Female protagonist/lead investigator
2026 · 1 season · BBC
Set in the fictional village of Blossom Vale in the West Midlands during the 1970s, The Hairdresser Mysteries follows Lily Petal, a high-end London hair stylist who trades the competitive city scene for a small salon at the top of a quiet cobbled street.
2021 · 2 seasons · BBC
Annika follows the sharp, witty and enigmatic DI Annika Strandhed as she heads up a new specialist Marine Homicide Unit (MHU) that is tasked with investigating the unexplained, brutal, and seemingly unfathomable murders that wash up in the waterways of Scotland
2025 · 2 seasons · Channel 4
Patience Evans works in a clerical role filing police records. An autistic woman, she has a special interest in solving puzzles and a secret fascination and talent for criminology—her unique perspective allows her to connect the dots through clues in a way others simply cannot.
2013 · 10 seasons · BBC
Set amid the dramatic, windswept landscapes of Scotland's remote Shetland Islands, Shetland follows the local police team as they investigate murders within a close-knit island community where everyone knows everyone else's business—and secrets.
2020 · 7 seasons · U
London, 1882. When her father dies and leaves her penniless, Eliza Scarlet refuses to accept marriage as her only option and resolves to continue his detective agency under his name. Headstrong and clever, she becomes London’s first female private detective, working her way through the murkiest corners of Victorian London with the help of her loyal circle and the Scotland Yard detective at her side.
2024 · 1 season · BBC
Moonflower Murders follows Susan Ryeland, a former London book editor now running a struggling small hotel in Crete with her Greek partner Andreas, who is drawn back to England when a wealthy couple offers her a substantial sum to find their missing daughter.
2011 · 14 seasons · ITV
Set in Northumberland, Vera follows the dishevelled but brilliant Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope as she solves complex murder cases across the stunning landscapes of North East England.
2018 · 5 seasons · BBC
Frank Hathaway, a hardboiled private investigator, and his rookie sidekick Lu Shakespeare form the unlikeliest of partnerships as they investigate the secrets of rural Warwickshire's residents.
2022 · 2 seasons · U
Signora Volpe offers a refreshing departure from the frenetic pace of modern detective dramas, inviting viewers to savour the slower rhythms of life in the Umbrian countryside whilst still delivering compelling mysteries. Created by Rachel Cuperman and Sally Griffiths, this British-Italian co-production premiered on Acorn TV in 2022 and has since captivated audiences with its perfect blend of intrigue, stunning Italian scenery, and character-driven storytelling.
2026 · 1 season · Channel 4, U
Anna Pigeon Mysteries follows Anna Pigeon, a former city dweller who leaves her old life behind after a devastating personal loss and becomes a law enforcement ranger in America’s national parks
2022 · 1 season · BBC
When book editor Susan Ryeland receives the unfinished manuscript of bestselling author Alan Conway's latest Atticus Pünd mystery, she discovers the final chapter is missing and Conway is dead. As Susan searches for the missing pages, she realises that Conway's 1950s whodunit contains thinly veiled caricatures of real people in his life, and that his apparent suicide may actually be murder.
2022 · 2 seasons · ITV
Set in Scotland and based on Val McDermid's acclaimed novels, Karen Pirie follows a young, fearless Detective Sergeant working for Police Scotland's Historic Cases Unit as she tackles cold case murders that have remained unsolved for decades.
2023 · 1 season
Set in Slough, Berkshire, Mrs Sidhu Investigates follows the recently widowed Mrs. Sidhu, a high-end caterer with a taste for crime and her own Indian Aunty brand of nosy sleuthing.
2022 · 4 seasons · Channel 4, U
A retired English professor discovers she has a knack for solving mysteries, especially when they involve literary references, and teams up with her teenage mugger to form an unlikely detective duo.
2024 · 3 seasons · U
Judith, Suzie and Becks start an investigation. To assist with official police investigation, headed by Tanika, They must suspect witnesses, and face down real danger as they work against the clock to stop the killer in their tracks.
2019 · 3 seasons · BBC
The Mallorca Files follows the unlikely partnership between Miranda Blake, a serious, by-the-book British detective, and Max Winter, a laid-back, unconventional German detective
2026 · 1 season · U
Set in the quaint New England town of Founders' Cove, You're Killing Me follows bestselling novelist Allie Chandler, who forms an unlikely alliance with aspiring writer and true crime podcaster Andi Walker to find the killer of a close friend
2016 · 4 seasons · Sky
Burnt out on office politics, Agatha Raisin retires early to a picturesque village in the Cotswolds and soon finds a second career as an amateur detective investigating mischief, mayhem, and murder in her deceptively quaint town.
2024 · 2 seasons · Channel 5
DCI Ellis and her partner DS Harper are parachuted into failing police investigations across northern England, tackling seemingly unsolvable cases at different stations where their arrival is often met with resistance, hostility, and institutional barriers.
2025 · 1 season · Channel 5
Set in the mystery-shrouded Peak District, the series follows two mismatched young detectives: affable local Ben Cooper and guarded newcomer Diane Fry.
2026 · 1 season · BBC
Set against the sweeping Northumberland coastline and its surrounding market towns, The Northumbria Mysteries pairs Joe Ruby, a jack-of-all-trades and ex-convict with links to the criminal world, with DI Rose O'Connell, an Oxford-educated detective and rarefied intellectual with an ice-cool manner
