The best new BBC dramas we can't wait to stream this autumn

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy CHARLOTTE VOSSEN, DEPUTY DIGITAL EDITOR Updated: 13:04 BST, 27 August 2026

Autumn is shaping up to be a very good one for TV, with the BBC bringing us a brilliant mix of gripping returning favourites and brand-new dramas to get invested in. From icy murder mysteries and high-stakes family law to Cold War espionage, eerie ghost stories and gritty police drama, there’s something for pretty much every kind of viewer. So, if you’re already wondering what to add to your autumn streaming list, these are the new and returning BBC dramas we can’t wait to watch.Vigil – Series Three A new series of Vigil will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer from 30 AugustBack for a third series, Vigil is taking DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) and DI Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie) somewhere rather colder this time – a remote Arctic research station. When a member of a covert British special forces mission is found shot dead, the pair must hunt for the killer while trying to prevent an international confrontation over the race for energy and resources in the changing polar climate. Gary Lewis, Dominic Mafham and Orla Russell also return.Stream on BBC iPlayer from 30 AugustThe Split Up The Split Up will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer from SeptemberIf you loved The Split, this brand-new six-part drama could be your next legal obsession. Set in Manchester’s high-stakes divorce law circuit, The Split Up follows the Kishans, a British-Asian family who run the city’s go-to high-net-worth family law firm. But when a long-buried family secret emerges, their seemingly impeccable professional and personal lives begin to unravel. Created by Ursula Rani Sarma and based on The Split, it promises plenty of complicated family dynamics alongside its courtroom drama.Stream on BBC iPlayer from SeptemberHoney Honey will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer this autumnFancy a little espionage with your autumn TV? Honey sounds like a deliciously twisty watch. Set in East Berlin in 1982, this darkly comic Cold War thriller follows 24-year-old MI6 agent Marta, who is trying to keep her cover intact while working undercover. Things become considerably more complicated when she finds herself caught between Stasi counter-espionage chief Friedrich Bauman (Jannis Niewöhner) and dangerously charming CIA operative Aaron Neeland (Nate Mann). Ann Skelly and Rory Kinnear also lead the cast.Stream on BBC iPlayer this autumnThis City Is Ours – Series Two A new series of This City Is Ours will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer this autumnAfter becoming one of the BBC’s breakout dramas, This City Is Ours is back for a second series – and we’ll be returning to Liverpool for more crime, family drama and very complicated loyalties. The first series followed Michael (James Nelson-Joyce), whose life and love affair with Diana (Hannah Onslow) became increasingly tangled up in the disintegration of his crime gang. With Ronnie’s (Sean Bean) son Jamie (Jack McMullen) challenging Michael for control, expect the battle for the family’s criminal empire to continue.Stream on BBC iPlayer this autumnThe Witch Farm The Witch Farm will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer this autumn If paranormal dramas are your thing, The Witch Farm could be one to have firmly on your autumn radar. Set in South Wales in 1989, this four-part ghost story follows Bill and Liz Rich (Michael Socha and Gabrielle Creevy), who leave London for a fresh start in a remote farmhouse in the Brecon Beacons. But after Liz believes she sees a ghost during a traumatic home birth, strange disturbances begin to escalate. Inspired by Danny Robins’ real-life paranormal podcast of the same name, it’s one for spooky-season viewing.Stream on BBC iPlayer this autumnBlue Lights – Series Four A new series of Blue Lights will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer this autumnAnother returning favourite, Blue Lights is back for a fourth series – and things are looking seriously tense for Belfast’s finest. Three years into their careers, response officers Grace Ellis (Siân Brooke), Tommy Foster (Nathan Braniff) and Annie Conlon (Katherine Devlin) are facing a new threat that the police are struggling to control. Meanwhile, the murder trial of Gerry Cliff (Richard Dormer) threatens to expose a long-buried secret with repercussions for both the police and criminal underworld. Martin McCann also returns as Stevie.Stream on BBC iPlayer this autumnTime – Series Three A new series of Time will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer this autumnJimmy McGovern’s BAFTA-winning Time returns for a third series, this time moving behind the walls of a Young Offenders Institution. David Tennant leads the three-part drama as veteran prison officer Bailey, who finds himself at odds with prison chaplain Marie-Louise (Siobhan Finneran), who has lost her faith. As tragedy strikes, Bailey’s own secrets threaten to catch up with him, while two teenage inmates, Peter and James, try to survive their incarceration. Expect another emotional, unflinching look at the realities of the prison system.Stream on BBC iPlayer this autumn