o’clock through to twenty past seven. Comfortable, familiar, and exactly what this slot is for.

The Chelsea Detective — Drama, 8pm

Adrian Scarborough’s Max Arnold returns for series 4, opening with a case built around a butler found dead in the Thames. This is confirmed as a genuine new series against an independent listings source as well as the EPG’s own flag, which makes it the one booking on Drama worth setting an alarm for tonight.

Father Brown — Drama, 9pm

Mark Williams’s cassocked detective solves a tenth-series case at 9pm, well inside the channel’s usual cosy-crime territory.

New Tricks — Drama, 10pm

UCOS reopens a cold case at 10pm, one episode into an eleventh series that’s long been part of the channel’s rotation.

Copper — Drama, 11pm

The night closes with this 1860s New York police drama, a less typical pick for a British archive channel and one that rarely gets much attention beyond its own late slot.

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 from 6pm, then The Chelsea Detective returns for a new series at 8pm. Father Brown, New Tricks and Copper close out 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 sitcoms filled out with archive comfort viewing. Tonight, for once, there’s a genuine reason to tune in on time: three Last of the Summer Wine episodes open the evening before The Chelsea Detective returns for a new series at 8pm, with Father Brown, New Tricks and Copper filling out the rest of the night.

Daytime is where the channel earns its keep the rest of the time. The Bill, Classic Doctors and Classic Holby City anchor the morning, Classic EastEnders and Classic Neighbours carry early afternoon, and Sister Boniface Mysteries and Father Brown ease things towards evening. It’s a schedule built for dropping in rather than appointment viewing, and tonight’s premiere is the exception rather than the rule.

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