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

Updated: 20 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 20 September 2026, two Hetty Wainthropp Investigates episodes open primetime from 6pm, ahead of Sister Boniface Mysteries at 8pm. Silent Witness takes 9pm and New Tricks closes out the night at 11:15pm. Channel numbers are further down the page.

Drama Schedule: Sunday 20 September 2026 (Full Listings)

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

Overnight

Breakfast

Morning

Afternoon

Early evening

Primetime

Late night

What’s on Drama today

Overnight opens with The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries at ten past midnight, then Pie in the Sky at twenty-five past two and a British Sign Language edition of Copper at quarter past three, before Teleshopping fills the small hours from 4am until ten past seven.

Birds of a Feather opens the breakfast run at 7:10am, then five consecutive episodes of The Bill carry the morning through to half past eleven. The Nora Roberts Collection takes the early afternoon slot, and Catherine Cookson’s The Glass Virgin fills the rest of the afternoon ahead of this evening’s Hetty Wainthropp Investigates double bill from 6pm.

Drama tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the Drama primetime line-up for tonight, Sunday 20 September 2026.

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates — Drama, 6pm-8pm

Two back-to-back episodes of Hetty Wainthropp Investigates open the evening (series 4, episodes 5 and 6), the retired shopkeeper-turned-private-eye and her reluctant sidekick Geoffrey working a fresh case in each half-hour before the schedule shifts into scripted crime drama proper.

Sister Boniface Mysteries — Drama, 8pm

Sister Boniface Mysteries follows at 8pm (series 3, episode 7). The Father Brown spin-off is set in the fictional Cotswolds village of Great Slaughter, where a forensically minded nun keeps solving murders the local police can’t.

Silent Witness — Drama, 9pm

Silent Witness takes 9pm. One of the BBC’s longest-running dramas, it has followed the forensic pathologists of the Lyell Centre since 1996, building each case outward from the post-mortem table rather than the crime scene.

New Tricks — Drama, 11:15pm

New Tricks closes the night at 11:15pm (series 11, episode 5). The show follows UCOS, a small unit of retired detectives reopening cold cases, and built its long run on a rotating cast of veteran British actors playing the team.

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?

Two Hetty Wainthropp Investigates episodes open primetime from 6pm, ahead of Sister Boniface Mysteries at 8pm. Silent Witness takes 9pm and New Tricks closes out 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’s shape is straightforward too: two Hetty Wainthropp Investigates episodes open the evening, Sister Boniface Mysteries takes 8pm, and Silent Witness leads into New Tricks at 11:15pm.

Daytime is where the channel earns its keep the rest of the time. Birds of a Feather opens the breakfast run, five The Bill episodes carry the late morning, and The Nora Roberts Collection and Catherine Cookson’s The Glass Virgin fill the afternoon. It’s a schedule built for dropping in rather than appointment viewing, and today follows that pattern rather than breaking from it.

Related: Freeview Channel Guide | Dave TV Guide | Tonight’s Films on Freeview